What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Nursing, Inpatient Behavioral Health position at Northbrook Behavioral Health Hospital?
Director of Nursing Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital
Lead Excellence in Behavioral Healthcare
Northbrook Behavioral Health Hospital
Blackwood, New Jersey - Full-Time | On-Site
Northbrook Behavioral Health Hospital is seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Nursing (DON) to join our executive leadership team. This is a unique opportunity for a nursing leader who is passionate about advancing clinical excellence, driving operational performance, and fostering a culture of compassionate, patient-centered psychiatric care.
The Director of Nursing provides strategic, clinical, operational, and administrative leadership for all Nursing Services throughout the patient care units. Reporting as a key member of the executive leadership team, the DON is responsible for nursing practice standards, quality outcomes, patient safety, regulatory compliance, workforce development, and resource management.
This role carries 24/7 accountability for nursing operations and plays a critical part in ensuring exceptional outcomes for patients, staff, and the organization.
What You'll Do
Strategic & Executive Leadership
- Provide executive oversight for nursing operations across the hospital.
- Serve as an active member of the hospital leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy and decision-making.
- Lead nursing initiatives that align with the hospital's mission, vision, values, and strategic goals.
- Champion a culture of clinical excellence, professional accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Represent Nursing Services on leadership councils, committees, and organizational initiatives.
Clinical & Quality Leadership
- Establish and maintain standards of nursing practice that promote safe, high-quality behavioral healthcare.
- Monitor patient outcomes, quality indicators, and performance metrics to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Ensure implementation of evidence-based nursing practices and patient safety initiatives.
- Partner with leadership teams to advance quality improvement, risk management, and performance improvement efforts.
- Support survey readiness and ensure ongoing compliance with all accreditation and regulatory requirements.
Nursing Workforce Development
- Lead nursing workforce planning, recruitment, retention, and succession strategies.
- Foster professional development, mentorship, leadership growth, and clinical competency among nursing staff.
- Promote a highly engaged nursing culture through visibility, accessibility, and regular clinical rounding.
- Support nursing leadership development programs and organizational effectiveness initiatives.
- Build a culture of collaboration, accountability, and professional practice excellence.
Operational Management
- Ensure appropriate staffing models and nursing resource allocation to support safe, effective 24/7 patient care.
- Collaborate in developing and managing departmental budgets and operational goals.
- Drive operational excellence through data-driven decision-making and process improvement.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, productivity, patient experience, and clinical outcomes.
Regulatory & Emergency Preparedness
- Maintain compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations as well as accreditation standards.
- Develop and implement policies, procedures, and clinical standards that support best practices.
- Serve as a liaison with regulatory and accrediting agencies.
- Respond to medical and behavioral emergencies and provide leadership during crisis situations.
- Participate in the Administrator-On-Call rotation and support hospital-wide emergency response efforts.
Qualifications
Required
- Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of New Jersey.
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), or Bachelors of Nursing (BSN) with a Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or a related healthcare field.
- 5 years of progressive leadership experience in psychiatric or behavioral health nursing.
- Current BLS certification through the American Heart Association.
- Current Handle With Care behavior management certification, or ability to obtain within 7 days of being hired.
- Demonstrated success leading nursing operations in an inpatient psychiatric or behavioral health setting.
- Strong knowledge of behavioral health regulations, accreditation standards, quality improvement methodologies, workforce management, and healthcare operations.
Preferred
- Experience leading large-scale clinical, operational, and strategic initiatives.
- Executive-level leadership experience within an inpatient psychiatric hospital.
Schedule & Work Environment
- Full-time, on-site leadership position.
- Accountability for nursing operations on a 24/7 basis - must be available outside of normal business hours to address urgent operational, clinical, or emergency situations.
- Participation in Administrator-On-Call rotation required.
- Regular weekday and occasional weekend rounding expected.
Why Northbrook Behavioral Health Hospital?
At Northbrook Behavioral Health Hospital, we are committed to providing safe, compassionate, and evidence-based behavioral healthcare. As Director of Nursing, you will have the opportunity to influence patient outcomes, develop future nursing leaders, strengthen clinical excellence, and drive meaningful organizational success.
If you are a collaborative and strategic nursing leader who thrives in a mission-driven behavioral health environment, we encourage you to apply.