Director of Clinical Risk

About the organization

Centralus Health is an affiliation of community-based Arnot Health and Cayuga Health systems, dedicated to meeting evolving regional health needs and supporting community wellbeing. The organization delivers full-service health care across five hospital campuses, as well as a broad network of primary and specialty care practices in the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, and Central New York. With a combined workforce of over 6,500 employees, Centralus Health's affiliates include multispecialty medical groups, home health care, addiction recovery services, skilled nursing facilities, durable medical equipment, and emergency medical transport. This partnership of experienced caregivers is committed to eliminating barriers to care, innovating services, and ensuring that high-quality, comprehensive health care remains available locally.

About the role

The Director of Clinical Risk is a full-time, on-site role based in Ithaca, NY, responsible for leading and coordinating the organization's clinical risk management program. This role oversees the identification, assessment, and mitigation of clinical risks across hospital campuses and affiliated practices, including incident reporting, root cause analyses, and development of corrective action plans. The Director collaborates with clinical leaders, quality improvement teams, and legal and compliance departments to ensure alignment with regulatory standards and best practices in patient safety. Day-to-day responsibilities include analyzing risk data, monitoring trends, advising on policy and procedure improvements, supporting staff education on risk-related topics, and preparing reports and presentations for senior leadership and governance. The role also contributes to strategic planning by integrating clinical risk considerations into organizational initiatives and performance metrics.

Qualifications

• Strong risk management experience, specifically in clinical or healthcare risk programs
• Advanced analytical skills for data interpretation, trend analysis, and decision-making related to patient safety and clinical performance
• Deep knowledge of regulatory compliance, including healthcare laws, accreditation standards, and patient safety regulations
• Foundational finance and auditing skills to evaluate financial implications of risk, conduct risk-related audits, and support compliance reviews
• Bachelor's degree in nursing, healthcare administration, risk management, or a related field; advanced degree (e.g., MPH, MHA, MSN, MBA) preferred
• Professional certification in risk management or patient safety (e.g., CPHRM, CPPS) and several years of progressive experience in clinical risk or quality management
• Strong leadership and people management abilities, clear written and verbal communication, collaborative teamwork, and skill in educating and coaching clinical staff
• Experience with hospital and multi-site health system operations, incident management systems, and the development of policies, procedures, and training programs