Chief Nursing Officer, Morristown Medical Center
| Req Number: | F1LBXT |
| Location: | Morristown, NJ |
| Posted: | 7/27/2026 |
| Category: | Life Sciences/Healthcare : Hospital/Health Systems |
| Job Type: | Permanent |
Position Overview
Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center, the flagship hospital of Atlantic Health and a nationally recognized leader in nursing excellence, is seeking an exceptional Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) to steward the practice, culture, and future of nursing at one of the most consequential medical centers in the Northeast.
As a critical member of the Medical Center’s executive leadership team, the CNO reports directly to Cody Legler, the System Chief Nurse Executive and has a dotted line to Trish O’Keefe, the President of Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center.
The CNO, Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center will be responsible and accountable for the overall delivery and management of nursing professional practice, education, professional development, research, administration, and clinical services.
The CNO will be a visionary leader, guiding the execution of the strategic plan to achieve the organizational mission and vision. The CNO’s vision will support the existing high standards and goals for nursing practice and patient care while he/she will work closely with the Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center President, senior leadership, physician leaders, as well as leaders across Atlantic Health ensuring and enhancing Atlantic Health as a clinical practice environment that is patient centered, with unsurpassed clinical quality, patient safety and patient experience.
The CNO will serve as a seasoned operator, aligning nursing strategy with the CEO's vision for Atlantic Health to perform among the top decile of health systems in the country. They will also help shape the emerging system nursing structure as a member of the newly formed Atlantic Health System Nursing Executive Council. It is an opportunity to influence not only nursing at Morristown, but the design of nursing across the system, at a pivotal moment of leadership influence.
The next CNO joins Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center at a transformative moment. Atlantic Health has announced a multi-year, multi-phase campus expansion designed to bring Morristown's 130-year-old campus further into the 21st century, anchored by a new West Pavilion featuring 180 new ICU-capable inpatient beds and 20 state-of-the-art operating rooms, a new Specialty Medical Building for outpatient diagnostic and treatment services, replacement parking infrastructure, and a two-story expansion of Goryeb Children's Hospital adding 25 private pediatric inpatient rooms. In May 2026, the Town of Morristown approved a community service agreement clearing the path for formal General Development Plan review. The next CNO will play a central role in shaping nursing workflow, care model design, and operational readiness for the new environment.
Professional Experience and Qualifications
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The next CNO of Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center will be an accomplished nursing executive who brings both operational rigor and a deep commitment to the practice of nursing. In partnership with the System Chief Nurse Executive, the Morristown President, and the executive team, the CNO must have the confidence and skills to elevate an already high‑performing nursing enterprise and position it for continued excellence.
The CNO will possess outstanding communication, listening, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish trust, credibility, and positive rapport with a broad set of executives, physicians, nurses, and community stakeholders. They must be current on nursing practice, quality, regulatory, and workforce trends, both locally and nationally.
Background and Experiences
• Extensive clinical nursing and management experience with a minimum of seven (7) years in senior nursing leadership roles, including prior CNO experience.
• Nursing leadership experience in an academic medical center or complex healthcare organization, preferably in a healthcare system.
• Experience in a complex matrix organization.
• A strong operator with deep operational knowledge and a demonstrated record of execution; someone who runs a complex nursing enterprise with rigor across quality, safety, throughput, and financial performance.
• Demonstrated fluency using data and analytics to drive quality, safety, and operational decisions, including preferred experience with Vizient benchmarking and business intelligence tools such as Power BI.
• Experience in a tertiary medical center with programs that include Cardiac Surgery, Level I Trauma, etc., with teaching medical and allied health programs.
• Extensive executive-level experience within high-performing organizations.
• Proven ability to lead in a complex matrixed healthcare organization in an acute care setting.
• Experience leading nursing within unionized and/or labor-complex environments is preferred, with demonstrated success fostering workforce engagement, building a culture of trust, open communication, and accountability, proactively addressing employee concerns, and maintaining positive labor and employee relations.
• Knowledge and experience in Magnet principles is required, as well as prior experience in a Magnet facility.
• Knowledge of nursing staffing methods, retention, recruitment, and finance. Proven strategic-thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Knowledge of Lean principles and techniques.
• A track record of success improving performance, patient flow and collaboration with service lines.
• Demonstrated experience in successfully advocating and representing nursing at the senior administrative level.
• A track record of effectively partnering and communicating with physicians.
• Proven hands-on success in leading challenging projects to successful completion.
• A strategic and innovative leader who anticipates future needs and designs forward-looking care models.
• Deep understanding of nursing workforce composition, staffing models, and flexible/contingent workforce strategy.
• Demonstrated ability to hold teams accountable and work collaboratively with a wide variety of professionals to achieve strong bottom-line profitability of the organization.
• A track record of success working in an environment that values independent thinking, collaboration, transparency, mutual respect, and a shared passion for excellence and innovation.
• A history of developing and mentoring strong, cohesive leadership teams that drive excellence.
• A track record of success in creating a working environment in which morale is high, and team members feel valued and find joy and meaning in their work.
• A proven track record of being able to improve patient experience and team member engagement.
• A proven track record of coaching and mentoring aspiring nurse leaders.
• Provides leadership and influence to the nursing profession at regional, state, and national levels.
• Active participation in state-wide professional nurse leader (ONL NJ) organization including committee memberships & committee leadership roles.
• Robust experience in writing, reviewing, revising clinical and administrative policies and procedures at the department, service, and organization level.
Education and Certification
• Graduate degree required; Doctorate preferred. If the graduate degree is not in nursing, the candidate must have either a bachelor's or a doctorate that is in nursing.
• Advanced Certification in Nursing Leadership highly preferred.
• An advanced level of knowledge acquired through completion of formal and continuing education in nursing, health policy, regulatory compliance, process redesign and management is essential.
• Eligible for RN licensure in the state of New Jersey.
Compensation:
The base salary pay range is between $130.56/hour - $244.14/hour.
Atlantic Health offers a competitive and comprehensive Total Rewards package that supports the health, financial security, and well-being of all team members. Offerings vary based on role level (Team Member, Director, Executive). Below is a general summary, with role-specific enhancements highlighted:
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Coverage (22.5 hours per week or above for full-time and part-time team members)
• Life & AD&D Insurance.
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability (with options to supplement)
• 403(b) Retirement Plan: Employer match, additional non-elective contribution
• PTO & Paid Sick Leave
• Tuition Assistance, Advancement & Academic Advising
• Parental, Adoption, Surrogacy Leave
• Backup and On-Site Childcare
• Well-Being Rewards
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Fertility Benefits, Healthy Pregnancy Program
• Flexible Spending & Commuter Accounts
• Pet, Home & Auto, Identity Theft and Legal Insurance
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Note: In Compliance with the NJ Pay Transparency Act (effective Sunday, June 1, 2025), all job postings will include the hourly wage or salary (or a range), as well as this summary of benefits. Final compensation and benefit eligibility may vary by role and employment status and will be confirmed at the time of offer.
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Korn Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis. Artificial Intelligence tools may be used in connection with the recruitment process for this position.
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