Director of Emergency Nursing Services

Position Summary

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University seeks an accomplished, innovative, and collaborative healthcare leader to serve as Director of the Emergency Department. Reporting to senior hospital leadership, the Director is responsible for the strategic, operational, financial, and clinical leadership of one of the institution's most critical and complex service lines.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership

• Provide executive leadership for all clinical, operational, financial, and administrative functions of the Emergency Department.
• Develop and execute strategic initiatives that align departmental priorities with the mission, vision, and strategic goals of SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University.
• Partner with physician leadership and executive administration to establish long-term goals that advance clinical excellence, operational performance, workforce engagement, and patient-centered care.
• Lead organizational change initiatives that promote innovation, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
• Foster an inclusive culture built on accountability, collaboration, transparency, diversity, equity, inclusion, and professional excellence.

• Operational Excellence

• Direct the day-to-day operations of a high-volume Emergency Department to ensure safe, efficient, and effective patient care delivery.
• Optimize patient throughput by improving key operational metrics, including door-to-provider time, emergency department length of stay, boarding time, Left Without Being Seen (LWBS), and patient satisfaction.
• Collaborate with inpatient services, ancillary departments, EMS, care management, environmental services, security, and bed management to improve patient flow and organizational efficiency.
• Develop staffing models and operational plans that balance patient demand, workforce capacity, regulatory compliance, and fiscal responsibility.
• Ensure departmental readiness for emergency preparedness, disaster response, surge capacity, and mass casualty events.

• Clinical Quality & Patient Safety

• Promote a culture of clinical excellence through evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and patient-centered care.
• Lead initiatives that improve patient safety, clinical outcomes, regulatory compliance, and organizational performance.
• Monitor departmental quality indicators and implement performance improvement strategies that achieve measurable and sustainable results.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and accreditation standards, including The Joint Commission, New York State Department of Health, CMS, OSHA, and other regulatory agencies.
• Support a High Reliability Organization culture through proactive risk identification, event review, and continuous learning.

• Financial & Resource Stewardship

• Develop, administer, and monitor departmental operating and capital budgets.
• Optimize financial performance through responsible resource allocation, labor management, productivity improvement, and cost containment strategies.
• Evaluate capital equipment, technology, and operational investments that improve patient care and organizational performance.
• Utilize operational and financial data to guide strategic decision-making and resource planning.

• Workforce Leadership & Talent Development

• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a highly engaged multidisciplinary workforce.
• Promote leadership development, succession planning, employee engagement, and professional growth.
• Foster a healthy work environment that values teamwork, accountability, innovation, recognition, and continuous learning.
• Establish performance expectations and provide coaching, feedback, and development opportunities that support organizational success.

• Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build collaborative relationships with physicians, nursing leadership, allied health professionals, hospital administration, EMS providers, community organizations, and academic partners.
• Represent the Emergency Department on hospital committees, leadership councils, and interdisciplinary initiatives.
• Promote effective communication and collaboration across departments to improve patient care, operational performance, and organizational effectiveness.

Qualifications

• Required Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Public Health, Nursing, Allied Health, Health Services Administration, or another related healthcare discipline.
• Current New York State professional license or certification in a healthcare discipline, where applicable to the candidate's profession.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in an acute care hospital or integrated healthcare system.
• Minimum of five (5) years of leadership experience within an Emergency Department or another high-acuity clinical service line.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary clinical and operational teams within a complex healthcare environment.
• Proven experience improving operational performance, patient throughput, quality outcomes, patient safety, patient experience, workforce engagement, and financial stewardship.
• Experience managing departmental budgets, workforce planning, resource allocation, and operational performance metrics.
• Working knowledge of regulatory and accreditation standards, including The Joint Commission, CMS, New York State Department of Health, OSHA, and applicable federal and state regulations.
• Experience utilizing electronic health records, operational dashboards, and data analytics to support performance improvement and strategic decision-making.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, relationship management, negotiation, and change management skills.
• Ability to lead effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume, and rapidly evolving healthcare environment.

• Preferred Qualifications

• Doctoral Degree (DHA, DNP, PhD, EdD) or MBA/MHA with significant executive healthcare leadership experience.
• Leadership experience within an academic medical center, Level I Trauma Center, urban teaching hospital, or other high-volume tertiary care facility.
• Professional certification such as Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), Lean Six Sigma, Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), or another relevant leadership or specialty certification.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale operational transformation, patient flow initiatives, quality improvement programs, or organizational change.
• Experience implementing evidence-based practices, workforce engagement initiatives, and technology-enabled solutions that improve clinical and operational outcomes.
• Experience supporting healthcare workforce development, interdisciplinary education, and academic partnerships.