Executive Director, Nursing Professional Practice

University of Texas at Austin • Austin, TX

5d

About The Position

The Executive Director of Nursing Professional Practice provides strategic leadership for the advancement of nursing professional practice, leadership development, and regulatory compliance across the organization. In collaboration with the Chief Nurse Executive and nursing leadership, this role drives the integration of evidence-based practice, innovative care models, and adherence to the Texas Nursing Practice Act to support high-quality patient care. The Executive Director leads the development and standardization of professional practice models, shared governance structures, and clinical role clarity while supporting organizational readiness for nursing excellence recognition programs such as Magnet®. This role also oversees nursing peer review processes and ensures compliance with professional and regulatory standards. Through collaboration, data-driven improvement, and strategic governance, the Executive Director fosters a culture of nursing excellence, professional growth, innovation, and clinician well-being across the health system.

Requirements

• Master of Science of Nursing (MSN) degree.
• Active Registered Nurse (RN) license from the Texas State Board of Nursing.
• 8+ years of professional nursing experience, including leadership in practice standards or quality improvement.
• Previous Nursing Leadership experience.
• Previous Texas Nursing Peer Review experience is required.

Nice To Haves

• 10 or more years of progressive nursing experience, including leadership of organization-wide practice initiatives.
• Certification in Nursing Professional Development (NPD-BC), Nurse Executive, or Quality/Safety (e.g., CPHQ).
• Leadership or project management certification (e.g., PMP) may be considered advantageous but not required.

Responsibilities

• Nursing Practice Leadership Serves as the subject matter expert for nursing practice standards, compliance, and policy.
• Provides strategic leadership in advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative nursing practice.
• Collaborates with clinical, IT, quality, and compliance to evaluate AI use in clinical decisions support, documentation and workflows, patient education and engagement, and staffing and workforce analytics.
• Integrates evidence-based best practices, and develops policies, procedures, and protocols.
• Embeds leadership development, professional practice models and shared governance principles into operations.
• Aligns nursing policies and procedures with evidence-based standards and organizational goals.
• Partners with nursing leadership to promote ethical and accountable practice.
• Collaborates to develop and implement data-driven professional fulfillment and well-being initiatives addressing unique needs of nurses.
• Partners with nursing and practice leadership to implement standard nursing models and operations.
• Peer Review Oversight Leads and facilitates nursing peer review committees and processes for all nurses (ambulatory, hospital, and School of Nursing).
• Ensures timely, accurate, and compliant reviews of practice concerns.
• Maintains secure documentation and confidentiality of peer review materials.
• Provides guidance and training for committee members and nursing staff.
• Communicates appropriate resources for support to those involved in peer review process (i.e. EAP, etc.) Compliance and Risk Management Monitors adherence to nursing regulations, standards, and Texas Board of Nursing practice requirements.
• Identifies and mitigates compliance risks through proactive measures.
• Develops policies, procedures, and protocols to support current regulations and best practices.
• Coordinates responses to practice inquiries and audits.
• Education and Training Development Designs and delivers training on peer review, professional accountability, and compliance.
• Promotes continuous learning and ethical practice across nursing teams.
• Develops educational resources to support governance and excellence initiatives.
• Data Analysis and Reporting Collects, analyzes, and reports nursing practice and peer review data.
• Uses data to identify trends and drive quality improvement initiatives.
• Prepares reports for leadership and regulatory bodies to demonstrate compliance and outcomes.
• Budget and Resource Administration Develops and manages departmental budgets, including forecasting and variance analysis.
• Ensures cost-effective delivery of programs and initiatives.
• Allocates resources to support governance, education, and excellence readiness.
• Excellence Program Readiness Guides organizational readiness for nursing excellence programs such as Magnet®.
• Integrates program components into nursing operations and governance structures.
• Coaches leaders and councils to demonstrate sustained outcomes and best practices.
• Supports evidence collection and reporting for designation or redesignation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive