Sr Director, Psychiatry

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago provides superior pediatric care in a setting that offers the latest benefits and innovations in medical technology, research and family-friendly design. As the largest pediatric provider in the region with a 140-year legacy of excellence, kids and their families are at the center of all we do. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago is ranked in all 10 specialties by the U.S. News & World Report.

Location

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children''s Hospital of Chicago

Job Description

General Summary:

The Senior Director, Inpatient Psychiatry will advise and contribute to setting strategic priorities to align departmental operations and support achievement of nursing department and medical center goals, partner in development and implementation of policies and protocols focused on evidence-based practice and research that drives nursing forward. Leads and inspires teams to contribute to achievement of strategic, operational, and financial goals.

Essential Job Functions:

Strategic and Operational Planning:

• Establishes and integrates the strategic direction of the psychiatry department with the overall mission and strategic direction of the organization. Leads execution of strategic and operational plans; facilitates annual update, monitors & tracks progress on initiatives including development of goals and metrics for areas of responsibility. Forecasts changes, obstacles, and external forces. Has a clear vision for the department and concisely articulates it.

Daily Operations:

• Provides strategic, operational, and financial leadership for all inpatient psychiatry services, including a 16-bed unit and the specialized 4-bed autism program, ensuring alignment with the organizations mission, vision, and long-term behavioral health strategy;

• Directs and advances behavioral health operations in the Emergency Department, ensuring rapid access to services, clinical excellence, and operational efficiency;

• Partners with senior organizational leadership to develop and execute behavioral health strategies for patients on medical floors, including integrated treatment planning, resource optimization, and coordinated discharge processes;

• Drives system-wide initiatives to optimize patient flow and continuum of care, strengthening internal pathways and enhancing overall access to psychiatric services;

• Provides leadership for the Behavioral Response Team (BRT), leveraging data analytics, performance metrics, and quality outcomes to inform future strategy, structure, and resource allocation;

• Leads operational integration of Hospital-Based Psychiatry and Consult Psychiatry Services, ensuring streamlined service delivery, improved throughput, and effective post-discharge coordination;

• Partners with organizational executives to advance a centralized and cohesive approach to behavioral health care delivery, including enterprise-level de-escalation training and systemwide safety initiatives;

• Collaborates with outpatient psychiatry services (PHP/IOP/OPS) to build and sustain a seamless continuum of care, driving patient retention, optimizing transitions, and enhancing the overall patient experience;

• Champions enterprise-wide quality initiatives for intensive services within the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Designs and implements systemic improvements to drive organizational performance and clinical outcomes. Initiates and sustains practice transformation based on rigorous quality monitoring and performance analytics;

• Serves as Administrator-on-Call, providing senior operational oversight and executive decision-making to maintain organizational performance and patient safety.

Financial Management:

• Develops, manages, and monitors operating and capital budgets to ensure fiscal responsibility and alignment with organizational priorities. Analyzes and communicates quality and financial performance data to guide decision-making. Negotiates contracts as appropriate. Leads the planning and implementation of innovative staffing models and grids to align with evolving operational needs. Drives length-of-stay initiatives to achieve established targets and collaborates with revenue cycle teams to optimize reimbursement strategies, including chargemaster updates.

Quality Improvement:

• Champions and sustains a culture of continuous improvement in quality and service. Identifies opportunities to reduce process and clinical variation, applying lean principles to drive operational efficiency. Implements system changes that measurably enhance organizational performance. Utilizes expert knowledge of child and adolescent behavioral health to support ongoing process improvement and elevate clinical outcomes.

Internal/External Reporting:

• Ensures compliance with all regulatory, accreditation, and reporting requirements for the department. Supports and leverages external benchmarking activities to drive performance and quality improvement.

Project Management:

• Leads and supports complex, multidisciplinary projects that integrate clinical, operational, and academic initiatives, including planned program growth. Serves as a key leader and collaborator on institutional initiatives, advancing strategic goals and strengthening organizational impact.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Minimum of a masters degree, with a concentration in Nursing, Business, or Health Care Administration.

• A minimum of five years progressive leadership experience in an academic medical center or complex teaching hospital.

• Demonstrated ability to ensure the provision of quality patient care in a dynamic and fiscally challenging environment.

• Experience in strategic thinking, program development, decision making, and outcome evaluation.

• Strong facilitation skills, including meeting management, large group facilitation, group process, negotiation, and conflict resolution.

• Strong interpersonal communication skills including both written and oral communication.

• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership to others in a collaborative and facilitative style within a matrix reporting structure as well as a complex organizational setting. Comfortable working with faculty, directors, and other senior leadership.

Education

Pay Range

$141,440.00-$233,376.00 Salary

At Lurie Childrens, we are committed to competitive and fair compensation aligned with market rates and internal equity, reflecting individual contributions, experience, and expertise. The pay range for this job indicates minimum and maximum targets for the position. Ranges are regularly reviewed to stay aligned with market conditions. In addition to base salary, Lurie Childrens offer a comprehensive rewards package that may include differentials for some hourly employees, leadership incentives for select roles, health and retirement benefits, and wellbeing programs. For more details on other compensation, consult your recruiter or click the following link to learn more about our benefits.

Benefit Statement

For full time and part time employees who work 20 or more hours per week we offer a generous benefits package that includes:

Medical, dental and vision insurance

Employer paid group term life and disability

Employer contribution toward Health Savings Account

Flexible Spending Accounts

Paid Time Off (PTO), Paid Holidays and Paid Parental Leave

403(b) with a 5% employer match

Various voluntary benefits:

• Supplemental Life, AD&D and Disability

• Critical Illness, Accident and Hospital Indemnity coverage

• Tuition assistance

• Student loan servicing and support

• Adoption benefits

• Backup Childcare and Eldercare

• Employee Assistance Program, and other specialized behavioral health services and resources for employees and family members

• Discount on services at Lurie Childrens facilities

• Discount purchasing program

Theres a Place for You with Us

At Lurie Childrens, we embrace and celebrate building a team with a variety of backgrounds, skills, and viewpoints recognizing that different life experiences strengthen our workplace and the care we provide to the Chicago community and beyond. We treat everyone fairly, appreciate differences, and make meaningful connections that foster belonging. This is a place where you can be your best, so we can give our best to the patients and families who trust us with their care.

Lurie Childrens and its affiliates are equal employment opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, pregnancy, protected veteran status, order of protection status, protected genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Support email: peoplequestions@luriechildrens.org