Corporate Director of Education and Onboarding

Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital System

Aligned with CMS Conditions of Participation & The Joint Commission.

Position Summary

The Corporate Director of Education and Onboarding provides system-wide leadership, oversight, and standardization of onboarding, education, training, and competency validation across a multi-facility inpatient psychiatric hospital system. This role ensures that all staff—clinical and non-clinical—are appropriately trained, competent, and prepared to meet the requirements of CMS Conditions of Participation, The Joint Commission standards, and applicable federal and state regulations.

System-Level Scope of Responsibility

• Oversight of onboarding and education across multiple inpatient psychiatric hospitals
• Standardization of orientation, training, and competency programs
• Corporate accountability for survey-ready education and competency documentation
• Support of CMS, Joint Commission, and state regulatory surveys
• Alignment of workforce education with organizational strategy and quality outcomes

Essential Responsibilities

• System-Wide Onboarding Program Leadership
  • Design, implement, and maintain a standardized corporate onboarding framework for all inpatient psychiatric facilities.
  • Ensure onboarding programs include:
    • CMS and Joint Commission regulatory education
    • Patient rights and safety
    • Psychiatric-specific environmental and ligature risk awareness
    • Emergency management and life safety
  • Ensure onboarding processes meet CMS CoP requirements for staff orientation and competency.
  • Ensure education and onboarding programs support compliance with CMS CoPs, including but not limited to:
    • Patient Rights
    • Nursing Services
    • Medical Staff
    • QAPI
    • Infection Control
    • Environment of Care
  • Partner with Compliance and Quality to ensure staff education addresses identified regulatory risks.
  • Maintain documentation demonstrating staff competency and training compliance.
  • Ensure compliance with Joint Commission Human Resources (HR), Leadership (LD), and applicable clinical standards related to education and competency.
  • Oversee system-wide competency assessment and validation processes.
  • Support continuous Joint Commission readiness through standardized education and training programs.
• Clinical & Non-Clinical Education Oversight
  • Provide corporate oversight of education for Nursing and clinical staff, Medical staff (in coordination with Medical Staff leadership), non-clinical and support services staff.
  • Ensure role-specific training addresses psychiatric patient safety, suicide prevention, ligature risk, trauma-informed care principles, de-escalation and restraint/seclusion education, competency management & validation.
• Establish and Maintain a System-wide Competency Framework
  • Ensure initial and ongoing competency assessments are completed.
  • Competencies are role-specific and evidence-based.
  • Documentation is survey-ready and auditable.
  • Partner with Nursing, Medical Staff, and Operations to validate competencies.
• Education Standardization & Continuous Improvement
  • Develop standardized corporate education policies, procedures, and tools.
  • Monitor effectiveness of onboarding and education programs using data and feedback.
  • Identify gaps and implement improvements to reduce risk and improve staff readiness.
  • Align education initiatives with QAPI and organizational goals.
• Survey Readiness & Regulatory Support
  • Support CMS, Joint Commission, and state surveys by providing education and competency documentation, participating in tracers and interviews, assisting with corrective action plans related to training deficiencies.
  • Conduct or support mock surveys and readiness assessments related to education and onboarding.
• Collaboration & Executive Partnership
  • Collaborate with Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Quality Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, Human Resources leadership, Facility leadership teams.
  • Serve as an executive advisor on workforce readiness and education strategy.
  • Support governing body oversight related to staff competency and training.
• Reporting & Governance
  • Develop and present education and onboarding metrics to executive leadership, Quality and Safety Committees, Governing Body.
  • Ensure reporting demonstrates compliance, effectiveness, and continuous improvement.

Core Competencies

• Expert knowledge of CMS Conditions of Participation related to education and competency.
• Strong understanding of Joint Commission standards, particularly HR and LD.
• Knowledge of inpatient psychiatric hospital operations and patient safety risks.
• Proven ability to standardize programs across multiple facilities.
• Strong leadership, communication, and change-management skills.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Education, Healthcare Administration, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• Minimum 7-10 years of healthcare education, onboarding, or clinical leadership experience.
• Experience in inpatient psychiatric or behavioral health settings strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience supporting CMS and Joint Commission surveys.
• Experience working at a corporate or multi-facility system level.

Preferred Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (RN) license.
• Certification in Nursing Professional Development (NPD-BC) or equivalent.
• Experience with competency management systems and learning platforms.
• Experience developing regulatory-focused education programs.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, or Chief Operating Officer
• Works closely with:
  • Nursing and Clinical Leadership
  • Quality, Compliance, and Risk
  • Human Resources
  • Facility Education Coordinators
  • System Governing Body / Quality Committee