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methodisthealth

Sr Director - Patient Safety & High Reliability Organization

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If you are looking to make an impact on a meaningful scale, come join us as we embrace the Power of One!

We strive to be an employer of choice and establish a reputation for being a talent rich organization where Associates can grow their career caring for others. For over a century, we’ve served the health care needs of the people of Memphis and the Mid-South.

Responsible for the development, execution, and continuous advancement of a system-wide patient safety and High Reliability Organization (HRO) strategy across the care continuum of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. Leads both proactive and reactive safety programs to reduce preventable harm, strengthen safety culture, and ensure consistent adoption of high reliability principles across the organization. Accountable for system-wide safety performance, event reporting and learning systems, and integration of safety practices into daily operations. Partners with physician, nursing, and operational leaders to translate safety strategy into measurable outcomes, ensuring alignment with MLH's clinical governance model and strategic priorities. Model appropriate behavior as exemplified in MLH Mission, Vision and Values.


Working at MLH means carrying the mission forward of caring for our community and impacting the lives of patients in every way through compassion, a deliberate focus on service expectations and a consistent thriving for excellence.

A Brief Overview
Responsible for the development, execution, and continuous advancement of a system-wide patient safety and High Reliability Organization (HRO) strategy across the care continuum of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. Leads both proactive and reactive safety programs to reduce preventable harm, strengthen safety culture, and ensure consistent adoption of high reliability principles across the organization. Accountable for system-wide safety performance, event reporting and learning systems, and integration of safety practices into daily operations. Partners with physician, nursing, and operational leaders to translate safety strategy into measurable outcomes, ensuring alignment with MLH's clinical governance model and strategic priorities. Model appropriate behavior as exemplified in MLH Mission, Vision and Values.

What you will do

  • Enterprise Patient Safety Strategy • Leads development and execution of MLH’s system-wide patient safety strategy • Establishes system priorities to reduce Serious Safety Events (SSEs) and preventable harm across the continuum • Ensures consistent safety practices across the care continuum.
  • High Reliability Organization (HRO) Leadership • Designs, implements, and sustains MLH’s High Reliability framework • Oversees system-wide deployment of safety behaviors and tools (e.g., speak up, stop-the-line) and simulation-based safety training programs • Ensures integration of HRO principles into daily operations, tiered huddles, and leadership practices
  • Safety Event Reporting, Review & Learning System • Oversee the MLH Patient Safety Event (PSE) reporting system • Leads standardized system-wide processes for Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Apparent Cause Analysis (ACA) and Event classification and prioritization • Ensures timely, high-quality investigation and system-level learning dissemination • Establishes feedback loops to frontline staff to improve transparency and reporting culture
  • Proactive Risk Identification & Harm Prevention • Implements proactive safety programs, including risk assessments and hazard identification and thematic analysis of safety events and near misses • Identifies and mitigates high-risk failure points before harm occurs • Develops leading indicators and early warning signals for safety risks
  • Serious Safety Event (SSE) Reduction • Leads system-wide initiatives to reduce serious safety events and never events • Ensures consistent response to serious events, including event review process, patient and family communication (in collaboration with Corporate Risk Management) and care for the caregiver programs
  • Safety Culture, Just Culture & Psychological Safety • Drives advancement of a Just Culture across MLH • Leads system-wide safety culture measurement and improvement initiatives • Promotes psychological safety and a culture of open reporting and continuous learning • Ensures alignment between safety culture and leadership behaviors
  • Data, Analytics & Reporting • Oversees integrity, analysis, and reporting of system safety data • Develops standardized dashboards for care sites, system and board reporting • Leads interpretation and communication of safety performance trends
  • Clinical Governance & System Integration • Serves as a key leader within the System Safety & High Reliability governance structure • Partners with both clinical and operational leaders to ensure accountability for safety performance across all levels of the organization
  • Collaboration with Risk Management & Health Equity • Partners closely with Risk Management to align event management and claims and risk mitigation strategies • Integrates health equity, inclusion, and disparity reduction into patient safety programs • Collaborates with equity leadership to identify and eliminate disparities in safety outcomes
  • Education, Training & Talent Development • Leads development of system-wide patient safety and HRO curriculum • Ensures integration of safety training into new employee onboarding, ongoing associate education and leadership development programs • Mentors and develops patient safety leaders across the system
  • External Engagement & Thought Leadership • Represents MLH in regional and national patient safety forums • Establishes partnerships with external organizations and benchmarking collaboratives • Brings innovative practices and emerging trends into MLH’s safety strategy
  • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) • Reduction in Serious Safety Event (SSE) rate • Improvement in safety culture survey results • Increased reporting of near misses and good catches • Timeliness and effectiveness of event investigations • Reduction in system harm indicators (falls, pressure injuries, medication events) • HRO training compliance and adoption of reliability behaviors


Education Qualifications

  • Required - Master's Degree Nursing
  • Preferred - Master's Degree Business Administration
  • Preferred - Master's Degree Healthcare Administration
  • Preferred - Master's Degree Public Health
  • Preferred - Clinical degree (MD, RN, PharmD, or equivalent)

Experience Qualifications

  • Required - Minimum 5-7 years of progressive leadership experience in patient safety, quality, or clinical operations; Demonstrated experience leading system-level safety or HRO initiatives

Skills and Abilities

  • Deep expertise in patient safety science, human factors, and high reliability principles
  • Demonstrated ability to lead enterprise-wide change and culture transformation
  • Strong analytical capability in safety data interpretation and performance improvement
  • Ability to influence physician, nursing, and executive leadership without direct authority
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills (Board, ELT, and frontline engagement)
  • Strong program management, facilitation, and team leadership capabilities
  • Knowledge of regulatory and accreditation requirements (DNV, CMS, or equivalents)

Licenses and Certifications

  • Required - Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) or ability to obtain within one (1) year of employment
  • Preferred - Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality-CPHQ - National Association for Healthcare Quality
  • Preferred - Six Sigma Black Belt - Authorized Six Sigma Certification Issuer

Supervision Provided by this Position

  • Directly manages system-level patient safety and HRO team members
  • Provides matrix leadership to facility-based safety leaders
  • Oversees coordination across multiple departments and care settings

Physical Demands

  • The physical activities of this position may include climbing, pushing, standing, hearing, walking, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion.
  • Must have good balance and coordination.
  • The physical requirements of this position are: light work - exerting up to 25 lbs. of force occasionally and/or up to 10 lbs. of force frequently.
  • The Associate is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity, such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; or extensive reading.
  • The conditions to which the Associate will be subject in this position: The Associate is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions; job functions are typically performed under conditions such as those found in general office or administrative work.

Our Associates are passionate about what they do, the service they provide and the patients they serve. We value family, team and a Power of One culture that requires commitment to the highest standards of care and unity.


Boasting one of the South's largest medical centers, Memphis blends a friendly community, a thriving and growing downtown, and a low cost of living. We see each day as a new opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people in our community.