Senior Director, Clinical Excellence

National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS) is looking for an experienced clinical leader to help shape how we deliver consistently strong care and outcomes across our communities.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Senior Director, Clinical Excellence will provide enterprise leadership for clinical quality, standards, systems, and improvement. This is a role for someone who enjoys taking ownership, working through complex clinical and operational challenges, setting clear direction, and turning data and insights into practical action.

You’ll establish and strengthen enterprise clinical standards, quality measures, competency expectations, regulatory readiness, documentation practices, and clinical workflows. You’ll identify trends and variation across communities, help turn findings into sustainable improvements, and serve as a trusted clinical resource to community and executive leaders. You’ll also help develop clinical leaders and lead enterprise initiatives that affect resident care and operations.

This role is a strong fit for a clinical leader who is independent, analytical and comfortable making decisions, but who also knows how to build alignment and move work forward through others. You’ll work in a dynamic environment where priorities can shift, details matter, and high standards for quality, compliance and follow-through are essential.

• Current, unencumbered RN license and a bachelor’s degree in nursing
• 10+ years of progressive clinical leadership experience in senior living, Life Plan communities, skilled nursing, assisted living, post-acute care, or a similarly regulated healthcare environment
• Experience leading across multiple locations or complex operating units
• Strong knowledge of quality improvement, QAPI, regulatory readiness, clinical risk, documentation, reimbursement, and resident-care operations
• Demonstrated ability to develop clinical leaders, lead change, and turn evidence and performance findings into sustained improvement
• Strong judgment, executive-level communication skills, and comfort working across clinical, operational, financial, technology, and talent functions
• Ability to travel regularly among NLCS communities