Associate Chief Quality Officer - Acute Care

We're with you for life’s journey. At Denver Health, purpose isn’t just something we believe in—it’s something we live every day, for life’s journey.

Our Values

Respect | Belonging | Accountability | Transparency

Department

Job Summary

The Associate Chief, Quality Officer provides strong, enterprise strategic leadership for Denver Health's system's quality, safety, and performance improvement initiatives. In partnership with the Chief Quality Officer, this role is responsible for designing, implementing, and sustaining programs that drive measurable outcomes across all care settings. The Associate Chief collaborates with executive leadership, physicians, nursing, residents and staff, and operational leaders to ensure high-reliability care and continuous improvement to advance Denver Health's vision of being the Most Trusted provider in Colorado.

Denver Health is seeking a strong candidate for this role, with consideration given to individuals from non-clinical, nursing, or physician backgrounds. The salary range is intentionally broad to allow flexibility based on the selected candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Please note the application period for this role will be from 9/2/2026 to 9/25/2026.

Essential Functions:

• Strategic Leadership
  • With the CQO, develop and drive system-wide quality and patient safety strategy aligned with organizational goals
  • Serve as a subject matter expert in quality improvement, patient safety science, and high-reliability healthcare
  • Advise and influence executive leadership and the Board on quality, safety, and performance trends (20%)
• Quality and Performance Improvement
  • Lead large scale change initiatives to improve outcomes, reduce variation, and enhance value across settings and organizational units; including care transitions and value-based care.
  • Drive attainment of key performance indicators for Ambulatory and Acute Care Quality
  • Advance the deployment of evidenced-based practice across Denver Health. (20%)
• Patient Safety & Risk Reduction
  • Support the patient safety team in developing and deploying initiatives to promote patient and workforce safety which may include teamwork communication, just culture and proactive system-based approach to error prevention
  • Support reactive patient safety and risk reduction programs, including event reporting, root cause analyses, and corrective action plans
  • Sponsor or lead efforts to reduce harm events (20%)
• Data, Analytics & Reporting
  • Partner with analytics teams to use data for quality improvement and decision-making
  • Translate data into actionable insights for leaders and frontline teams
  • Make proactive, data-driven strategic recommendations (20%)
• Leadership, Mentorship & Collaboration
  • Lead and mentor quality and safety leaders and staff in the department of Patient Safety, Quality and Experience and across the system;
  • Collaborate with clinical, operational, and support service leaders to integrate quality into daily operations
  • Engage physicians, nurses, and frontline staff in improvement initiatives
  • Lead meetings and initiatives, including support of organizational leadership and governance. (15%)
• Accreditation & Regulatory Compliance
  • Support accreditation readiness and survey activities
  • Ensure policies, processes, and practices meet regulatory and accreditation standards (5%)
• May maintain an active clinical practice. Lead by example in achieving own clinical practice organizational productivity and quality goals. (0%)

Education:

• Master's Degree in healthcare administration, nursing, public health, quality, or related field with clinical background (RN, PharmD, or other licensed clinician) Required or
• Doctorate Degree MD or DO. Graduate of an approved medical school and completion of an approved residency. Further research training, such as an MPH/MSPH or primary care fellowship desirable. Required and
• Post Graduate Diploma or Certificate Program MD/DO and Board Certificates in their area of specialty. Patient safety training and/or certification (e.g. CPPS or related coursework) Preferred Required

Work Experience:

• 10+ years progressive leadership experience in healthcare quality and patient safety Required Preferred
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale quality improvement initiatives Required

Licenses:

• CPHQ-Certified Professional Healthcare Quality - NAHQ - National Association for Healthcare Quality
• LEAN-Lean Certified - SSGI - Six Sigma Global Institute Preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Communication skills to interact effectively with Denver Health’s current service/client base, prospective customers, and all levels of DH management
• Ability to interpret and analyze financial and statistical information
• Ability to systematically gather information from a variety of sources, analyze information, identify implications of data, draw appropriate conclusions, generate viable alternative solutions to a question or problem and evaluate the consequences of choosing each alternative
• Knowledge of scientific and medical literature, standards of medical care and professional care established by various task forces and accrediting agencies
• Strong public speaking/presentation skills
• Skill in facilitating a collegial relationship between practicing clinicians, healthcare workers, and hospital administration
• Knowledge of ongoing activity in a clinical area of expertise
• Working knowledge of general hospital operations, the Joint Commission, Medicare COP, and state requirements, preferred
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Shift

Work Type

Salary

Benefits

At Denver Health, we take care of the people who take care of our community. Our benefits are built to support your life, your family, and your future — with generous paid time off, fully paid parental leave, exceptional retirement contributions, comprehensive health coverage, and nationally recognized well-being programs. We invest in your growth through tuition assistance, career advancement pathways, and professional development — while also offering meaningful financial advantages through loan forgiveness eligibility and employer contributions. When you join Denver Health, you’re joining a mission-driven organization that invests in you.

Here is a small list of our benefit programs:

• Paid time off starting at 28 days per year, inclusive of vacation, personal/sick, and 7 Holidays
• 100% paid parental leave up to 6 weeks
• Immediate eligibility for retirement plans with employer contribution up to 9.5%
• Generous medical, dental, vision plans in addition to employer paid disability and life insurance.
• Comprehensive well-being programs including on-site employee fitness center located on Denver Health main campus and nationally recognized RESTORE Center
• Free RTD EcoPass (public transportation)
• Childcare discount programs & exclusive perks on large brands, travel, and more
• Tuition reimbursement & assistance
• Education, coaching, and professional development opportunities through the Workforce Development Center (WFDC) that support internal career growth and advancement pathways
• Professional clinical advancement program & shared governance
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer+ free student loan coaching and assistance navigating the PSLF program
• National Health Service Corps (NHCS) and Colorado Health Service Corps (CHSC) eligible employer

About Denver Health

Denver Health is an integrated, high-quality academic healthcare system considered a model for the nation that includes a Level I Trauma Center, a 555-bed acute care medical center, Denver’s 911 emergency medical response system, 10 family health centers, 19 school-based health centers, Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety, the Public Health Institute at Denver Health, Denver Health Medical Plan and Denver Health Foundation.

As Colorado’s primary, and essential, safety-net healthcare system, Denver Health is a mission-driven organization that has provided millions in uncompensated care for the uninsured each year.

Located near downtown Denver, Denver Health is just minutes away from many of the cultural and recreational activities Denver has to offer.

Denver Health is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We value the unique ideas, talents and contributions reflective of the needs of our community. All job applicants for safety-sensitive positions must pass a pre-employment drug test, once a conditional offer of employment has been made. Applicants will be considered until the position is filled.