Valencia County Hospital is seeking a Director of the Emergency Department to lead our new hospital currently under construction in Los Lunas, NM. Owned by Valencia County and operated through a joint venture between Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) and Lovelace Health System, this startup represents a vital investment in rural healthcare and a unique opportunity to build clinical excellence from the ground up.

Reporting to the CNO, the Director of the Emergency Department organizes, plans, and administers the day-to-day operations of the Emergency Room at Valencia County Hospital. This role is responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective, and timely emergency clinical services within established productivity and budget standards. The Director manages departmental personnel, capital and operating budgets, regulatory compliance, and serves as a visionary leader to develop and grow the service line. This position acts as a vital liaison between the Emergency Department, administration, physicians, EMS agencies, patients, families, and the local community.

Major Responsibilities

• Clinical & Departmental Operations: Oversee day-to-day emergency services, ensure safe evidence-based care, optimize patient flow and triage, coordinate with ancillary departments, and conduct clinical rounding.
• Financial Management & Budgeting: Develop and monitor operating, personnel, and capital budgets, control labor and overtime costs, and collaborate with leadership on major expenditures.
• Leadership & Staff Management: Direct departmental operations, foster a culture of safety and accountability, lead nursing staff, and complete performance evaluations.
• Quality & Performance Improvement: Lead quality initiatives, track key performance indicators (such as door-to-provider time, LWBS, and length of stay), and implement corrective action and PI projects.
• Regulatory Compliance: Maintain ongoing readiness and ensure full compliance with CMS, CIHQ, EMTALA, OSHA, HIPAA, and state health regulations.
• Staffing & Human Resources: Manage recruitment, hiring, onboarding, employee relations, retention, and succession planning.
• Education & Professional Development: Validate annual competencies, coordinate continuing education, and support specialty certifications and residency programs.
• Patient Experience: Promote compassionate, patient-centered care and address patient and family concerns.
• Emergency Preparedness: Participate in disaster planning, mass casualty preparedness, and lead emergency drills.
• Provider & Community Relations: Build strong relationships with emergency physicians and mid-level providers, monitor physician satisfaction, and represent the department in the community.

Requirements

Education And Experience

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required.Graduate from an accredited school of nursing is required. Master’s Degree in Nursing (MSN), Healthcare Administration (MHA), or a related field is preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive clinical management/leadership experience at the Clinical or Director level managing a clinical or emergency unit is required.
• Certifications: Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of New Mexico. Advanced clinical certifications specific to emergency nursing (e.g., CEN, TNCC, ACLS, PALS) are highly preferred.

Knowledge

• Emergency nursing clinical practices and specialty trauma/emergency training.
• Critical Access Hospital (CAH) regulations and CMS conditions of participation.
• Healthcare budgeting, productivity metrics, and capital expenditure analysis.
• National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs), Core Measures, and Emergency Department metrics (e.g., left without being seen, door-to-provider times).
• State and federal regulations governing emergency medical care (EMTALA, HIPAA, OSHA).
• Human resource management principles, conflict resolution, and staff motivation strategies.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems specific to Emergency Departments.
• Experience with automated staffing and scheduling software tools.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel for budget tracking, Word for policies, PowerPoint for staff in-services).
• Familiarity with hospital Incident Command Systems (HICS) and disaster management platforms.
• Competency in interpreting business intelligence data, clinical dashboards, and quality reporting metrics.

Competencies

• Clinical Leadership: Ability to demonstrate solid progressive nursing leadership and operational oversight.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills across all levels of the organization.
• Problem Solving: Advanced organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage stressful environments.
• Change Management: Actively promotes organizational goals and guides staff through transitions with a positive attitude.
• Patient Advocacy: Empathy and commitment to addressing patient/family concerns and elevating satisfaction metrics.

Salary range: $100,000 - 115,000.00

Valencia County Hospital is a new 15-bed acute care facility currently under construction in Los Lunas, NM. Owned by Valencia County and operated through a joint venture between Community Hospital Corporation (CHC) and Lovelace Health System, this startup represents a vital investment in rural healthcare and a unique opportunity to build clinical excellence from the ground up.

Benefits

As a full time employee, we offer a competitive salary, quality work environment and eligibility to participate in the company benefit programs. These benefits include: Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance, health and dependent care spending accounts, 401(k) savings with match, life insurance, long-term and short-term disability coverage.

About Community Hospital Corporation – HELP WHERE HOSPITALS NEED IT
Community Hospital Corporation owns, manages and consults with hospitals through CHC Hospitals, CHC Consulting and CHC ContinueCARE with the purpose to collaborate with partners and bring innovative solutions to support the vibrancy and accessibility of community healthcare. Based in Plano, Texas, CHC provides the resources and experience community hospitals need to improve quality outcomes, patient satisfaction and financial performance. Visit chc.com.

About Lovelace Health System
Lovelace is comprised of Lovelace Medical Group/New Mexico Heart Institute, Lovelace Women’s Hospital, Lovelace Medical Center, Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center, Lovelace Westside Hospital, Lovelace Regional Hospital and Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital. To learn more about our state-of-the-art treatment options, innovative health care providers and award-winning quality initiatives, visit lovelace.com.

Under the joint venture arrangement, CHC will be the manager with responsibility for day-to-day hospital operations while Lovelace will provide critical support services, including medical group support and access to its electronic health record. As part of Lovelace Health System, the hospital will reflect the Lovelace brand.

CHC is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.