Chief Nursing Officer at Aga Khan University (AKU)

Responsibilities

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the CNO will provide overall leadership and strategic direction for nursing services and multidisciplinary care programs across the institution. This executive role is central to advancing clinical excellence, patient safety, professional practice standards, workforce development, and alignment with the Hospital’s strategic objectives.

Specific responsibilities will include:

•  Strategic Leadership and Planning: Provide strategic leadership for nursing services aligned with the Hospital’s overall strategic plan, including the development, implementation, and monitoring of nursing strategic and operational plans with clear, measurable outcomes. This role provides executive oversight for a nursing workforce of over 700 nurses, with 10 direct reports, ensuring strategic alignment and operational effectiveness across all nursing services.
• Nursing and Professional Practice Excellence: Lead the implementation of nursing and professional practice standards across the institution, ensuring delivery of evidence-based, high-quality, and patient-centered care, while establishing professional practice structures that support clinical quality, accreditation, continuous improvement, and compliance with JCIA standards.
• Multidisciplinary Programs of Care: Oversee multidisciplinary clinical programs through the Directors of Nursing, foster effective collaboration among nursing, medical, allied health, and support teams, and standardize clinical processes to enhance care coordination, patient flow, and clinical documentation, with oversight of the provision of clinical care to 220+ inpatient beds on a daily basis.
• Financial and Resource Management: Lead the development and management of nursing operational and capital budgets, optimize staffing levels, FTEs, and overall resource utilization through performance and utilization data, and oversee planning and management of space, renovations, and nursing-related infrastructure projects.
• Performance and Talent Management: Set performance goals and oversee appraisal processes for nursing leadership and staff, champion staff development, succession planning, and continuous professional education, and promote a learning-oriented, high-performance culture within the nursing workforce.
• Governance, Quality, and Patient Experience: Oversee quality management, patient safety, and service excellence initiatives; liaise with medical leadership on clinical governance, credentialing, and quality oversight; and uphold ethical standards, confidentiality, and a strong client-centered approach to care.
• Participate in institutional committees and strategic initiatives as required and perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Executive Officer.
• Leading nursing services in a highly competitive healthcare environment with increasing demand for skilled professionals.
• Meeting and exceeding high patient expectations while maintaining quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will have:

• Minimum of a Master of Science in Nursing with at least 10 years’ experience in senior nursing leadership roles within a complex healthcare environment
• Registered and holding a current practicing license with the relevant Nursing Council.
• Proven experience in strategic planning, quality management, and multidisciplinary clinical operations.
• Demonstrated experience managing large teams and complex healthcare systems.
• Strong strategic and visionary leadership capabilities.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Demonstrated financial acumen with experience in budget development and resource management.
• Strong analytical, planning, project management, and problem-solving skills.
• Commitment to professional ethics, continuous improvement, and lifelong learning.
• Inspirational, transformational leadership grounded in integrity, professionalism, and accountability.
• Collaborative, inclusive, and patient‑centered approach focused on team success and service excellence.