Director of Thoracic Transplant

Job Summary

The Vanderbilt Health Executive Search Team is conducting a national search for a Director of Thoracic Transplant. The Director of Thoracic Transplant provides operational and strategic oversight for the heart and lung transplant programs and related transplant center functions, including program access, clinical care and coordination, organ procurement, and organ preservation. As a member of the transplant center senior leadership team, the Director of Thoracic Transplant is accountable for comprehensive operational performance across assigned transplant services and for advancing the mission, vision, and credo of the Vanderbilt Clinical Enterprise. The Director interfaces daily with multidisciplinary stakeholders, including administrative staff, clinical teams, physicians, ancillary team members, and hospital leadership to ensure coordinated, patient-centered care across the pre-transplant, perioperative, inpatient, and post-transplant continuum.

Shift

First Shift; Days

Role Accountabilities

• Establishes and executes department goals and operational plans aligned with institutional policy, the Transplant Center mission, and Vanderbilt Clinical Enterprise priorities; drives reliable day-to-day operations across assigned heart and lung transplant services.
• Responsible to the Associate Nursing Officer/Chief Nursing Officer for the integration and standardization of transplant-specific nursing and clinical practice across the Clinical Enterprise.
• Oversees transplant program access (referrals, intake, scheduling, evaluation coordination) to improve timeliness, reduce barriers to care, and optimize transitions across the transplant continuum.
• Provides operational oversight and readiness for organ procurement, transport, and preservation processes; ensures effective coordination among multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
• Accountable for patient safety, quality outcomes, patient experience, and regulatory readiness; Leads performance improvement initiatives, event reviews, and sustainment of evidence-based pathways.
• Participates in strategic planning, budgeting, and resource allocation for thoracic transplant programs; manages assigned budgets, staffing models, and productivity to meet operational and financial targets.
• Serves as a clinical, administrative, and operational leader and mentor; builds a collaborative, multidisciplinary culture; actively promotes organ donation and transplantation locally and nationally.

  Qualifications – External

  • Master’s Degree and 7 years of experience; RN required
  • PREFERRED: Cardiothoracic or Transplant leadership experience; Academic Medical Center experience is strongly preferred.

  Note

  This list reflects core responsibilities; additional duties may be assigned based on organizational need.

  Organization

  Vanderbilt University Medical Center

  Core Accountabilities

  • Organizational Impact: Establishes key tactical and operational plans of a sub-function or multiple departments that has longer-term effect on results of the sub-function.
  • Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Integrate knowledge and in-depth analysis from several areas to resolve complex problems that are both technical and operational.
  • Breadth of Knowledge: Applies comprehensive knowledge of professional/technical area and broad management knowledge of other professional areas to carry out objectives.
  • Team Interaction: Leads multiple departments with a function.

  Position Qualifications

  • Responsibilities:
    • Establishes and executes department goals and operational plans aligned with institutional policy, the Transplant Center mission, and Vanderbilt Clinical Enterprise priorities; drives reliable day-to-day operations across assigned heart and lung transplant services.
    • Responsible to the Associate Nursing Officer/Chief Nursing Officer for the integration and standardization of transplant-specific nursing and clinical practice across the Clinical Enterprise.
    • Oversees transplant program access (referrals, intake, scheduling, evaluation coordination) to improve timeliness, reduce barriers to care, and optimize transitions across the transplant continuum.
    • Provides operational oversight and readiness for organ procurement, transport, and preservation processes; ensures effective coordination among multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
    • Accountable for patient safety, quality outcomes, patient experience, and regulatory readiness; Leads performance improvement initiatives, event reviews, and sustainment of evidence-based pathways.
    • Participates in strategic planning, budgeting, and resource allocation for thoracic transplant programs; manages assigned budgets, staffing models, and productivity to meet operational and financial targets.
    • Serves as a clinical, administrative, and operational leader and mentor; builds a collaborative, multidisciplinary culture; actively promotes organ donation and transplantation locally and nationally.
  • Education: Bachelor's (Required)
  • Certifications: LIC-Registered Nurse - Tennessee