Director, Advanced Practice Providers - Cardiovascular Services - Portland, ME

Description

The Director of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) for the Cardiovascular Service Line (CVSL) is responsible for leading and advocating for APPs across ambulatory, inpatient, and surgical practice settings within Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, and Pediatric Cardiology. This leader ensures that the clinical and professional needs of cardiovascular APPs are met while aligning their work with the mission, vision, values, strategic goals, and organizational aims of the MaineHealth CVSL and system.

The Director will have a matrixed reporting structure into the CVSL Chief and CVSL VP and will collaborate closely with the cardiovascular service line senior leadership team, including leaders within the MaineHealth Office of Advanced Practice Providers. The Director will lead the advancement of an integrated, high-quality cardiovascular APP workforce across the MaineHealth system. APP Manager roles within the service line report directly to this position.

This role includes responsibility for navigating HR-related issues, supporting performance management and discipline pathways, and providing leadership oversight of safety concerns within a high-reliability organizational environment.

Required Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

Education

• Must be a licensed and certified Advanced Practice Provider (NP or PA).

Experience

• Minimum of five (5) years of clinical APP experience, preferably within a cardiovascular specialty.
• Minimum of three (3) years of progressive leadership experience required.
• Experience in multisite or multidisciplinary practice environments strongly preferred.

Essential Functions

Communication and Collaboration

• Develops and fosters effective communication and collaboration among APPs working in cardiology, cardiac surgery, and pediatric cardiology across ambulatory, inpatient, procedural, and surgical environments.
• Serves as a liaison between cardiovascular service line APPs, physician leaders, administrative leaders, and the Office of Advanced Practice Providers.
• Promotes role clarity, shared decision making, and interprofessional collaboration across cardiovascular disciplines.
• Participates in leadership committees within the cardiovascular service line, the Office of Advanced Practice Providers, and system-level groups as needed.

Advocacy and Representation

• Advocates for the needs, scope, and professional interests of cardiovascular APPs at the system, service line, and local levels.
• Ensures cardiovascular APPs understand organizational goals, operational priorities, and changes that impact their practice.
• Collaborates with CVSL leadership to evaluate, align, and enhance APP utilization, workflow, and engagement.

Leadership and Influence

• Supports cardiovascular APPs and APP leaders in developing a culture of professional well-being, engagement, and accountability.
• Leads through influence in a multidisciplinary environment to drive quality, safety, and operational improvements.
• Facilitates innovation in care delivery across cardiology clinics, inpatient units, procedural areas, and surgical services.

HR Leadership and Performance Management

• Provides leadership oversight and guidance in navigating HR-related matters involving APPs, including performance concerns, professional conduct, and workplace issues.
• Partners with Human Resources, the Office of Advanced Practice Providers, and service line leadership to ensure consistent and fair application of organizational policies and procedures.
• Oversees and supports performance management processes, including coaching, corrective action planning, and discipline pathways when necessary.
• Guides APP managers in addressing performance concerns, behavioral issues, attendance matters, and professionalism in accordance with MaineHealth policies.
• Ensures that documentation, communication, and processes related to APP performance management are handled appropriately, consistently, and respectfully.

Quality, Safety, and High Reliability

• Provides executive oversight of patient safety concerns, event reporting, and safety culture initiatives related to cardiovascular APP practice.
• Partners with Quality and Safety leaders to address trends, adverse events, near misses, and opportunities for system improvement involving APP practice.
• Promotes and models principles of a high-reliability organization (HRO), including just culture, transparency, and continuous learning.
• Ensures APP engagement in safety huddles, root cause analyses, peer reviews, and quality improvement initiatives across the cardiovascular service line.
• Supports standardization of clinical practice, adherence to evidence-based protocols, and reduction of variation to enhance patient outcomes and workforce safety.

Integration and Alignment

• Ensures cardiovascular APP practice is integrated with system goals, evidence-based practice, and evolving care models.
• Works with regional and local leaders to align cardiovascular APP workflows, staffing models, and care pathways.
• Supports the development of a unified cardiovascular APP team across all MaineHealth CVSL locations.

Professional Development and Support

• Identifies and supports professional development opportunities tailored to cardiovascular APPs, including onboarding, fellowship programs, and specialty-specific training.
• Collaborates with the APP Education Office to support student placements, preceptor development, and competency-based education in cardiovascular care.
• Leads or participates in cardiovascular projects, initiatives, and committees focused on quality improvement, patient experience, or operational efficiency.

Regulatory Awareness and Compliance

• Assures that APP practice within cardiovascular services is compliant with state regulations, credentialing requirements, and organizational policies.
• Maintains awareness of evolving state and national APP regulatory standards and assists with service line-specific implementation.
• Participates in policy development relevant to cardiovascular APP practice, supervision, and scope.

Other Skills

Leadership:
Demonstrates strong influential leadership, bringing together APPs and multidisciplinary teams to support positive change in a complex specialty environment.

Communication:
Effective listener and communicator, able to navigate diverse perspectives across cardiology, cardiac surgery, and pediatric cardiology. Candidate must be comfortable presenting during leadership meetings.

Decision Making:
Uses data-driven decision making and communicates transparently about process, rationale, and expected outcomes.

Conflict Management:
Skilled at surfacing issues across teams and disciplines and resolving conflicts while maintaining respectful relationships.

Openness:
Demonstrates openness to varied perspectives across subspecialties and encourages idea sharing among APPs and physician partners.

Professionalism:
Models professional behavior in both clinical and administrative work. Demonstrates compassion, respect, and accountability and supports professional growth among cardiovascular APPs.

MaineHealth is a not-for-profit integrated health system whose vision is, "Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America." MaineHealth consists of nine local health systems, a comprehensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and 1,700 employed clinicians working together through the MaineHealth Medical Group. With approximately 22,000 care team members, MaineHealth provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. MaineHealth offers a Total Rewards package that includes comprehensive and competitive benefits, along with programs and resources to meet the diverse needs of our workforce.

To learn more about our system, please visitwww.mainehealth.organd ourbenefits page.