Director of Patient Navigation

Department: Carolinas Medical Center — Administration: Morehead. Full‑time, 40 hours/week, benefits‑eligible. This is a remote position with enterprise responsibility for oncology nurse navigation across Advocate Health’s Midwest and Southeast divisions. Travel to support teams and programs is required (approximately 2–3 trips per month; frequency may vary by business needs and candidate location). Relocation assistance may be available for candidates not residing in an approved remote‑work state. Remote work is not permitted in CA, CO, CT, HI, MA, MD, MN, NJ, NY, OR, RI, VT, WA, or internationally.

Pay

Hourly range: $63.45 – $95.20 (base compensation determined by qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training).

Responsibilities

• Leads development of standards and methodology to identify patients at the appropriate point in their cancer journey to receive care coordination services facilitated by an Oncology Patient Navigator (OPN).
• Develops standards for OPN follow‑up with patients and transition points to survivorship programs or end‑of‑life care.
• Participates in and oversees development of assessment tools, guidelines, pathways, and algorithms for OPNs to assist patients along the care continuum.
• Facilitates with OPNs to ensure care is provided according to nationally accepted clinical guidelines and delivered in a coordinated manner using local resources.
• Oversees and implements system‑wide processes to assess needs and provide access to proper resources for cancer patients, ensuring patient transfers occur without breaks in communication or service.
• Creates a performance management oversight program for OPN work; monitors progress toward localized care, clinical outcome, and administrative goals.
• Collaborates with staff to design and implement performance improvement monitoring; conducts annual reviews of oncology nurse navigators.
• Determines specific job scope of Patient Navigators based on expertise and education when the position is not filled by an RN; addresses variances in roles and responsibilities.
• Provides expertise and leadership for the Patient Navigator Academy; recommends educational content and facilitates logistical requirements for the system‑wide bi‑annual Patient Navigator Summit; updates the Academy’s orientation process and overall curriculum.
• Assists with implementation of quality improvement processes for cancer care management across the continuum.
• Collaborates with data warehouse/registry, administration, and IT to select, design, and implement methods and technology for patient navigation tracking and metric monitoring.
• Organizes multidisciplinary conferences with the Oncology Registry: identifies cases for presentation, coordinates data collection, communicates with physicians, ensures appropriate documentation, and applies standardized care protocols per nationally recognized guidelines.
• Develops and implements policies and procedures guiding program functions; assesses educational needs of the multidisciplinary team and coordinates educational programs.
• Evaluates, develops, markets, and implements collaborative initiatives for the patient population to promote supportive care programming, including internet‑based resources.
• Supervises and directs the oncology patient navigator program; collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and tumor site‑specific committees to ensure high‑quality care across all delivery sites.
• Serves as point of contact for Oncology Navigators to provide resources and assistance with accessing clinical and supportive care services within the communities served.
• Supervises staff.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing required.
• Master’s Degree in Nursing, Healthcare Administration, or Business Administration preferred.
• 5 years of clinical experience in Oncology required.
• Experience as an Oncology Nurse Navigator preferred.
• Credentialed as an Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN).
• Director of Oncology Nurse Navigation / Patient Navigation experience preferred.
• Alternatively, a strong Enterprise or Regional Manager‑level leader from a large, complex healthcare organization overseeing Oncology Nurse Navigation across multiple hospitals, markets, or regions will be considered.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Occasional stooping, kneeling, crouching.
• Sit/stand for long periods of time.

Benefits

• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits: medical, dental, vision, life, and short‑ and long‑term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits: adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program
• Premium pay (shift, on‑call, etc.) based on job; incentive pay for select positions; opportunity for annual increases based on performance

Eligibility for programs may depend on FTE or status (full‑time, part‑time, per diem, temporary, etc.); confirm details with a recruiter during the interview.

About Advocate Health

Advocate Health is the third‑largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, formed from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. It provides care as Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health serves nearly 6 million patients, engages in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies with Wake Forest University School of Medicine as its academic core, and is nationally recognized for expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics, rehabilitation, organ transplants, burn treatments, and specialized musculoskeletal programs. The system employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs (2,000+ residents and fellows across 200+ programs), and provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.