Vice President, IT Clinical Systems

Overview

The Vice President, Information Technology (IT) Clinical Systems provides executive-level direction for the Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) application landscape. Reporting to the SVP, Chief of Clinical Systems, this leader oversees the Integrated Healthcare Applications team and holds accountability for the strategic vision, delivery, reliability, and lifecycle management of all modules and service lines throughout the network. This senior leader converts enterprise objectives into actionable portfolio roadmaps, ensuring application standardization and cross-domain integration while adjudicating dependencies, risks, and resource conflicts. As a strategic partner to clinical and business leaders, the VP translates complex technology initiatives into decision-ready messaging for executive forums, ensuring that application investments drive significant clinical, operational, and financial value realization.

Responsibilities

A day in the life of a Vice President, Information Technology (IT) Clinical Systems at Hackensack Meridian Health includes:

• Lead, develop, and hold accountable the Integrated Healthcare Applications team; set clear performance expectations, define ownership boundaries across portfolios, conduct talent and succession planning, and build bench strength across the leadership team.
• Partner with the SVP, Chief of Clinical Systems to establish enterprise application strategy, priorities, and execution plans; cascade that direction into portfolio-level roadmaps, objectives, and measurable commitments for each Director.
• Own the integrated, cross-portfolio view of the enterprise application landscape resolving interdependencies, sequencing conflicts, and integration risks that span more than one Director's portfolio and cannot be resolved at the portfolio level.
• Apply deep cross-application knowledge of the integrated EHR and ancillary systems to evaluate design decisions, prevent siloed builds, and ensure changes in one module or service area are assessed for enterprise-wide clinical, revenue cycle, reporting, and interoperability impact.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for the Directors on high-impact scope, resource, schedule, vendor, and stakeholder issues; make timely decisions, adjudicate competing priorities, and drive issues through to resolution.
• Represent the application organization in executive forums including senior leadership, clinical governance, IT governance, and Board-level committees delivering clear, concise, audience-appropriate communication on strategy, performance, risk, financials, and trade-offs.
• Establish and report enterprise-level metrics for the application portfolio (delivery performance, system reliability, adoption, end-user satisfaction, optimization throughput, and value realization); ensure a single, credible source of truth for executive reporting.  Own the consolidated operating and capital budget for the Integrated Healthcare Applications organization; direct budget development, resource allocation, staffing models, and vendor/contract strategy to maximize return on investment and manage total cost of ownership.
• Direct enterprise-level assessment of the technical and application portfolio, identifying opportunities for consolidation, standardization, rationalization, modernization, and technical debt reduction in partnership with the Director of Systems Management and Delivery. Partner with the Directors of Systems Management and Delivery and Service Management and Delivery to align application strategy with integration, environment, release, change management, portfolio governance, training, security, and Community Connect functions.
• Build and sustain executive-level relationships with clinical, operational, and business leaders across the network; translate their strategic objectives into technology solutions and hold the organization accountable for delivering the intended outcomes.
• Lead enterprise application governance in partnership with the SVP, Chief of Clinical Systems including intake, prioritization, demand management, and investment decisions ensuring transparency, discipline, and alignment to HMH strategic goals.
• 1Oversee vendor and strategic partner relationships at the executive level, including Epic and other major application vendors; participate in negotiations, escalate performance issues, and hold partners accountable to contractual and service commitments. Plan for the enterprise application portfolio over a three- to five-year horizon, developing and maintaining a multi-year roadmap that anticipates organizational growth, M&A activity, regulatory change, and emerging technology (including AI-enabled and automation capabilities).
• Monitor and direct enterprise strategy for external organization connectivity, community relationships, and third-party access to patient information, ensuring access needs and requirements are appropriately vetted.
• Assure that State Department of Health / TJC standards, HIPAA, HITECH, and organizational policy and procedure are embedded in system design and portfolio decisions; adhere to legal requirements and operational policies regarding patient and family privacy practices.
• Teach, advocate, and mentor Directors, managers, and staff on clinical information systems standards, tools, and methodologies while modeling high-quality, business-focused customer service and a culture of ownership and accountability.
• Act on behalf of the SVP, Chief of Clinical Systems as delegated, representing the application organization in the SVP, Chief of Clinical Systems' absence.
• Other duties and/or projects as assigned (e.g., lead/participate in additional projects/initiatives).
• Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Qualifications

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or other related field; or equivalent (4 years) relevant experience may be accepted in place of a bachelor's degree.
• Minimum of 12 years (or if no degree, 16 years) of progressive experience leading healthcare application projects, programs, and strategies, including significant experience in healthcare IT, clinical informatics, or strategic/business consulting.
• Minimum of 8 years of management experience in an informatics or application leadership role including system implementation, optimization, support, and maintenance.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience as a leader of leaders (managing directors, senior managers, or equivalent) in a large, complex, multi-site environment.
• Demonstrated cross-application breadth - proven ability to understand and connect multiple clinical, revenue cycle, access, and ancillary application domains, and to evaluate integration points and downstream impacts across an integrated EHR ecosystem.
• Extensive experience with Epic applications in a large enterprise environment, including multi-module implementations, upgrades, and optimization programs.
• Exceptional executive communication skills proven ability to translate complex technical and portfolio information into clear, concise, decision-ready messaging for executive, clinical, and Board-level audiences, both written and verbal.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without authority and build consensus among senior executive, clinical, and operational stakeholders with competing priorities.
• Strong ability to manage success across a large portfolio of concurrent initiatives with a deep understanding of network business and clinical objectives.
• Proven experience owning and managing multi-million dollar operating and capital budgets, vendor contracts, and resource allocation decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to articulate goals, plan and implement processes to achieve those goals, and recognize and assess the implications of confounding variables.
• Results-oriented creates a culture of true accountability that leads to clear ownership for driving action and delivering results. Inspires a passion for excellence.
• Ability to persevere in difficult situations, overcome obstacles, and reach high levels of performance when faced with stressful work situations and time pressure.
• Strong knowledge of healthcare regulatory requirements, including HIPAA and HITECH.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong organizational skills, and attention to detail.
• Independent working ability with strong time management skills.
• Proficient computer skills that include but are not limited to Google Suite and/or Microsoft Office platforms.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
• Experience supporting an integrated delivery network, academic medical center, or multi-hospital system.
• Experience with EHR consolidation, merger/acquisition integration, or Community Connect programs.

Licenses and Certifications Preferred:

• Epic Certification (multiple application certifications highly preferred).
• Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Foundations.
• Project Management Professional Certification.

If you feel that the above description speaks directly to your strengths and capabilities, then please apply today!   

Starting Minimum RateMinimum rate of $319,883.20 Annually Job Posting DisclosureHMH is committed to pay equity and transparency for our team members. The posted rate of pay in this job posting is a reasonable good faith estimate of the minimum base pay for this role at the time of posting in accordance with the New Jersey Pay Transparency Act and does not reflect the full value of our market-competitive total rewards package. The starting rate of pay is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of a specific offer. Posted hourly rates may be stated as an annual salary in the offer and posted annual salaries may be stated as an hourly rate in the offer, depending on the level and nature of the job duties and credentials of the candidate. The base compensation determined at the time of the offer may be different than the posted rate of pay based on a number of non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to: Labor Market Data: Compensation is benchmarked against market data to ensure competitiveness. Experience: Years of relevant work experience. Education and Certifications: Level of education attained, including specialized certifications, credentials, completed apprenticeship programs or advanced training. Skills: Demonstrated proficiency in relevant skills and competencies. Geographic Location: Cost of living and market rates for the specific location. Internal Equity: Compensation is determined in a manner consistent with compensation ranges for similar roles within the organization. Budget and Grant Funding: Departmental budgets and any grant funding associated with the job position may impact the pay that can be offered. Some jobs may also be eligible for performance-based incentives, bonuses, or commissions not reflected in the starting rate. Certain positions may also be eligible for shift differentials for work performed on evening, night, or weekend shifts. In addition to our compensation for full-time and part-time (20+ hours/week) job positions, HMH offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and retirement benefits.