Executive Director, Enterprise Safety Quality and Patient Experience

Executive Director, Enterprise Safety Quality and Patient Experience

Cleveland Clinic is seeking a dynamic and experienced individual to serve as Executive Director – Enterprise Safety, Quality and Patient Experience. This role has a major impact on the organization, playing a role in defining SQPE delivery across the enterprise.

Reporting to the Vice President of Safety, Quality, and Patient Experience, this role provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for enterprise-wide Safety, Quality, and Patient Experience (SQPE) functions. Core areas of responsibility include quality, safety, patient experience, accreditation, regulatory affairs, and infection prevention.

A caregiver in this role will:

• Partner with the Vice President of Safety, Quality, and Patient Experience to develop, communicate and align the enterprise-wide SQPE strategy and to define long-term strategies for enterprise-wide SQPE goals.
• Identify opportunities to incorporate emerging technologies, digital tools and innovative practices to advance quality, safety and patient experience outcomes.
• Serve as a content expert in safety, quality and patient experience, contributing to the development and execution of enterprise strategies and initiatives.
• Monitor national trends in safety, quality and patient experience to inform strategy, optimize outcomes, and enhance value-based reimbursement.
• Partner with legal and compliance teams to proactively identify and mitigate risks related to patient safety, regulatory compliance and accreditation standards.
• Represent Cleveland Clinic on selected national and international boards and committees related to SQPE.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and dissemination of best practices across the enterprise and with external stakeholders.
• Develop strategies to optimize outcomes in value-based care models, ensuring alignment with reimbursement incentives and cost containment goals.
• Lead enterprise-wide performance improvement efforts in safety, quality and patient experience across Institutes, Markets and Shared Services, using the Cleveland Clinic Improvement Model.
• Collaborate with clinical and non-clinical leaders to assess SQPE performance, set goals and implement improvement initiatives.
• Practice and coach effective Lean problem solving to achieve enterprise goals and drive greater value for patients, caregivers and the organization.
• Apply data analysis, statistical methods and Lean principles to identify trends, solve problems and drive continuous improvement.
• Establish benchmarking processes to compare organizational performance against national and international standards, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement.
• Oversee the accuracy, integrity and security of SQPE-related data, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and ethical standards.
• Support the Vice President of Lean Transformation in change management initiatives to foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and accountability across the organization.
• Oversee SQPE operations, including team leadership, recruitment, performance management, caregiver experience, budgeting and resource allocation.
• Establish and maintain communication cadences to foster a culture of improvement, collaboration and engagement.
• Develop and implement standardized processes, protocols and tools across the enterprise to ensure consistency in SQPE practices.
• Manage the Cleveland Clinic Alliance for Patient and Caregiver Safety (Patient Safety Organization), including the development and implementation of PSO strategy.
• Develop and oversee training programs and playbooks for caregivers and leaders in SQPE best practices.
• Mentor emerging leaders within the SQPE team, fostering talent development and succession planning.
• Identify opportunities to optimize resources and reduce waste while maintaining high standards of care.
• Monitor the financial impact of SQPE initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational sustainability goals.
• Lead the SQPE Compliance Committee, identify key compliance risks and report to the Enterprise Compliance Committee.
• Ensure compliance with quality metrics across hospitals and joint ventures.
• Partner with Supply Chain leadership to ensure quality metric compliance within contracts across all hospitals and joint ventures.
• Oversee enterprise-wide accreditation preparedness and responsiveness activities to ensure continual patient and survey readiness.
• Serve as an advocate for the organization in regulatory discussions and policy development at the local, state, and national levels.
• Partner with emergency management teams to integrate SQPE principles into disaster planning and response efforts.
• Oversee infection prevention efforts to ensure adherence to regulatory standards and delivery of safe healthcare services.
• Provide strategic oversight of infection prevention programs and initiatives to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and improve patient outcomes.
• Ensure alignment of infection prevention efforts with enterprise-wide safety and regulatory compliance standards.
• Collaborate with infection prevention specialists, epidemiologists and clinical teams to implement evidence-based practices and innovative solutions to mitigate infection risks.
• Monitor infection prevention data and trends, ensuring timely reporting to regulatory agencies and internal stakeholders.
• Ensure infection prevention standards are embedded in vendor contracts and procurement processes across hospitals and joint ventures.

Minimum qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include:

• Bachelor's degree
• Master's degree in business administration, healthcare administration or related field
• Fifteen (15) years of experience in clinical quality, safety, patient experience or administering quality improvement programs, with minimum of 5 years prior leadership experience
• Certified Professional of Healthcare Quality, Patient Safety, Accreditation or Risk Management
• Master Black Belt or Lean Gold certification
• Excellent financial planning, project management and people management skills
• Demonstrated experience in managing leaders and teams, strategic management, and leading change complex settings
• Demonstrated experience applying and coaching Lean problem solving and related improvement methodologies
• Proficiency in data analysis, visualization and insight translation
• Experience partnering with leadership and clinicians to achieve results
• Outstanding communication (verbal, written, presentation), leadership and stakeholder engagement skills
• Experience with regulatory compliance, accreditation processes, and collaboration with external agencies
• Experience in and understanding of healthcare industry

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to perform work in a stationary position for extended periods
• Ability to operate a computer and other office equipment
• Ability to communicate effectively and exchange accurate information
• Ability to travel throughout the health system

Personal Protective Equipment:

• Follows standard precautions using personal protective equipment.

Pay Range: Minimum hourly: $72.70, Maximum hourly: $143.58