Manager of Regulatory, QA & Risk

Manager of Regulatory, QA & Risk

Leading Not-for-Profit Community Health System | Quality, Compliance & Risk Management

(Central Coast) | Full-Time | On-Site

Plus comprehensive medical, retirement, paid time off, and professional development benefits

In too many organizations, the person responsible for compliance, quality, and risk works in near-isolation — cast as the “enforcer,” noticed only when something goes wrong, and expected to safeguard an entire institution without a real seat at the leadership table. If you have ever known exactly what needed to change and felt powerless to make it happen, you know how quickly that erodes the sense of purpose that drew you to this work.

This is the role where quality, compliance, and risk sit at the center of strategy — with senior leadership, physicians, and staff genuinely at the table with you, and the authority to turn what you see into what actually changes.

Our client — a not-for-profit community health system recognized among the nation’s top critical access hospitals and honored with a national award for top-quartile quality, outcomes, and patient experience — is seeking a Manager of Regulatory, QA & Risk to lead its quality, patient-safety, compliance, and risk-management program. Working shoulder to shoulder with senior leadership, physicians, and staff, you will chair the monthly Quality/Patient Safety Committee, drive data-driven process improvement aligned to the organization’s strategic priorities, ensure compliance with federal healthcare program requirements, Joint Commission, and HIPAA standards, and direct the organization’s risk-management activities. You will be the trusted channel through which concerns are heard and resolved — a valued, visible partner in leadership, not an isolated policing function buried in paperwork.

• Real Authority & a Seat at the Table — You will report into and partner directly with senior leadership, with genuine access to decision-makers in a structure far less bureaucratic than big-city institutions. When you identify a risk, you have the standing to act on it — not just document it.

• Strategic, Meaningful Work — Quality and risk here are woven into strategic imperatives, not treated as a box to check. As the only hospital within a 50-mile radius serving nearly 80,000 residents, your program directly protects a community that depends on this organization for care.

• Collaboration Over Isolation — You will work hand in hand with physicians, staff, and executives through the Quality/Patient Safety Committee and beyond — the antidote to the professional isolation that wears down so many compliance and quality leaders.

• Flexibility & a Culture of Trust — This is a workplace built on trust and accountability, with rapid, deliberate responses to concerns and real anticipation of your changing work-life needs — a culture where raising a hard issue is valued, not penalized.

• Schedule & Work-Life Balance — Expect more predictable scheduling, a slower pace, and none of the urban commuting grind — in a Central Coast setting that enjoys roughly 300 sunny days a year. High-stakes work does not have to mean an unsustainable life.

• An Employer That Invests in You — From subsidizing 95% of medical plan premiums to certification and continuing-education support, clear succession-planning pathways, and eligibility for federal loan-forgiveness programs, this organization backs the people who protect its mission.

• Partner with senior leadership, physicians, and staff to reduce risk and advance quality and patient safety across the organization.

• Chair the monthly Quality/Patient Safety Committee and lead assessment and process-improvement initiatives that produce measurable results.

• Build and manage data-driven quality management programs, setting priorities that align with ongoing strategic imperatives.

• Ensure compliance with federal healthcare program requirements, Joint Commission standards, HIPAA, and applicable accreditation standards.

• Direct risk-management activities — coordinating insurance coverage and risk financing, managing claims, and interfacing with defense legal counsel to control and minimize loss.

• Serve as the organization’s trusted channel for compliance concerns, directing issues to the right resources for investigation and resolution and acting as an internal resource of last resort.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in a healthcare-related field.

• Certification in Healthcare Compliance, Healthcare Compliance Fellowship, Healthcare Privacy Compliance, Research Compliance, or another relevant area — obtained within one year of hire.

• Current state license in a clinical field (five years of quality-management experience may be used in lieu of licensure).

• Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), Healthcare Quality and Management Certification (HCQM), or a comparable healthcare quality certification.

Preferred

• RN, JD, or MBA.

• Experience leading a Quality/Patient Safety Committee and data-driven performance improvement.

• Working knowledge of Joint Commission survey readiness, HIPAA privacy, and healthcare risk financing/claims.

• Track record of building trust across physicians, staff, and executive leadership.

• Compensation: Transparent annual range of $131,476 – $173,888, with sign-on bonus and relocation assistance available for eligible candidates.

• Health & Wellness: The organization subsidizes 95% of medical plan premiums, plus dental and vision coverage and an inclusive, supportive work environment built around employee wellbeing.

• Financial Security: 403(b) retirement plan with discretionary employer matching, and eligibility for federal loan-forgiveness and repayment programs (PSLF and HRSA/NHSC options) as a not-for-profit, rural provider.

• Growth & Development: Support for required and ongoing certifications, continuing-education funding, mentoring, and clear succession-planning pathways into higher leadership.

• Work-Life Balance: A rich paid-time-off program, predictable scheduling, a lower cost of living, and a family-like culture that responds quickly to your changing work-life needs.

Our client is a not-for-profit healthcare system and the primary provider of care for a rural region of California’s Central Coast — the only hospital within a 50-mile radius, serving a community of nearly 80,000 residents across more than 55 miles. With acute-care and skilled-nursing services and a network of community clinics, and a team of more than 1,200 people, the organization keeps essential care close to home for patients who would otherwise have to travel hours to receive it.

Its mission is straightforward and deeply felt: culturally sensitive, patient-centered care delivered with the highest quality of service, working alongside patients to help a rural community thrive. That commitment has earned national recognition — including repeated selection among the country’s top critical access hospitals and a national award for top-quartile performance in quality, outcomes, and patient experience — the very outcomes this role exists to protect and advance.

Culturally, this is a place that describes itself as family-like, inclusive, and built on trust and accountability — less bureaucratic than large urban systems, with direct access to leadership and a shared sense of ownership over the community’s health. It is an environment where a quality, compliance, and risk leader is treated as a strategic partner, not an obstacle.

This opportunity is set in the heartland of California’s Central Coast, surrounded by rolling hills, 4,000-foot peaks, coastal beaches, lakes, and wine country — with roughly 300 sunny days a year. Within an easy drive you’ll find Pinnacles National Park, Big Sur, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and 17-Mile Drive, Paso Robles wine country, and the beaches of Pismo, Avila, and Cambria. It offers a lower cost of living, less traffic, and abundant outdoor recreation — the kind of place where a demanding career and a genuinely good life can coexist.

This is a confidential search. To learn more and take the next step, contact your recruiting representative directly for a private, no-pressure conversation.

The client’s identity and full application details will be shared with qualified, vetted candidates.

Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Click here to apply online