Director of Access and Care Navigation

About the role

The Director, Access & Care Navigation serves as a strategic and operational partner to the Chief Operating and Business Development Officers, helping lead and optimize the organization’s access, intake, referral management, patient navigation, and transition-of-care functions.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership
  • Partner with the Chief Operations Officer to develop and execute strategic initiatives that strengthen access, referral conversion, care coordination, and patient navigation.
  • Support organizational growth strategies through referral optimization, relationship management, and market expansion efforts.
  • Contribute to strategic planning, performance improvement initiatives, and operational transformation projects.
• Operational Oversight
  • Provide day-to-day leadership support for intake, admissions, referral coordination, transfer center, navigation, and access-related functions.
  • Monitor operational workflows to ensure timely response to referrals, admissions, and patient/family inquiries.
  • Collaborate with clinical, operational, and business development leaders to remove barriers to access and improve transitions of care.
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory, payer, and organizational standards.
• Performance & Analytics
  • Track and analyze key performance indicators including referral conversion, response times, admission timeliness, CAHPS-related touchpoints, customer experience metrics, and growth trends.
  • Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, capacity management, and patient experience outcomes.
  • Develop dashboards, reports, and action plans to support executive decision-making.
• Relationship Management
  • Foster strong partnerships with hospitals, physician groups, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, payers, and community organizations.
  • Serve as a collaborative liaison between access teams and clinical operations.
• Team Leadership & Culture
  • Support recruitment, onboarding, coaching, and professional development of access and navigation team members.
  • Promote a culture of accountability, service excellence, collaboration, innovation, and compassion.
  • Create a high-performing environment focused on responsiveness, empathy, and coordinated care delivery.
• Budget and Financial Management
  • Affords with the budget development and monitor program efficiency, resource utilization, and operational needs for the Gilchrist Access Center and work.
  • Support financial stewardship by aligning quality, compliance, and education initiatives with available resources and organizational priorities.
  • Partner with Finance and operational leaders to understand budget impact, staffing needs, program expenses, and resource allocation.
  • Support education related to reimbursement, documentation, and revenue cycle processes in partnership with Finance for the access team.
  • Identify opportunities to improve workflow efficiency, reduce duplication, and support sustainable program operations.
  • Monitor quality and compliance activities that may impact reimbursement, regulatory performance, patient outcomes, or operational risk.
  • Provide input into program planning, budget needs, and resource requests related to growth and access.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelors of Nursing
• Experience: Minimum of 5–7 years of leadership experience in healthcare operations, hospice, home health, palliative care, care navigation, intake, or access management.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams and operational improvement initiatives.
• Strong understanding of healthcare systems, referral management, patient flow, and transition-of-care processes.
• Experience with CRM, EMR, preferably EPIC, and operational reporting systems preferred.

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to think strategically.
• Experience in developing operational excellence in assigned areas of responsibility.
• Strong Relationship Management skills and experience.
• Possesses a Growth Orientation and can motivate a team to do the same.
• Uses a Data-Driven Decision-Making model for their work.
• Effectively Communicates & is able to Influence others.
• Strong Change Leadership Skills.
• Compassionate Service orientation consistent with serious illness and end of life care work.
• Uses effective Problem Solving & Process Improvement tools to advance the work.
• Mastery of Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Skilled in written and oral business communication.

Benefits

Nationally Recognized, Nonprofit Leader For more than 30 years, Gilchrist has been a nationally recognized nonprofit leader in caring for people with serious and life-limiting illnesses. Our commitment to compassionate, expert care remains at the heart of everything we do. Through comprehensive, coordinated services, we support patients and families with their medical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs, helping them navigate this journey with comfort and confidence.

Pay

$79,517.04 - $143,130.67 Final salary offer will be based on the candidate's qualifications, education, experience and alignment with our organizational needs.