VP Adult Nursing and Clinical Services Longwood and Chestnut Hill

Overview

The VP of Clinical Services and Associate Chief Nurse (ACNO) for Adult Ambulatory Oncology is a key member of the senior executive team, accountable for the strategic direction, operational performance, and clinical excellence across the Longwood Medical Area and Chestnut Hill campuses. The ACNO/VP oversees adult infusion and ambulatory clinic operations in a triad partnership with the Deputy Chief Medical Officer and the Vice President for Ambulatory Practice. This triad works collaboratively to guide an interdisciplinary workforce of nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, and administrative professionals. Core responsibilities include translating enterprise strategy into actionable goals; assuring regulatory readiness and top-quartile performance in quality, safety, and patient experience metrics; driving workforce planning, engagement, and development; and managing significant operating and capital budgets to optimize value and growth. Through robust collaboration with Radiation Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Imaging, Clinical Labs, and other critical partners, the role ensures seamless, coordinated care pathways that achieve superior clinical outcomes and equity of access. By integrating strategic insight, fiscal stewardship, and compassionate leadership, the ACNO/VP executive advances the institution’s mission and national reputation as a leader in adult ambulatory oncology care.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

Responsibilities

Strategic Nursing Leadership:

• Co‐create and operationalize the multi-year strategic vision for adult ambulatory oncology nursing—partnering with the CNO, Deputy CMO, Chief of Advanced Practice, and VP for Ambulatory Practice to align Longwood and Chestnut Hill services with DFCI’s mission, values, and growth objectives.
• Anticipate market and clinical trends; translate them into resource-aligned business plans that expand capacity, launch innovative care models, and optimize human, financial, technological, and material assets across the adult ambulatory enterprise.
• Lead a data-driven workforce strategy—recruitment, retention, and succession—that achieves Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (ID&E) goals and supplies the talent necessary to execute departmental and institute-wide strategic priorities.

Clinical Operations and Care:

• Provide visionary, goal-driven leadership for adult ambulatory and multidisciplinary teams—jointly owning strategy and day-to-day decisions with physician and administrative partners while fostering a highly collaborative practice model.
• Design, implement, and continuously refine structures, policies, and workflows that uphold national and DFCI standards for ambulatory oncology care; drive ongoing improvement in scheduling, patient flow, access, revenue integrity, coding, and regulatory compliance.
• Ensure data-enabled practice by aligning clinical, financial, and administrative information systems with multidisciplinary workflows; analyze and disseminate actionable metrics to disease-center, unit-based, and executive leaders for performance optimization.

Nursing Excellence, Inclusive Culture, and Workforce Leadership:

• Champion a unified, evidence-based ambulatory oncology nursing practice—harmonizing policies, credentialing, and Magnet/ONS standards across all outpatient sites while partnering with interdisciplinary leaders to integrate services and consistently deliver patient and family-centered care.
• Cultivate an inclusive, collaborative culture where every team member feels a sense of belonging and is empowered to contribute to improvement efforts; model collegial behaviors, facilitate shared governance, and align people, processes, and resources to advance quality, safety, and ID&E goals.
• Lead a comprehensive workforce strategy, forecasting staffing needs; recruiting, mentoring, and sponsoring diverse talent; executing collective-bargaining agreements; and implementing robust performance-management systems that recognize excellence, drive accountability, and support continuous professional growth.

Regulatory Compliance and Quality Assurance:

• Build and maintain robust, data-driven systems that track quality, cost, and clinical outcomes while ensuring compliance with all patient-care standards, laws, regulations, collective-bargaining agreements, and accrediting‐body requirements.
• Partner with nursing, physician, and administrative leaders to achieve continuous survey readiness—coordinating accreditation preparations and driving adherence to Joint Commission, CMS, and other regulatory standards.
• In collaboration with NPCS executive colleagues, design and deliver education and professional-development programs that equip staff to meet evolving quality, safety, and performance-improvement goals.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration:

• Partner with medical, nursing, and interdepartmental leaders to integrate services and foster a patient-focused, customer-oriented culture that consistently delivers high-quality, cost-effective oncology care.
• Cultivate an inclusive, compassionate workplace where every team member feels valued: ensure robust orientation, ongoing education, certification, and retention strategies in collaboration with the Center for Clinical & Professional Development and Human Resources.
• Drive continuous program enhancement and innovation—empowering staff to communicate across disciplines, championing new ambulatory and inpatient oncology initiatives, and maintaining a practice environment that supports belonging, collaboration, and professional growth.

Fiscal Responsibilities:

• Define and implement best-practice, interdisciplinary care models that optimize quality, safety, efficiency, and cost across ambulatory oncology services.
• In partnership with the Senior Director of Business Administration, leverage data analytics to forecast volume, identify market trends, and inform strategic and operational decision-making.
• Lead development, approval, and oversight of capital and operating budgets—collaborating with clinical and administrative teams to craft financially sound business plans for new and existing programs and to maintain expenditures within approved allocations.

Qualifications

Qualifications

• Registered nurse with 10-15 years’ experience in nursing leadership in an ambulatory oncology setting required
• Ambulatory Oncology in an academic medical center, Professional organization leadership preferred
• Bachelor’s and master’s degree required, one of which must be in nursing
• PhD or DNP preferred
• Advanced degrees in Nursing Administration, Healthcare Management, or related field preferred
• Licensed as a Registered Nurse in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and or New Hampshire as applicable.
• Leadership, Oncology, or Research Nursing certification required

Knowledge, Skils, and Abilities

• Visionary, inclusive leadership that mobilizes large, multidisciplinary teams, sustains psychological safety, and delivers exceptional engagement, retention, and ID&E results in complex, unionized settings.
• Board-level communication and executive presence; forges strategic partnerships with physicians, administrators, community stakeholders, payers, and regulators to advance enterprise goals.
• Advanced analytic acumen—leverages big data, predictive modeling, and KPI dashboards to optimize quality, safety, throughput, financial performance, and health-equity metrics.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale transformation (digital health, EMR optimization, value-based care, care-model redesign) across integrated health systems.
• Lifelong commitment to scholarship and professional growth; drives evidence-based practice, research, and academic partnerships while remaining current with emerging clinical and leadership trends.
• Systems thinker skilled at designing and operationalizing integrated, patient-centered care strategies that span ambulatory, inpatient, and virtual environments.
• Accomplished mentor and talent sponsor—builds robust leadership pipelines through formal coaching, succession planning, and competency-based development programs that nurture the next generation of nurse executives.
• Translate research findings into clinical practice by developing and updating nursing standards, guidelines, and care pathways that elevate patient outcomes and advance the Institute’s scientific mission.
• Deep expertise in evidence-based nursing practice, Magnet®/ONS standards, and all major regulatory and accreditation requirements (Joint Commission, CMS, state boards).

Working Conditions

• Work occurs throughout the institution, requiring visits to patient care units and occasional visits to community sites.

Supervisory Responsibility

• Supervision of various senior level NPCS leaders and other personnel.
• Supervises staff. Hires, develops, and manages staff to achieve organizational goals. Sets clear expectations, delivers feedback, and monitors performance for quality, efficiency, and compliance with policies and procedures. Mentors staff, fosters career growth, and cultivates a positive and productive work environment.

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are equally committed to diversifying our faculty and staff. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and diverse professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.