Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) is searching for a Vice President, Associate Chief Nursing Officer (VP/ACNO) for Medical, Surgical, and Procedural Nursing/Patient Care Operations (NPCO). The future leader will guide daily operational nursing and patient care priorities while functioning as an active contributor and member of the senior administrative and medical staff leadership team.

The VP/ACNO for Medical, Surgical, and Procedural Nursing/Patient Care Operations is a key member of the executive leadership team, reporting directly to Boston Children’s SVP & Chief Nursing Officer. This role plays a vital part in advancing Boston Children’s Hospital’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities throughout all inpatient and procedural locations of Boston Children’s Hospital, focusing on high-quality, patient-centered, and equitable care while advancing quality and safety outcomes, operational effectiveness, and team member engagement.

This role spans our main acute care campus in Boston as well as satellite settings in Waltham and a wide range of procedural locations.   

This is a distinct opportunity to lead Boston Children’s nursing teams, widely recognized for excellence in family-centered care, the evolution of pediatric nursing science, and for its exceptional interprofessional practice environment.  This role will require an experienced leader with a demonstrated ability to lead comfortably in an organization that is actively evolving its organization-wide structures both near term and over time.

Nursing Excellence in Professional Practice, Education, Research, and Innovation

Boston Children’s has a distinguished history of nursing excellence that extends from its inception more than 150 years ago. Professional practice awards include:

• Four Magnet Program® designations from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), placing the organization in the company of the top 1% of US healthcare systems who have achieved and sustained this recognition of nursing excellence over the past two decades. The organization is currently pursuing its fifth designation in 2026.

• Numerous Beacon Awards for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), including gold Beacon status currently awarded to the Acute Cardiac Care Unit (ACCU), Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Beacon Awards recognize top hospital units that meet standards of excellence in recruitment and retention; education, training, and mentoring; research and evidence-based practice; patient outcomes; leadership and organizational ethics; and creation of a healthy work environment.

• Three Lantern Award designations from the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), recognizing exceptional and innovative performance in leadership, practice, education, advocacy, and research. One of only two free-standing children’s hospitals to have achieved this distinction. The organization submitted its fourth designation application in 2024.

Boston Children’s is consistently ranked amongst the Best Children’s Hospitals by US News and World Report and has been named the World’s Best Specialized Hospital in Pediatrics by Newsweek, 2025. 

This VP/ACNO for Medical, Surgical, Procedural Nursing/Patient Care Operations will:

• Provide oversight of BCH nursing strategy, budget, and practice at the operating unit level for medical, surgical and procedural locations. 
• Guide daily operational nursing and patient care priorities while functioning as an active contributor of senior administrative and physician leadership teams. 
• Support staffing augmentation and educational programs and lead the daily work in nursing/patient care delivery.
• Create effective relationships with senior nursing, physician, and operational leaders, demonstrating the framework of shared leadership and teamwork.
• Work with Patient Safety and Quality (PSQ) to lead quality and operations improvement initiatives that enhance clinical outcomes, patient and family satisfaction, and promote HRO practices, including psychological safety.
• Advance staffing effectiveness and resource allocation in the context of competing operational priorities.
• Contribute to strategic planning both enterprise-wide and at the nursing operations level.
• Work with HR, Finance, and analytic leaders to implement tools and processes to improve nursing operations (i.e., hiring metrics, staff effectiveness, nurse engagement)
• Collaborate with executive leadership to develop, lead, and sustain succession planning.

To qualify, you must have:

• BS degree in nursing (BSN) and MS degree in nursing (MS/MSN) required.
• BSN degree plus MBA, MPH or MHA acceptable when coupled with doctoral level preparation completion/near-term completion commitment.
• Nurse Executive Board Certification (NE-BC, NEA-BC) via ANCC or equivalent bodies, e.g., AONL, is required within 36 months of hire.
• Professional licensure as an RN in the Commonwealth of MA prior to date of hire.
• At least 7-10 of leadership experience within a leading academic hospital/health care system known for nursing excellence.
• Progressive system-level nursing operations leadership experience, preferably as an ACNO or CNO, or serving in a Nursing Senior Director capacity
• Executive presence and ability to navigate both strategic and operational priorities with leadership and nursing team members.
• Demonstrated business, regulatory, and communication acumen.
• Effective written and oral communication skills and ability to adapt communication style to a wide range of audiences.
• Highly visible, empathetic, and optimistic leader with the strategic insight and collaborative approach necessary to inspire and guide teams.
• Ability to influence change and to create alignment with other teams and leaders outside of direct span of control, (i.e. finance, facilities, IT).
• Proven success advancing diversity and workforce representation with measurable outcomes.
• Genuine commitment to staff well-being, high-quality patient care, and operational excellence within a mission-driven environment.

Boston Children’s Hospital offers competitive compensation and unmatched benefits.