Assistant VP of Clinical Services

Department: Corporate Clinical Services
Location: West Michigan Region – Corporate Hybrid with Extensive Facility Presence
Reports To: Vice President of Clinical Services
FLSA Status: Salary Exempt

The Assistant Vice President of Clinical Services (AVP Clinical Services – West Region) serves as a senior executive clinical operations leader responsible for oversight, accountability, regulatory compliance, quality outcomes, and clinical operational performance across assigned skilled nursing and long-term care facilities within the West Michigan region.

This role requires a highly visible, hands-on leadership presence within assigned facilities and is not intended to function as a remote support role. The AVP is expected to routinely round in facilities, provide direct operational and clinical leadership support, hold Directors of Nursing and clinical leadership teams accountable, and intervene rapidly in facilities identified as high-risk, survey challenged, financially struggling, or operationally unstable.

The AVP partners closely with the Vice President of Clinical Services, Regional Directors of Operations, Administrators, Human Resources, and interdisciplinary leadership teams to drive clinical excellence, survey readiness, staffing stabilization, and regulatory compliance while ensuring consistent execution of company standards and expectations.

This position requires strong executive presence, decisive leadership, accountability management, and the ability to lead in high-pressure clinical and regulatory environments.

• Must maintain a consistent and routine physical presence within assigned facilities throughout the West Region.
• Expected to conduct regular on-site rounds with DONs, ADONs, Administrators, and interdisciplinary teams.
• Must be available to travel extensively and respond onsite to urgent clinical, staffing, survey, regulatory, or operational concerns.
• Remote work flexibility is secondary to operational needs and facility support expectations.
• Leadership visibility, responsiveness, and active engagement in facilities are essential functions of this role.
• Expected to maintain strong relationships with facility leadership teams while enforcing accountability and operational standards.

• Ensure clinical quality, regulatory compliance, and operational consistency across assigned facilities
• Drive survey readiness and sustainable regulatory compliance initiatives
• Improve clinical outcomes, Five-Star performance, and quality metrics
• Support and strengthen Directors of Nursing and regional clinical leadership
• Stabilize underperforming or high-risk facilities
• Reduce clinical risk exposure and improve operational accountability
• Ensure execution of company clinical initiatives, standards, and policies
• Partner with Operations to ensure staffing stability and leadership retention
• Promote a culture of accountability, urgency, professionalism, and resident-centered care

• Provide executive-level oversight of clinical operations across assigned facilities
• Analyze and monitor key clinical metrics, trends, Quality Measures (QMs), and Five-Star indicators
• Identify operational risks and implement corrective action plans with urgency
• Conduct routine clinical audits and operational assessments
• Review incidents, accidents, grievances, infection trends, rehospitalization data, falls, pressure injuries, and risk indicators
• Ensure compliance with company standards, CMS regulations, Michigan LARA requirements, OSHA standards, and applicable federal/state laws
• Hold facility clinical leadership accountable for execution and outcomes

• Lead ongoing survey readiness efforts across assigned facilities
• Conduct mock surveys, focused audits, and compliance reviews
• Provide direct support during state, federal, complaint, and infection control surveys
• Develop, implement, and monitor Plans of Correction (POCs)
• Ensure facilities maintain continuous survey readiness, not reactive preparation
• Provide immediate intervention and action planning for facilities with Immediate Jeopardy (IJ), repeat citations, or poor survey history
• Maintain expert-level knowledge of CMS, Michigan LARA, infection prevention standards, and long-term care regulatory requirements

• Mentor, coach, develop, and hold Directors of Nursing and Assistant Directors of Nursing accountable
• Support onboarding, orientation, and leadership development of new DONs
• Provide direct intervention and operational leadership support in struggling facilities
• Assist with succession planning and leadership stabilization efforts
• Conduct routine leadership rounding and performance discussions
• Partner with HR and Operations regarding leadership performance concerns, corrective actions, and retention strategies
• Ensure clinical leaders maintain professionalism, responsiveness, accountability, and regulatory preparedness

• Partner with Operations, HR, and facility leadership to address staffing concerns and turnover trends
• Assist facilities with staffing stabilization strategies and agency reduction initiatives
• Support implementation of scheduling efficiencies and workforce accountability
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to improve operational alignment and communication
• Assist with clinical leadership recruitment efforts when necessary
• Ensure staffing practices support quality care delivery and regulatory compliance

Lead and support quality improvement initiatives including but not limited to:

• Infection prevention and control
• Falls reduction
• Pressure injury prevention
• Rehospitalization reduction
• Antipsychotic reduction initiatives
• QAPI program oversight
• Clinical documentation improvement
• Survey preparedness initiatives
• Resident safety and risk reduction programs

The AVP is expected to track outcomes, monitor sustainability, and drive measurable improvements across assigned facilities.

• Active Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of Michigan
• Ability to obtain Ohio licensure if required
• Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive leadership experience in skilled nursing or long-term care
• Minimum 5 years of multi-facility clinical leadership experience
• Extensive knowledge of CMS regulations, Michigan LARA requirements, and long-term care survey processes
• Proven success improving clinical outcomes and stabilizing underperforming facilities
• Strong leadership, coaching, operational, and crisis management skills
• Ability to travel extensively throughout assigned regions

• Regional Nurse Consultant or Regional Clinical Director experience
• Experience managing Five-Star improvement initiatives
• Expertise in infection prevention and control
• Knowledge of MDS, PDPM, reimbursement, and quality reporting systems
• Demonstrated success with survey recovery and regulatory compliance initiatives
• Experience supporting skilled nursing operational turnarounds

• Executive leadership presence
• Accountability management
• Clinical operations expertise
• Regulatory and survey proficiency
• Strategic problem-solving
• Crisis management
• Team development and mentorship
• Data-driven decision making
• Communication and interdisciplinary collaboration
• Operational urgency and responsiveness

• Hybrid role with extensive travel throughout assigned West Michigan facilities
• Routine physical presence within facilities is an essential expectation of the role
• Must be available to support facilities during urgent operational, survey, staffing, or regulatory events, including occasional evenings and weekends as operationally necessary
• Requires prolonged periods of standing, walking, computer work, and navigating healthcare environments
• Ability to lift up to 50+ pounds 
• Reasonable accommodations may be made in accordance with applicable laws

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Survey outcomes and regulatory compliance performance
• Quality Measure improvements
• Clinical leadership stabilization and retention
• Facility accountability and responsiveness
• Reduction in clinical risk indicators
• Staffing stabilization support
• Responsiveness to operational needs
• Leadership visibility within facilities
• Ability to drive sustainable operational and clinical improvements

Optalis Health & Rehabilitation is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an inclusive and respectful workplace environment. We comply with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and prohibit discrimination and retaliation in all employment practices.

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