VP/CNO Benioff Children’s Hospitals

Reporting to the President - Benioff Children’s Hospitals (BCH), the Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) - Benioff Children’s Hospitals provides strategic direction, executive level leadership, planning, organization and general management for all aspects of patient care services at the BCH campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, ensuring integration of services and compliance with long range objectives and strategies, including the provision of excellent quality services and the practice of sound business practices.

As a key member of the Children’s Executive Leadership team within UCSF Health, the CNO contributes to the development and implementation of major strategic goals and direction, and provides vision for all aspects of patient care, quality, and patient safety issues.

The CNO serves as the most senior nursing executive at the children’s hospital, responsible for strategic leadership, operational oversight, and professional practice across all nursing and designated patient care services. This role ensures the delivery of safe, high-quality, family-centered care that is developmentally appropriate and aligned with the organization’s mission, values, and clinical standards.

The CNO partners closely with system nursing leadership, physician executives, and hospital administration to align pediatric nursing practice with enterprise-wide priorities, including quality, safety, workforce strategy, and financial performance. They champion evidence-based practice, nursing research, and innovation, while fostering a culture of accountability, equity, and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities include oversight of nursing operations, staffing models, workforce planning, and labor management; advancement of professional governance and nursing engagement; and ensuring compliance with regulatory, accreditation, and Magnet (or equivalent) standards. The CNO also plays a critical role in developing leadership pipelines, supporting interdisciplinary collaboration, and advancing patient and family experience initiatives tailored to pediatric populations.

In a large system context, the CNO functions as both an advocate for the unique needs of pediatric patients and staff and a collaborator in system-level decision-making, ensuring that children’s services are effectively integrated, resourced, and represented across the continuum of care.