Chief Nursing Officer - Nurse Excellence

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?

With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you'll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career!

Job Summary

The Associate Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer - Nurse Excellence provides executive nursing leadership and strategic direction for nursing practice and professional development across the UT Southwestern Health System. Reporting to the Chief Nurse Executive (CNE), the CNO Nurse Excellence works collaboratively to advance nursing excellence, operational integration, and workforce innovation across all care settings. This position is responsible for system-level leadership of Nursing Education and Professional Development, Magnet and Nursing Research, Professional Practice and Peer Review, Care Coordination and Transitions of Care, Workforce Planning, and Virtual Care/Models of Care innovation. The CNO Nurse Excellence partners closely with the CNE and nursing leaders across hospitals, ambulatory sites, and post-acute programs to ensure nursing vision, standards, and strategic initiatives are aligned and consistently executed across the continuum.

Benefits

UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!
  
  

Essential Functions

Job Duties

• In collaboration with the Chief Nurse Executive, identifies and articulates the vision and strategic direction for nursing at the system level and leads implementation of strategies to achieve nursing and organizational goals.
• Provides executive leadership for assigned functions including Nursing Education and Professional Development, Magnet and Nursing Research, Peer Review, Care Coordination, Care Transitions, Workforce Planning, and Virtual Care.
• Partners with clinical and operational leaders to ensure nursing services are delivered consistently, efficiently, and in accordance with evidence-based standards of care across all UTSW settings and locations
• Develops and implements innovative care models that enhance care delivery, optimize nursing resources, and improve patient outcomes and experience.
• Oversees the strategic design and execution of nursing workforce planning initiatives, ensuring appropriate supply, competency, and engagement of nursing staff across the system.
• Provides executive oversight for system care coordination and transitions of care programs, promoting seamless, patient-centered care across the inpatient, ambulatory, and post-acute continuum.
• Guides the advancement of academic partnerships, professional practice standards, and evidence-based nursing research to sustain UTSW's reputation for nursing excellence.
• Promotes a healthy work environment and culture of shared governance, accountability, and professional growth among nursing staff.
• Collaborates with Human Resources, Finance, and Operations to establish metrics and analytics for nursing workforce optimization, recruitment, and retention.
• Ensures compliance with applicable laws, regulations, accreditation standards, and institutional policies governing nursing practice and patient care.
• Serves as a visible and accessible leader, modeling UTSW values and fostering collaboration across disciplines to achieve patient-centered excellence.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
  
  

Qualifications

Education and Experience

Required

• Education Bachelor's of Science degree in Nursing and Master's Degree in Nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business, or a related field
• Experience 7 or more years of progressive related leadership experience in a large, complex health care system
• Licenses and Certifications (RN) REGISTERED NURSE Licensure in the State of Texas or BNE Compact State
  
  

Preferred

• Education Doctorate in a related field
  
  

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Work requires ability to ensure adherence to all policies and procedures of university.
• Work requires ability to effectively interpret and apply organizational policies, procedures, and systems.
• Work requires excellent supervisory, customer service, and written and verbal communication skills.
• Work requires ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and supervise work of employees as necessary to ensure desired results are achieved.
• Work requires collaboration with other organizations and all levels of internal and external personnel.
• Work requires ability to monitor and maintain budget.
  
  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORKING CONDITIONS

• Physical Demands Talking
• Working Conditions Office Setting
  
  

PACT STATEMENT

The following is the acronym, "PACT", and is fundamental to all non-clinical positions at UT Southwestern Medical Center:

• P-Problem Solving: Employees take ownership in solving problems effectively, efficiently, and to the satisfaction of customers, or managers. They show initiative in addressing areas of concern before they become problems.
• A-Ability, Attitude and Accountability: Employees exhibit ability to perform their job and conduct themselves in a professional and positive manner reflecting a professional environment readily assuming obligations in a dependable and reliable manner.
• C-Communication, Contribution, and Collaboration: Who are our Customers? Anyone who requests our help, needs our work product, or receives our services. Employees focus on customer service with creative solutions while improving the customer experience through clear, courteous, and timely delivery and communication. Sharing ideas with others helps expand our contribution to department goals.
• T-Teamwork: Employees work to contribute to the department's success by supporting co-workers, promoting excellence in work product and customer service, and in maintaining a satisfying, caring environment for each other.
  
  

Salary

Salary Negotiable

Security

This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information.

EEO Statement

UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.

Primary Location

Texas-Dallas-5323 Harry Hines Blvd

Work Locations

5323 Harry Hines Blvd

Organization

726000 - HSN-Nursing Ops Admin

Schedule

Full-time

Shift

Day Job

Employee Status

Regular

Job Type

Standard

Job Posting

Apr 28, 2026, 9:43:05 PM