Vice President of IT Operations

Nexus Health Systems - Corporate | Houston, Texas
Full-Time | Exempt | Onsite

Nexus Health Systems is seeking an accomplished Vice President of IT Operations to serve as the Chief Information Officer's operational deputy and execution leader. This executive role is responsible for transforming strategic technology initiatives into measurable operational results across our growing healthcare system.

As the CIO's second-in-command, the Vice President of IT Operations provides executive leadership for Clinical Informatics and the IT Project Management Office (PMO), oversees enterprise technology governance, and ensures successful execution of a complex portfolio of clinical and business technology initiatives. This leader will represent the CIO in executive forums, drive accountability across enterprise projects, and play a critical role in supporting Nexus Health Systems' continued growth and innovation.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced healthcare IT executive who thrives in complex, fast-paced environments and enjoys leading large-scale transformation initiatives.

Position Summary

The Vice President of IT Operations serves as the operational leader for enterprise information technology execution, ensuring the successful implementation of the CIO's strategic vision across the organization.

This executive oversees enterprise IT governance, portfolio management, Clinical Informatics, and the IT Project Management Office while partnering closely with executive leadership, clinical leaders, facility administrators, and technology teams to deliver high-impact initiatives.

The role is responsible for driving operational excellence, maintaining governance standards, overseeing enterprise EMR initiatives, managing technology investments, strengthening vendor partnerships, and fostering a culture of accountability and execution throughout the IT organization.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership

• Serve as the CIO's operational deputy and trusted executive advisor.
• Represent the CIO in executive meetings, governance councils, and operational forums when delegated.
• Translate enterprise technology strategy into actionable execution plans.
• Provide executive-level communication regarding risks, priorities, and organizational opportunities.

IT Governance & Portfolio Management

• Lead day-to-day operations of enterprise IT governance.
• Oversee an enterprise portfolio of 40+ concurrent technology initiatives.
• Direct project prioritization, resource allocation, milestone tracking, and executive reporting.
• Establish and enforce enterprise project management standards and governance processes.
• Drive accountability for project delivery across clinical and business technology initiatives.

Clinical Informatics & EMR Leadership

• Provide executive oversight of enterprise Electronic Medical Record (EMR) implementations.
• Partner with Clinical Informatics leadership to ensure successful planning, implementation, go-live, and stabilization.
• Monitor program governance, budgets, vendor performance, and executive reporting throughout implementation lifecycles.

Financial & Operational Management

• Develop annual operating and capital budget recommendations for Corporate IT.
• Manage approved operating and capital expenditures.
• Oversee capital request processes, purchasing workflows, and financial performance reporting.
• Conduct variance analysis and provide executive financial updates.

Vendor & Strategic Partnerships

• Manage relationships with strategic technology vendors and managed service providers.
• Monitor service level agreements, contract performance, renewals, and vendor accountability.
• Lead or support RFP and vendor evaluation initiatives alongside Finance, Legal, and Compliance.

AI Governance & Innovation

• Execute enterprise AI initiatives aligned with organizational strategy.
• Support responsible AI governance, acceptable-use standards, and healthcare regulatory compliance.
• Promote adoption of approved automation and artificial intelligence technologies across the enterprise.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead and mentor IT leaders across Clinical Informatics and the PMO.
• Develop organizational structure, career pathways, succession planning, and performance standards.
• Foster a culture focused on accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

Required Education

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Equivalent executive leadership experience may be considered.
• Master's degree preferred.

Required Experience

• Minimum of 12 years of progressive Information Technology experience.
• Minimum of 8 years within a healthcare provider organization.
• Minimum of 5 years leading enterprise IT teams.
• Experience serving as a senior executive deputy, chief of staff, or second-in-command.
• Demonstrated leadership of at least one full lifecycle EMR implementation.
• Experience overseeing enterprise technology portfolios and governance programs.
• Proven success managing IT operating and capital budgets.

Required Certification

• Project Management Professional (PMP)

Preferred Certifications

• CHCIO
• CPHIMS
• ITIL Foundation
• Lean Six Sigma
• Prosci Change Management

Preferred Experience

Ideal candidates will possess experience with:

• Multi-facility healthcare systems
• Rehabilitation, behavioral health, post-acute, or specialty hospitals
• New hospital openings or healthcare expansion projects
• Meditech Expanse implementations
• Microsoft technology ecosystem
• Azure, Entra ID, Intune, Citrix, Aruba Networking
• NIST AI Risk Management Framework
• Enterprise AI governance

Core Competencies

Successful candidates will demonstrate expertise in:

• Executive leadership
• Healthcare technology strategy
• Enterprise governance
• Project portfolio management
• Clinical Informatics
• EMR implementation
• Financial management
• Vendor management
• Organizational leadership
• Executive communication
• Risk management
• AI governance
• Change management
• Cross-functional collaboration

Work Environment

This is a full-time, onsite leadership position based at the Nexus Health Systems Corporate Office in Houston, Texas.

Regular travel to Nexus facilities is required to support enterprise initiatives, new facility openings, governance activities, and major technology implementations. Availability outside normal business hours may be necessary during system go-lives, critical incidents, and enterprise project milestones.