Job Description

JOB TITLE: Director, Surgical Services

SUPERSEDES: 07/23, 09/25 (Director, Surgical Services Operating Room), 09/25

FLSA: Exempt

JOB CODE: 0059

ISSUED: 07/2023

REVISED: 03/2026

BASIC FUNCTION AND RESPONSIBILITY

The Director, Surgical Services provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for assigned areas of surgical services across the MU Health Care system, including operating rooms, procedural areas, pre- and post-anesthesia care units, scheduling, and sterile processing. Ensures delivery of high-quality, efficient, and patient-centered perioperative care in alignment with organizational goals. Fosters a culture of safety, teamwork, and continuous improvement while maintaining compliance with all regulatory and accreditation standards.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Provides strategic direction and leadership for surgical services across multiple locations, including ORs, procedural areas, pre- and post-anesthesia care, sterile processing, and scheduling functions.

Develops and implements policies, procedures, and protocols to ensure standardization and regulatory compliance across perioperative services.

Collaborates with healthcare executives, surgeons, anesthesia providers, and department leaders to align surgical services with health system goals and patient outcomes.

Oversees the system-wide development and coordination of perioperative scheduling to optimize block utilization, reduce delays, and enhance patient flow.

Directs sterile processing operations, ensuring efficient instrument reprocessing, inventory management, and adherence to infection prevention standards.

Leads system-wide performance improvement initiatives focused on quality, patient safety, and operational efficiency within all areas of perioperative care.

Manages complex budgets, analyzes financial performance, and allocates resources to support optimal staffing, equipment, and operational sustainability.

Develops and maintains metrics dashboards to monitor clinical outcomes, compliance, and efficiency; implements strategies based on data analysis.

Cultivates a culture of open communication, patient safety, and staff empowerment through regular rounding, debriefs, and staff engagement initiatives.

Collaborates with education and training teams to ensure onboarding, clinical

competencies, and continuing education for perioperative staff.

Ensures readiness for regulatory and accreditation surveys across all assigned surgical service areas, maintaining documentation and adherence to standards.

Leads recruitment, mentorship, and retention efforts for clinical and support personnel, building a high-performing team across the perioperative continuum.

Serves as a liaison to departments and external partners, promoting effective collaboration and service integration.

Represents surgical services in hospital and system-level committees, task forces, and strategy sessions.

Leads a culture of safety through proactive risk mitigation and continuous quality improvement, taking measures to evaluate regulatory readiness routinely. Monitors and analyzes safety and performance metrics to identify trends and implement corrective actions for staff and/or patients as appropriate.

Oversees the development, coordination, and maintenance of daily staffing schedules to ensure the appropriate level of coverage and continuity of care across units.

Directs the implementation and oversight of MU Health Care time and attendance policies and practices.

May complete unit/department-specific duties as outlined in department documents.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Applies broad clinical and administrative knowledge to align departmental strategy with health system goals and patient outcomes.

Leads managers and supervisors to foster accountability, develop talent, and ensure high performance across service areas.

Drives operational efficiency through advanced planning, budgeting, and stakeholder engagement across internal and external initiatives.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Supervision is received from the Executive Director, Surgical Services.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

Supervision is exercised over managers, supervisors, and professional and support staff across operating rooms, procedural areas, sterile processing, and perioperative scheduling.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree or Master of Science in Nursing degree.

Master's degree in business or a healthcare-related field. (for hires after 10/15/25)

Missouri Board of Nursing RN or Nurse Licensure Compact multi-state RN. When primary state of residency changes, compact state RNs must apply under new state of residency within thirty (30) days.

Seven (7) years of RN experience in a hospital setting.

Five (5) years of managerial or supervisory experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Additional license/certification requirements as determined by the hiring department.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met with or without reasonable accommodation. The performance of these physical demands is an essential function of the job. The employee may be required ambulate, remain in a stationary position and position self to reach and/or move objects above the shoulders and below the knees. The employee may be required to move objects up to 10 lbs.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job; however, completion of these duties is a measure of successful performance. Employees of this job classification are subject to performance reviews. Basic function, responsibilities and characteristics duties may change at any time with or without notice.

SAFETY SENSITIVE STATUS

This position is considered safety sensitive.

This document is a general description of typical job duties, responsibilities and qualifications of employees holding the associated job title. Additional duties, specific qualifications and work emphasis may vary between individual positions.