Cleveland Clinic is seeking a dynamic and experienced individual to serve as Executive Director – Enterprise Safety, Quality and Patient Experience. This role has a major impact on the organization, playing a role in defining SQPE delivery across the enterprise. 

Reporting to the Vice President of Safety, Quality, and Patient Experience, this role provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for enterprise-wide Safety, Quality, and Patient Experience (SQPE) functions. Core areas of responsibility include quality, safety, patient experience, accreditation, regulatory affairs, and infection prevention.  

Working within a matrixed organizational structure and in close collaboration with clinical leadership, this leader ensures alignment with strategic objectives and the consistent delivery of safe, high-quality, efficient, and financially sustainable healthcare services. 

A caregiver in this role works on-site at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. 

A caregiver who excels in this role will: 

• Partner with the Vice President of Safety, Quality, and Patient Experience to develop, communicate and align the enterprise-wide SQPE strategy and to define long-term strategies for enterprise-wide SQPE goals, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and industry trends. 

• Identify opportunities to incorporate emerging technologies, digital tools and innovative practices to advance quality, safety and patient experience outcomes 

• Serve as a content expert in safety, quality and patient experience, contributing to the development and execution of enterprise strategies and initiatives. 

• Monitor national trends in safety, quality and patient experience to inform strategy, optimize outcomes, and enhance value-based reimbursement. 

• Partner with legal and compliance teams to proactively identify and mitigate risks related to patient safety, regulatory compliance and accreditation standards. 

• Represent Cleveland Clinic on selected national and international boards and committees related to SQPE. 

• Facilitate knowledge sharing and dissemination of best practices across the enterprise and with external stakeholders. 

• Develop strategies to optimize outcomes in value-based care models, ensuring alignment with reimbursement incentives and cost containment goals. 

• Lead enterprise-wide performance improvement efforts in safety, quality and patient experience across Institutes, Markets and Shared Services, using the Cleveland Clinic Improvement Model. 

• Collaborate with clinical and non-clinical leaders to assess SQPE performance, set goals and implement improvement initiatives. 

• Practice and coach effective Lean problem solving to achieve enterprise goals and drive greater value for patients, caregivers and the organization. 

• Apply data analysis, statistical methods and Lean principles to identify trends, solve problems and drive continuous improvement. 

• Establish benchmarking processes to compare organizational performance against national and international standards, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement. 

• Oversee the accuracy, integrity and security of SQPE-related data, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and ethical standards. 

• Support the Vice President of Lean Transformation in change management initiatives to foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and accountability across the organization. 

• Oversee SQPE operations, including team leadership, recruitment, performance management, caregiver experience, budgeting and resource allocation. 

• Establish and maintain communication cadences to foster a culture of improvement, collaboration and engagement. 

• Develop and implement standardized processes, protocols and tools across the enterprise to ensure consistency in SQPE practices. 

• Manage the Cleveland Clinic Alliance for Patient and Caregiver Safety (Patient Safety Organization), including the development and implementation of PSO strategy. 

• Develop and oversee training programs and playbooks for caregivers and leaders in SQPE best practices. 

• Mentor emerging leaders within the SQPE team, fostering talent development and succession planning. 

• Identify opportunities to optimize resources and reduce waste while maintaining high standards of care. 

• Monitor the financial impact of SQPE initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational sustainability goals. 

• Lead the SQPE Compliance Committee, identify key compliance risks and report to the Enterprise Compliance Committee. 

• Ensure compliance with quality metrics across hospitals and joint ventures. 

• Partner with Supply Chain leadership to ensure quality metric compliance within contracts across all hospitals and joint ventures. 

• Oversee enterprise-wide accreditation preparedness and responsiveness activities to ensure continual patient and survey readiness. 

• Serve as an advocate for the organization in regulatory discussions and policy development at the local, state, and national levels. 

• Partner with emergency management teams to integrate SQPE principles into disaster planning and response efforts. 

• Oversee infection prevention efforts to ensure adherence to regulatory standards and delivery of safe healthcare services. 

• Provide strategic oversight of infection prevention programs and initiatives to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and improve patient outcomes. 

• Ensure alignment of infection prevention efforts with enterprise-wide safety and regulatory compliance standards. 

• Collaborate with infection prevention specialists, epidemiologists and clinical teams to implement evidence-based practices and innovative solutions to mitigate infection risks. 

• Monitor infection prevention data and trends, ensuring timely reporting to regulatory agencies and internal stakeholders. 

• Ensure infection prevention standards are embedded in vendor contracts and procurement processes across hospitals and joint ventures. 

Minimum qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include: 

• Bachelor's degree 

• Master's degree in business administration, healthcare administration or related field 

• Fifteen (15) years of experience in clinical quality, safety, patient experience or administering quality improvement programs, with minimum of 5 years prior leadership experience 

• Certified Professional of Healthcare Quality, Patient Safety, Accreditation or Risk Management 

• Master Black Belt or Lean Gold certification 

• Excellent financial planning, project management and people management skills 

• Demonstrated experience in managing leaders and teams, strategic management, and leading change complex settings 

• Demonstrated experience applying and coaching Lean problem solving and related improvement methodologies 

• Proficiency in data analysis, visualization and insight translation 

• Experience partnering with leadership and clinicians to achieve results 

• Outstanding communication (verbal, written, presentation), leadership and stakeholder engagement skills 

• Experience with regulatory compliance, accreditation processes, and collaboration with external agencies 

• Experience in and understanding of healthcare industry 

Our caregivers continue to create the best outcomes for our patients across each of our facilities. Click the link and see how we’re dedicated to providing what matters most to you: https://jobs.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-2/