Our team members are the heart of what makes us better.

 

At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives — and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It’s also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community.

 

Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change.

 

In this strategic leadership role, the Director, Internal Occupational Health is responsible for advancing team member health and safety by overseeing surveillance programs, injury prevention efforts, regulatory compliance, outbreak response, and operational performance. This role leads the development and execution of policies, standard operating procedures, and data-driven strategies that support safe and healthy work environments. The Director provides oversight to surveillance and contact tracing operations, guides team member screening and risk-based compliance programs, and manages data reporting dashboards¿including OSHA-required submissions. They serve as the subject matter expert for internal regulatory readiness and collaborate across disciplines to ensure alignment with current standards and best practices. Additionally, the Director leads injury prevention initiatives across designated hospital sites in close collaboration with the Vice President of Safety, site Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs), and the Workplace Injury Prevention Committee (WIPC). The Director provides strategic and operational oversight to site-based Injury Prevention Officers, ensuring the consistent implementation of evidence-based prevention strategies, ergonomic assessments, safe patient handling initiatives, and workforce training. This role partners across clinical, operational, safety, and education teams to align injury prevention work with network goals and to foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

A day in the life of a Director, Internal Occupational Health at Hackensack Meridian Health includes:

• Serve as the primary liaison and internal account holder for HMH Occupational Health services, ensuring the needs of team members are met efficiently and effectively.
• Oversee all Occupational Health services delivered to HMH team members, including surveillance programs, exposure and outbreak response, and contact tracing operations.
• Manage the Occupational Health Call Center and Contact Tracing Team, ensuring high-quality, timely service delivery and accurate documentation.
• Lead internal exposure and outbreak response efforts across the HMH network for team member-related incidents, ensuring rapid response, coordination with infection prevention, and compliance with regulatory reporting requirements.
• Serve as the subject matter expert on OSHA and other relevant regulatory requirements (e.g., CDC, NJDOH, The Joint Commission), ensuring internal policies and programs reflect current standards and best practices.
• Proactively monitor regulatory and industry updates, and notify appropriate leaders, peers, and team members of changes that impact occupational health operations, compliance, or policy.
• Support internal and external audits, including regulatory, quality, and accreditation reviews, by coordinating documentation, leading readiness activities, and implementing corrective action plans as needed.
• Participate in system-level committees (e.g., Clinical Committee) and workgroups, representing occupational health, and lead or support implementation of related action plans.
• Develop, standardize, and manage Occupational Health policies, procedures, and programs designed to improve team member health and safety outcomes.
• Oversee and continuously improve team member screening and surveillance programs, including but not limited to influenza vaccination, hazardous drug exposure, tuberculosis, respiratory protection (e.g., fit testing), and other risk-based programs.
• Ensure appropriate team member compliance with surveillance and screening requirements based on role and exposure risk.
• Develop and maintain real-time data dashboards that track program participation, compliance, trends, and performance outcomes.
• Share key data and insights with operational, clinical, and executive stakeholders to drive system-level accountability and awareness.
• Operational Development and Workforce Engagement: Develop and sustain communication strategies and accountability frameworks to support program adoption, adherence, and engagement across the organization.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the Surveillance and Call Center teams to ensure consistency, quality, and compliance.
• Collaborate with the Director of Education, Development, and Engagement to design and implement onboarding and ongoing education and competency assessments specific to Occupational Health team roles.
• Partner with the same Director to promote developmental opportunities for team members and foster a culture of engagement and growth within the department.
• Support external onsite program development efforts, including staffing models, workflows, and quality standards.
• Collaborate with Directors of Clinic Management and Business Development to ensure service alignment and efficiency across internal and external populations.
• Collaborate with Team Safety and Risk Management, sharing Occupational Health trends and recommending interventions for safer environments.
• Serve on relevant system-wide committees, including the Environment of Care Committee, Workplace Injury Prevention Committee and lead or contribute to special task forces as needed.
• Analyze team member injury and illness trends in collaboration with the data analytics team, and share actionable insights with internal stakeholders to inform prevention strategies.
• Coordinate all Occupational Health-related OSHA reporting activities in partnership with Team Safety.
• Guide the development of key metrics and dashboards for monitoring program effectiveness, compliance, and safety trends.
• Support system-wide Occupational Health training, education, and awareness efforts for team members and leadership.
• Lead and supervise assigned team members, including recruitment, performance evaluation, and development planning.
• Lead and coordinate injury prevention efforts for designated HMH hospital sites in alignment with network workforce safety goals, in close collaboration with the Vice President of Safety, site Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs), and the Workplace Injury Prevention Committee (WIPC)
• Serve as the key liaison between hospital site leadership, central Team Health and Safety leadership and WIPC committee to ensure alignment of injury prevention strategies and performance targets
• Provide strategic and operational oversight to site-based Injury Prevention Officers, ensuring consistent implementation of evidence-based prevention programs and best practices across sites
• Analyze injury data and trends in partnership with Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S), Risk Management, and the data analytics team to identify high-risk areas and prioritize mitigation efforts
• Oversee the development and delivery of training programs, ergonomic assessments, and other proactive interventions aimed at reducing musculoskeletal injuries, workplace violence incidents, and other preventable harms
• Monitor progress toward DART rate reduction and other key safety metrics, escalating risks and collaborating across disciplines to implement corrective actions
• Ensure integration of injury prevention initiatives into relevant site committees and environment of care planning
• Perform other duties and/or projects as assigned, including leading strategic projects and carrying out special assignments as required.
• Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Master's degree in Public Health (MPH), Nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or related field
• 5 years proven effective and progressive experience in healthcare.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a healthcare leadership role, leading programs, projects and teams.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA, CDC, NJDOH, and other regulatory requirements relevant to occupational and employee health
• Demonstrated knowledge of OSHA recordkeeping, reporting requirements, and regulatory compliance standards
• Ability to translate complex regulatory changes into operational and policy updates, and communicate those updates to leaders, peers, and front-line staff
• Experience designing and leading injury prevention initiatives across multiple hospital or clinical sites
• Working knowledge of ergonomic principles, musculoskeletal injury prevention, and safe patient handling programs
• Familiarity with healthcare employee screening, surveillance, and immunization programs (e.g., flu, TB, fit testing, hazardous drug monitoring)
• Experience leading outbreak and exposure response efforts within a healthcare or similarly complex environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient computer skills that include but are not limited to Google Suite and/or Microsoft Office platforms.
• Ability to travel to various HMH and non-HMH facilities.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• Proven ability to manage call center operations, including oversight of workflows, service standards, and metrics
• Experience participating in or supporting system-level committees or initiatives, with responsibility for executing related plans of action
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement data-driven programs, dashboards, and reporting tools to improve compliance and inform strategy
• Knowledge of employee engagement strategies, leadership development, and accountability frameworks
• Working knowledge of customer relationship management, service recovery, and experience strategies
• Experience developing policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and education/training programs aligned with organizational goals
• Strong change management and project management skills, particularly in healthcare or regulatory environments
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills with the ability to engage cross-functional stakeholders at all levels
• Familiarity with occupational health or EHR software platforms such as Cority or equivalent systems

 

Licenses and Certifications Required:

• OSHA 30 Hour Training within 6 months of entering position.

 

Licenses and Certifications Preferred:

• NJ State Professional Registered Nurse License.
• National certification in Occupational Health Nursing (COHN or COHN-S) or other relevant health/safety credential (e.g., Certified Safety Professional [CSP], Certified Industrial Hygienist [CIH], Certified Hazardous Materials Manager [CHMM])
• Certification in Public Health (CPH), Project Management (PMP), or other relevant certification
• Certification in ergonomics, injury prevention, or safe patient handling (e.g., CEAS, ASP, or equivalent)
• Certification or formal training in infection prevention, outbreak management, or contact tracing (e.g., APIC, CDC)

If you feel that the above description speaks directly to your strengths and capabilities, then please apply today!      

Starting at $153,732.80 Annually

HMH is committed to pay equity and transparency for our team members. The posted rate of pay in this job posting is a reasonable good faith estimate of the minimum base pay for this role at the time of posting in accordance with the New Jersey Pay Transparency Act and does not reflect the full value of our market-competitive total rewards package.

The starting rate of pay is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of a specific offer. Posted hourly rates may be stated as an annual salary in the offer and posted annual salaries may be stated as an hourly rate in the offer, depending on the level and nature of the job duties and credentials of the candidate. The base compensation determined at the time of the offer may be different than the posted rate of pay based on a number of non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to:

Labor Market Data: Compensation is benchmarked against market data to ensure competitiveness.
Experience: Years of relevant work experience.
Education and Certifications: Level of education attained, including specialized certifications, credentials, completed apprenticeship programs or advanced training.
Skills: Demonstrated proficiency in relevant skills and competencies.
Geographic Location: Cost of living and market rates for the specific location.
Internal Equity: Compensation is determined in a manner consistent with compensation ranges for similar roles within the organization.
Budget and Grant Funding: Departmental budgets and any grant funding associated with the job position may impact the pay that can be offered.


Some jobs may also be eligible for performance-based incentives, bonuses, or commissions not reflected in the starting rate. Certain positions may also be eligible for shift differentials for work performed on evening, night, or weekend shifts.

In addition to our compensation for full-time and part-time (20+ hours/week) job positions, HMH offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and retirement benefits.