Chief Nursing Officer, Valencia County Hospital

Valencia County Hospital is seeking a visionary Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) to lead our 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.

As the CNO, you will be the architect of our clinical operations, shaping the culture and standards of care for a brand-new medical team while overseeing the day-to-day operations of all clinical services. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will manage and supervise nursing and designated ancillary departments—ensuring staffing and competency levels meet patient needs—while providing interdisciplinary oversight across all other clinical areas to foster a team-based approach to patient care.

Major Responsibilities

Clinical Operations & Quality

• Operational Standards: Defines and implements policies and procedures for nursing and all designated ancillary clinical departments. Collects and analyzes data from internal and external sources regarding current business practices and clinical processes.  
• Data-Driven Improvement: Analyzes clinical processes and conducts needs analyses to improve interdisciplinary hospital operations.
• Safety & Advocacy: Incorporates nationally recognized professional standards into hospital-wide policies to improve safety, quality, and patient rights.
• Regulatory Oversight: Retains all clinical and nursing-related hospital accreditations, licensures, and designations in good standing.

Financial & Human Resources

• Total Clinical Budgeting: Oversees the preparation and management of capital and operating budgets for nursing and clinical support services.
• Stewardship: Ensures clinical productivity measures are met and provides stewardship of all financial resources.
• Talent Management: Determines staffing requirements for all clinical areas, ensuring staff are properly credentialed, trained, and engaged.
• Performance Culture: Directs performance management systems to recognize excellence and address problem behavior quickly.

Strategic Leadership & Communication

• Vision Setting: Works with the Board and senior management to develop strategies for growth and clinical improvement.
• Medical Staff Collaboration: Partners with the Medical Staff to resolve issues affecting overall patient care and fosters harmonious relationships.
• Community Engagement: Works with community leaders to assess healthcare needs and build a positive hospital image.
• Change Management: Acts as a champion for change, linking new initiatives to work processes and involving all stakeholders.
• Accountability:  Sets clear, consistent goals and expectations.  Holds self and others accountable for decisions and actions.  Demands high performance.  Is reliable, keeps commitments, and delivers results.  Creates an ownership culture.

Other General and Related Duties

• Supports CHC goals.  Complies with CHC policies and procedures as they relate to the performance of job functions.  
• Is actively committed to quality of patient care, treatment, and services.  Measures and reports quality results to hospital and corporate teams. Fosters continuous quality improvement.  Participates in corporate-wide and hospital-based performance improvement activities.
• Is actively committed to providing excellent customer service. Strives to meet or exceed patient expectations/satisfaction in the performance of job functions.
• Is actively committed to meeting and/or exceeding physician expectations/ satisfaction in the performance of job functions.
• Is actively committed to meeting and/or exceeding employee expectations/ satisfaction in the performance of job functions.
• Retains all nursing related hospital accreditations, licensures and designations in good standing.  Maintains compliance with all laws and applicable regulatory requirements.  Acts promptly to comply with required changes.

Requirements

Education And Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree of Nursing from an accredited university program along with a Master’s Degree (MSN, MHA, or MBA) 
• Must possess and maintain current licensure as a Registered Nurse in the State of New Mexico (or compact).
• A minimum of three years of direct patient care experience in an acute care setting is required.  Critical care experience is preferred. 
• Minimum of 3 years of management experience showing competency in supervising patient care services.
• Experience in startup or rural healthcare environments is highly preferred for this specific site.

Skills and Knowledge

• Possess sound judgment, timely decision-making, and the ability to resolve complex operational problems.
• Ability to build rapport through frequent, honest, and timely communication at all levels.
• Ability to work with the Medicare system and manage multiple priorities independently.
• Proficient knowledge to understand and apply the concepts and terminology unique to the healthcare industry. 
• Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities. 
• Ability to manage people and work with them in such a manner as to build high morale and group commitments to goals and objectives.
• Ability to work with all levels of management and respecting all differences.
• Ability to be trustworthy. 
• Possess a strong customer orientation.
• Proficient PC skills, including Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, and lift up to 50 pounds; capacity to handle high-volume workloads and tight deadlines.

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.