Program Director, Patient Safety | Dartmouth Health

Lebanon, New Hampshire, Program Director, Patient Safety
Dartmouth Health | Lebanon, NH
Full-Time (30 to 40 hrs per week) | Professional/Management | Job ID 2026-42924
Dartmouth Health seeks an experienced patient safety leader to help make safer care a reality across every care delivery location. As Program Director, Patient Safety, you will lead the development and implementation of a system-wide vision for best-in-class safety performance, grounded in the organization’s mission, vision, and values.
Working with administrative, nursing, and medical leaders, you will make High Reliability Organization (HRO) principles part of everyday operations and strengthen safety as a foundation of patient-centered care.
Why This Opportunity Stands Out

Shape how Dartmouth Health prevents patient and workplace harm across the health system.
Lead HRO implementation and equip clinical and non-clinical teams with practical leadership skills and shared safety behaviors.
Bring leaders together to turn event reporting, shared learning, and transparency into safer care and a better patient experience.

What You Will Do

Educate teams on HRO principles, build awareness of safety improvement needs, and identify opportunities to prevent patient and workplace harm.
Analyze events involving harm to patients, families, and team members; develop proactive strategies that address root causes and share improvement and prevention efforts across the system.
Partner with risk management and legal teams to oversee event reporting, apparent and root cause analyses, and Patient Safety Organization (PSO) participation. Identify safety vulnerabilities, improve recognition and reporting of harm, and strengthen action plan management.
Advance safety as a foundation of patient-centered care, using HRO strategies to improve care quality and the overall patient experience.
Lead the Dartmouth Health Safety Committee, bringing together clinical and non-clinical leaders, including the Office of Graduate Medical Education.
Oversee system-wide HRO implementation: confirm resources, identify competing priorities, and develop an implementation timeline. Direct the design, development, and deployment of HRO leadership skills and a universal behavior toolkit for clinical and non-clinical employees.
Serve as a patient safety subject matter expert during orientation, management training, and formal educational programs, as requested.
Improve event reporting quality and strengthen safety culture through safety stories, shared learning, transparency, and effective system-wide communication.
Partner with Dartmouth Health Marketing and Communications and oversee patient safety communications during morning safety huddles, apparent and root cause analyses, and network leadership forums.
Work with leadership teams to drive compliance with Joint Commission standards, particularly National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) requirements. Address compliance gaps and coordinate system-wide policies, procedures, and practices to align with current standards.
Perform other duties as assigned or required.

What We Are Looking For

Advanced/graduate Degree in a clinical discipline.
Experience in building and coordinating a highly competent team focused on patient safety.
10 years minimum experience leading organization/system-wide patient safety programs
Strong communication skills, both oral and written.
Excellent organizational, motivational and interpersonal skill, capable of interfacing well at multiple levels within a large organization.
Professional and positive approach to building relationships and gaining credibility with senior executives.
Experience with the Press Ganey High Reliability Platform (HRP) desired.

Required Licensure and Certifications

Certified in Patient Safety (CPPS)

Why Dartmouth Health
This role offers the opportunity to influence how safety is understood, practiced, and improved throughout Dartmouth Health. You will work across disciplines and care delivery locations to help teams learn from harm, anticipate vulnerabilities, and build a more reliable care environment for patients, families, and colleagues.
Life in the Upper Valley
Build a rewarding career in a region that makes every season worth exploring. Spanning New Hampshire and Vermont, the Upper Valley offers spring hikes, summer paddling on the Connecticut River, brilliant fall foliage, and winter skiing and snowshoeing, alongside welcoming communities, local dining, and arts and cultural experiences in Hanover and Lebanon. Here, meaningful work at Dartmouth Health comes with opportunities to enjoy the outdoors throughout the year. For those who choose to live in New Hampshire, the state’s lack of a general sales tax and personal income tax adds another compelling reason to call the Upper Valley home.
Bring your patient safety leadership to Dartmouth Health.
Apply for Program Director, Patient Safety, Job ID 2026-42924
https://careers-dartmouth-hitchcock.icims.com/jobs/42924/program-director%2c-patient-safety/job ?