Director of Environmental Services

At Rady Children’s Health (RCH), the mission is simple and uncompromising: We’re here for the kids: advancing hope, health and healing. Across three hospitals, a growing network of primary and specialty care centers spanning six counties, and two of the region’s Level 1 pediatric trauma centers, that mission shows up in thousands of decisions each day—including the ones families rarely see.

Environmental Services is one of those decisions. It’s the quiet infrastructure of trust: the room that feels safe, the hallway that stays ready, the standards that never slip. This Director of EVS will lead the people and systems that create a safe, clean, and comfortable environment where patients can heal—while upholding CHOC mission and values and building solutions for sustained growth and effective day-to-day operations.

As Mervyn Simon, Executive Director of Facilities Management and Support Services at Rady Children’s Hospital, Orange County, puts it: the work is mission-driven and deeply connected to children and families. The right leader will feel that purpose—and translate it into disciplined operations and a team that’s proud of its craft.

The Moment & Opportunity

Rady Children’s Health unites the trusted expertise of Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC)—nationally recognized for its commitment to safe, high-quality care—and Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, ranked among the nation’s top 10 children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. That integration creates a powerful opportunity: to strengthen EVS operations in a way that matches the clinical excellence families already expect.

The next 12–24 months are designed for measurable improvement in operational performance, leadership effectiveness, engagement, and quality indicators, and by 24 months to position EVS as a high-performing, strategically aligned partner within the organization.

This role is for a leader who sees EVS as a frontline contributor to patient safety, infection prevention mitigation strategies, survey readiness, and family experience—and who can bring standardization, transparency, and accountability to day-to-day work.

Scope & Impact

The Director of EVS is responsible for the management and oversight of the Environmental Services department, providing leadership and strategic direction to the hospital and enterprise. You will direct business practices that support sustained growth and strong day-to-day execution, while leading a goal-oriented EVS department to create a team environment that is effective, productive, and rewarding.

You’ll partner with Nursing, Infection Prevention, Facilities, and Clinical Leadership to strengthen patient safety initiatives and ensure consistent adherence to infection prevention, regulatory, and safety standards.

Operationally, you will assess EVS operations, staffing models, workflows, and performance metrics; implement best practices to improve quality outcomes, response times, and overall service reliability; and establish accountability measures supported by transparent performance dashboards.

Compliance is central. You’ll ensure continuous survey readiness and compliance with applicable requirements, including CAL-OSHA, The Joint Commission, CMS, and other regulatory requirements.

Expectations for Outcomes

Within the first 90 days, you will conduct a comprehensive assessment of current EVS operations, staffing models, workflows, and performance metrics. From that baseline, you will standardize processes and ensure consistent adherence to infection prevention, regulatory, and safety standards, implementing best practices to improve quality outcomes, response times, and overall service reliability.

By six months, you will assess current manager and supervisor capabilities and identify development gaps. You’ll establish clear leadership competencies and performance expectations for manager-level roles, and begin structured leadership development through coaching, mentoring, and succession planning—building bench strength to support internal promotion opportunities and long-term departmental stability.

Over 12 months, success looks like measurable improvement in operational performance, leadership effectiveness, engagement, and quality indicators—supported by transparent performance dashboards and accountability measures. You will strengthen onboarding and training processes to ensure consistency and competency across all shifts, and improve engagement, retention, and attendance through structured communication, recognition, and development programs.

By 24 months, the EVS department should be positioned as a high-performing, strategically aligned partner—leveraging data and operational metrics to improve productivity, transparency, and decision-making, and supporting expansion initiatives and evolving facility needs with scalable EVS strategies and a culture of continuous improvement focused on quality, accountability, and service excellence.

Qualifications

This role calls for a leader who can build an engaged, high-performing team, make data-driven decisions, and connect daily EVS execution to patient safety and family experience.

• Minimum five (5) years of environmental services management-level experience in healthcare (preferred: over five (5) years)
• Bachelor’s degree required (or four (4) years of management-related experience accepted in lieu of education)
• Preferred: Master’s degree in healthcare, management, or related field
• HAZWOPER training within 90 days of onboarding if not already completed in the last 12 months
• Knowledge and skills in administration and leadership, employee relations, communication, management of fiscal resources, and regulatory in the health care industry
• Familiarity with CAL-OSHA, The Joint Commission, CMS, and other regulatory requirements
• Efficient in Microsoft Office, environmental services software, and basic computer functions
• Knowledge of basic infection prevention mitigation strategies in healthcare
• Preferred certification: Certified Healthcare Environmental Services Professional (CHESP)

Compensation

Salary Range:

$52.93 - $70.13 - $87.32 USD hourly

• Health coverage (Cigna): Plan options include Cigna HDHP 1700, Cigna HDHP 6000, Cigna PPO, Cigna Full-Network HMO, and SIMNSA (for care in Mexico); prescription drug benefits included through Cigna
• Vision (VSP): VSP Standard and VSP Buy-Up (VSP Choice Network)
• Onsite therapy for employees offered at low-to-no cost
• Supplemental medical plans (Unum): Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Retirement: Tax-advantaged 403(b) from Empower with employer matching (match eligibility requires 1,000 hours worked per year)
• 403(b) match (0-9 years of service): Employer match of 100% on up to the first 3% you contribute
• 403(b) match (10+ years of service): Employer match of 200% on up to the first 3% you contribute
• Vesting schedule for employer contributions: 1 year – 0%; 2 years – 20%; 3 years – 40%; 4 years – 60%; 5 years – 80%; 6 years – 100%
• Saving and spending accounts: Health Savings Account (HSA) up to $4,400 (individual) / $8,750 (family) with employer contributions ($630 individual / $1,260 with dependents)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) up to $3,300
• Dependent Care FSA up to $7,500 (or $3,750 if married filing separately)
• Life & disability (Unum): Basic life and AD&D insurance provided; option to purchase supplemental coverage; short-term and long-term disability insurance provided
• Tuition reimbursement: $10,000 annually for eligible employees
• Paid leave and vacation accrued each pay period based on length of service
• Additional optional benefits: Optional pet insurance through MetLife; optional identity theft protection and legal aid plans through MetLife; wellness programs
• Benefits eligibility: Part-time rates for .5-.69 FTE; full-time rates for .7-1.0 FTE; eligibility begins on the 1st of the month following date of hire