Assistant Nurse Manager - Neurosurgery Clinic

University of Iowa Health Care is seeking an experienced nurse leader to join our team as the full‑time Assistant Nurse Manager for the Neurosurgery Clinic.

In this role, you will provide both managerial and clinical leadership to ensure the delivery of safe, high‑quality patient care. You will support clinic staff by ensuring they have the education, tools, and resources needed to meet performance expectations and uphold evidence‑based practice standards.

The Assistant Nurse Manager oversees direct care nursing functions and plays a key role in ensuring that health services, medical care, clinical education, and research initiatives are carried out effectively and efficiently. This position is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, evaluating, and continuously improving clinic operations, educational programs, and research activities in collaboration with department and hospital leadership. While leadership and operational oversight are central to this role, the Assistant Nurse Manager may step into direct patient care when needed to support staff and uphold seamless, high‑quality clinical care.

University of Iowa Health Care—recognized as one of the best hospitals in the United States—is Iowa's only comprehensive academic medical center and a regional referral center. Each day, more than 12,000 employees, students, and volunteers work together to provide safe, quality health care and excellent service for our patients. Simply stated, our mission is: Changing Medicine. Changing Lives®. UI Health Care was the first Magnet® hospital in the State of Iowa, and we are pursuing our 6th Magnet® redesignation. This level of commitment is evident in every area of our hospital and ambulatory clinics.

Responsibilities

Hiring

• Makes effective and timely recommendations in matters of hiring, promotion, transfer, and disciplinary action(s).
• Makes appropriate hiring decisions.
  
  
  

Staff Development

• Develop and manage the talents, strengths, and behaviors of each individual in a work group and provide each employee with the opportunity to contribute to the goals of the unit in collaboration with the Clinic Manager, Clinical Leadership Team, and UI Health Care Ambulatory Leadership.
• Coaches staff to participate in team decision-making and actively seek participation from assigned staff on decision-making and customer service improvement activities.
• Provides staff incentives/rewards for contributions towards the achievement of service excellence.
  
  
  

Performance Management

• Completes staff evaluations for assigned staff on time with a written, solid justification.
• Assure staff members are compliant with competencies, policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Assures performance expectations are clearly understood.
• Holds staff accountable to meet or exceed patient needs/expectations as well as maintain standards of collaboration and respect withing and among multidisciplinary teams.
  
  
  

Employee Labor Relations

• Understand and apply the provisions in the union contracts appropriately.
• Creates an atmosphere that provides for the effective recruitment and retention of qualified staff.
• Review performance data, recognize trends, and take appropriate follow-up with team members.
• Knowledgeable of University or Iowa policies and federal laws regarding leave and accommodation processes.
  
  
  

Other

• Establishes and maintains standards of collaborative interaction among peers and employees that is characterized by respect, honestly and service; assures that all unit members are held to similar standards and ethics; constructively manages conflict
• Encourages staff/employees to meet or exceed customer needs and expectations by providing detailed job responsibilities.
  
  
  

Financial Management

• Actively help manage operating expenses by monitoring the unit/clinic’s operating budget.
• Review financial reports and provide insights into budget variances to the Clinic Leadership Team.
• Recommend budget ideas, resources, and cost containment strategies through participation in the development of the unit operating budget, reviewing staffing plan, reviewing service contracts, planning for new supply costs, etc.
• Assists the Clinic Leadership Team in developing a staffing plan and is open to creativity in staff scheduling/flexibility.
• Assures that fiscal goals are clearly understood by staff and that objectives are met.
• Motivates staff to high performance by exercising strong stewardship of university resources.
  
  
  

Operations, Standards of Care, Regulatory Compliance, Quality, and Patient Satisfaction:

• Provides clinical leadership of nursing scope of care/practice for patient care to ensure optimal patient outcomes.
• Collaborate with Clinic Leadership Team and UI Health Care Ambulatory Leadership to identify Quality Management and patient satisfaction opportunities for improvement.
• Incorporates the principles of Service Excellence to ensure positive patient/customer relations.
• Implement and maintain standards and quality plans.
• Identifies inefficiencies in current practice/processes, demonstrates tolerance for change, and develops a means to enhance the process.
• Consistently makes sound judgments after gathering factual, objective information.
• Creates and maintains a workplace of choice/ which motivates employees to work at optimal efficiency; encourages staff to regularly establish goals and objectives toward career development.
• Engage staff in meeting plan goals.
• Ensures the clinical area is survey-ready; staff education/competencies; policies/procedures are maintained.
  
  
  

Patient Care/Service Delivery

• Supervise and provide care delivery and assist in coordinating patient care teams to maximize customer service and continuity of care.
• Develops flexible staffing and reallocates priorities to ensure optimal patient care, with assistance from Clinical Leadership as needed to ensure adequate staffing and manage labor expenses.
• Serve as a resource for patient care problems.
• Provide patient care as needed.
• Collaborates and develops effective interpersonal relationships with nursing staff, medical staff, interdisciplinary teams, and other hospital departments.
  
  
  

Planning And Goal Management

• Collaborate with Clinic Leadership Team and UI Health Care Ambulatory Leadership to develop and implement clinic or division strategic plans.
• Uses customer feedback in planning and providing service.
  
  
  

Communication/Collaboration Relationships

• Communicate with physicians, staff, and other health care providers on a regular basis to promote effective and efficient operations within the clinic.
• Communicate with patients, families, and staff to address and resolve issues.
• Utilizes human resources data and budgetary information to formulate recommendations to the Clinic Leadership Team and UI Health Care Ambulatory Leadership.
• Builds and sustains relationships, resolves conflict, handles negotiation effectively, and develops collaborative working relationships.
  
  
  

Education Programs

• Provide evaluative feedback for staff members and health care students.
• Coaches the staff in implementation of standards of care, professional development, promotes staff specialty & clinical certifications, and adherence to the standards of regulatory bodies (i.e., The Joint Commission, OSHA, and other regulatory bodies as appropriate)
• Educates and mentors staff in the management of complex patient care issues.
  
  
  

Percent of Time: 100%

Schedule: Work hours are typically Monday – Friday between 8:00 am – 5:00 pm (1 hour meal break). Scheduled work hours will vary to support staffing needs and clinical operations before 8 AM or after 5 PM as needed.

Location: University Campus

Benefits Highlights: Fringe benefit package including paid vacation; sick leave; health, dental, life, and disability insurance options; and generous employer contributions into retirement plans.

Required Qualifications

• A Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing is required
• Current license to practice nursing in Iowa is required by the date of hire
• Minimum 1-3 years of clinical practice and demonstrated skills in management and supervision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking skills
• Proficiency with computer software applications. skill in leadership/management
• Demonstrates time management, organization of workload, delegation, attention to detail and thoroughness
• Collaborates and develops effective interpersonal relationships with nursing staff, medical staff, interdisciplinary teams, and other hospital departments
• Demonstrates effective teaching skills for staff and patient education
• Professional job-related experience fostering or promoting a welcoming and respectful work/academic environment where people of all backgrounds and perspectives feel welcomed and appreciated; or demonstrated the ability to do so.
  
  
  

Desired Qualifications

• Leadership and/or manager experience
• Experience working in a large academic medical center
• Experience working in a union environment
• Professional certification in the nursing field (example: CNRN, SCRN, CNML, CMSRN, etc.)
  
  
  

In order to be considered, applicants must upload resume (under submission relevant materials) that clearly address how they meet the listed required and desired qualifications of this position.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of 7 calendar days. This job may be removed from posting and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended. For questions or additional information, please contact nicole-olmstead@uiowa.edu.

Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any conviction history and will be subject to a criminal background check and credential/education verification. This position is not eligible for University sponsorship for employment authorization.

Additional Information

• Classification Title: Assistant Nurse Manager
• Appointment Type: Professional and Scientific
• Schedule: Full-time
• Work Modality Options: On Campus
  
  
  

Compensation

• Pay Level: 5A
  
  
  

Contact Information

• Organization: Healthcare
• Contact Name: Nicole Olmstead
• Contact Email: nicole-olmstead@uiowa.edu