POSITION SUMMARY:

Adhering to System Values, Service Excellence and Standards of Behavior, North Country Healthcare (NCH) is seeking an accomplished and visionary Director of Graduate Medical Education to lead the development, accreditation, launch, and ongoing administration of the organization's inaugural Family Medicine Residency Program, anticipated to accept its first residents in 2027.

This is a unique opportunity to build a residency program from the ground up within a rural health system committed to improving access to care, strengthening the physician workforce pipeline, and advancing the future of rural healthcare delivery. The Director will serve as the operational and strategic leader for all Graduate Medical Education activities, working collaboratively with executive leadership, the Designated Institutional Official (DIO), residency program leadership, clinical departments, academic partners, and accrediting organizations.

The successful candidate must bring extensive experience in graduate medical education, residency program development and administration, accreditation processes, and physician workforce development. Experience in rural medicine, rural residency programs, or community-based training environments is strongly preferred.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, education, public administration, business administration, or related field.

• Master's degree is strongly preferred.

Certification:

• All employees and contracted staff will have either successful completion of an American Heart Association* accredited course in Basic Life Support (BLS), or ACLS and PALS combined. (for clinical staff), Heartsaver CPR AED (for nonclinical staff), and renewal on a regular basis.

*Refer to the NCH Life Support Certification Policy for position specific requirements.

Skills:

• Extensive knowledge of ACGME accreditation requirements and graduate medical education best practices.

• Strong understanding of residency program administration, physician training, and academic medicine.

• Demonstrated project management and organizational leadership skills.

• Ability to work effectively with physicians, executives, educators, regulators, and community stakeholders.

• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and relationship-building abilities.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Commitment to rural healthcare, physician workforce development, and educational excellence.

Work Experience:

Required Experience

• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in Graduate Medical Education administration.

• Demonstrated experience supporting ACGME-accredited residency programs.

• Experience managing accreditation activities, institutional compliance, and residency operations.

• Experience leading complex projects involving multiple stakeholders.

Preferred Experience

• Experience launching a new residency program and/or participating in initial ACGME accreditation.

• Experience within rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, rural training tracks, or community-based residency programs.

• Knowledge of CMS GME funding, DGME, IME, Medicare reimbursement methodologies, and residency financing.

• Experience establishing institutional GME infrastructure within organizations new to graduate medical education.

• Experience supporting Family Medicine residency programs.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Residency Program Development and Launch

• Lead the operational development and implementation of NCH's inaugural Family Medicine Residency Program.

• Coordinate all activities necessary to maintain accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

• Collaborate with executive leadership and physician leaders to establish educational infrastructure, governance structures, policies, and procedures.

• Develop timelines, project plans, budgets, and readiness assessments related to program launch.

• Coordinate residency recruitment strategies and support participation in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

• Assist in the development of curriculum, educational resources, evaluation systems, and faculty development initiatives.

Graduate Medical Education Administration

• Establish and oversee NCH's GME office and support infrastructure.

• Develop institutional policies and procedures governing resident education, supervision, duty hours, wellness, professionalism, and compliance.

• Monitor compliance with all applicable ACGME, CMS, state, and federal requirements.

• Coordinate accreditation reviews, site visits, annual reports, surveys, and institutional documentation.

• Serve as a subject matter expert regarding GME regulations, funding, and operational requirements.

• Develop systems to support resident onboarding, credentialing, evaluation, scheduling, and performance monitoring.

Strategic Leadership

• Partner with organizational leadership to develop a long-term GME strategy aligned with NCH's workforce development goals.

• Identify opportunities for future residency and fellowship program expansion.

• Assist in the development and management of GME budgets, grants, and funding opportunities, including DGME and IME reimbursement programs.

• Build relationships with medical schools, teaching institutions, academic partners, and rural health organizations.

• Serve as a champion for physician workforce development and rural healthcare innovation.

Faculty and Resident Support

• Support residency leadership, faculty physicians, and clinical educators in fulfilling educational objectives.

• Coordinate faculty development initiatives and educational training programs.

• Promote a culture of resident wellness, professionalism, inclusion, patient safety, and educational excellence.

• Facilitate communication among residents, faculty, administration, and organizational leadership.

Quality and Compliance

• Develop systems for continuous program evaluation and improvement.

• Monitor educational outcomes, resident performance, board pass rates, and program effectiveness metrics.

• Ensure compliance with institutional, state, federal, and accrediting requirements.

• Support initiatives that integrate graduate medical education with quality improvement, patient safety, and population health objectives.

Leadership Expectations

• The Director of Graduate Medical Education will be a foundational leader in North Country Healthcare's physician workforce strategy. Success in this role requires a builder's mindset, the ability to navigate complex regulatory environments, and a commitment to developing a nationally respected rural Family Medicine Residency Program that serves the healthcare needs of northern New Hampshire and surrounding communities.

In addition, this to the preceding essential functions this role may perform additional duties as assigned.