Valencia County Hospital is seeking a Director of the Emergency Department to lead our new hospital currently under construction in Los Lunas, NM. Owned by Valencia County and operated through a joint venture between Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) and Lovelace Health System, this startup represents a vital investment in rural healthcare and a unique opportunity to build clinical excellence from the ground up.

Reporting to the CNO, the Director of the Emergency Department organizes, plans, and administers the day-to-day operations of the Emergency Room at Valencia County Hospital. This role is responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective, and timely emergency clinical services within established productivity and budget standards. The Director manages departmental personnel, capital and operating budgets, regulatory compliance, and serves as a visionary leader to develop and grow the service line. This position acts as a vital liaison between the Emergency Department, administration, physicians, EMS agencies, patients, families, and the local community.

Major Responsibilities

• Clinical & Departmental Operations: Oversee day-to-day emergency services, ensure safe evidence-based care, optimize patient flow and triage, coordinate with ancillary departments, and conduct clinical rounding.
• Financial Management & Budgeting: Develop and monitor operating, personnel, and capital budgets, control labor and overtime costs, and collaborate with leadership on major expenditures.
• Leadership & Staff Management: Direct departmental operations, foster a culture of safety and accountability, lead nursing staff, and complete performance evaluations.
• Quality & Performance Improvement: Lead quality initiatives, track key performance indicators (such as door-to-provider time, LWBS, and length of stay), and implement corrective action and PI projects.
• Regulatory Compliance: Maintain ongoing readiness and ensure full compliance with CMS, CIHQ, EMTALA, OSHA, HIPAA, and state health regulations.
• Staffing & Human Resources: Manage recruitment, hiring, onboarding, employee relations, retention, and succession planning.
• Education & Professional Development: Validate annual competencies, coordinate continuing education, and support specialty certifications and residency programs.
• Patient Experience: Promote compassionate, patient-centered care and address patient and family concerns.
• Emergency Preparedness: Participate in disaster planning, mass casualty preparedness, and lead emergency drills.
• Provider & Community Relations: Build strong relationships with emergency physicians and mid-level providers, monitor physician satisfaction, and represent the department in the community.

Requirements
Education And Experience

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required.Graduate from an accredited school of nursing is required. Master's Degree in Nursing (MSN), Healthcare Administration (MHA), or a related field is preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive clinical management/leadership experience at the Clinical or Director level managing a clinical or emergency unit is required.
• Certifications: Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of New Mexico. Advanced clinical certifications specific to emergency nursing (e.g., CEN, TNCC, ACLS, PALS) are highly preferred.

Knowledge

• Emergency nursing clinical practices and specialty trauma/emergency training.
• Critical Access Hospital (CAH) regulations and CMS conditions of participation.
• Healthcare budgeting, productivity metrics, and capital expenditure analysis.
• National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs), Core Measures, and Emergency Department metrics (e.g., left without being seen, door-to-provider times).
• State and federal regulations governing emergency medical care (EMTALA, HIPAA, OSHA).
• Human resource management principles, conflict resolution, and staff motivation strategies.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems specific to Emergency Departments.
• Experience with automated staffing and scheduling software tools.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel for budget tracking, Word for policies, PowerPoint for staff in-services).
• Familiarity with hospital Incident Command Systems (HICS) and disaster management platforms.
• Competency in interpreting business intelligence data, clinical dashboards, and quality reporting metrics.

Competencies

• Clinical Leadership: Ability to demonstrate solid progressive nursing leadership and operational oversight.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills across all levels of the organization.
• Problem Solving: Advanced organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage stressful environments.
• Change Management: Actively promotes organizational goals and guides staff through transitions with a positive attitude.
• Patient Advocacy: Empathy and commitment to addressing patient/family concerns and elevating satisfaction metrics.

Salary range: $100,000 - 115,000.00

Valencia County Hospital is a new 15-bed acute care facility currently under construction in Los Lunas, NM. Owned by Valencia County and operated through a joint venture between Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) and Lovelace Health System, this startup represents a vital investment in rural healthcare and a unique opportunity to build clinical excellence from the ground up.

Benefits

As a full time employee, we offer a competitive salary, quality work environment and eligibility to participate in the company benefit programs. These benefits include: Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance, health and dependent care spending accounts, 401(k) savings with match, life insurance, long-term and short-term disability coverage.