[Hiring] Vice President of Clinical Affairs & Patient Safety @NextGen Federal Systems

Role Description

Reporting directly to the Chief Medical Officer, the Vice President of Clinical Affairs & Patient Safety is an executive leadership role serving as the authoritative clinical voice across NextGen Healthcare. This leader drives clinical efficacy, product safety, and human-centered design across our health IT portfolio through two core strategic pillars:

• Clinical Center of Excellence (CCoE) Leadership:
  • Direct, mentor, and scale a team of clinicians and healthcare specialists who serve as embedded clinical leads.
  • Infuse real-world workflow insights and evidence-based medicine throughout the entire product development lifecycle—from early concept through implementation and commercialization.
• Enterprise Patient Safety & Governance:
  • Serve or provide direct executive oversight to the designated enterprise Patient Safety Officer and Chair of the Patient Safety Committee.
  • Direct the Critical Issue Dispositioning (CID) program to ensure rigorous clinical risk triage.
  • Ensure close cross-functional collaboration with R&D on root cause analyses and transparent clinical governance.

Strategic Clinical Leadership & Product Partnership:

• Lead & Scale the Clinical Center of Excellence (CCoE):
  • Direct, mentor, and expand a high-performing, multidisciplinary team of licensed clinicians.
  • Serve as primary clinical subject matter and workflow experts across enterprise initiatives.
• Drive Clinical Integration Across the Lifecycle:
  • Champion the integration of evidence-based clinical insights into product roadmap planning.
  • Collaborate closely with Product Management and Engineering leadership.
• Evaluate Clinical & Tech Innovation:
  • Identify, evaluate, and provide executive guidance on emerging clinical methodologies and health IT standards.
  • Maintain competitive advantage and clinical efficacy.

Patient Safety & Clinical Risk Governance:

• Executive Patient Safety Leadership:
  • Serve as, or directly manage, the corporate Patient Safety Officer (PSO).
  • Establish enterprise-wide standards, protocols, and a culture centered on clinical quality and risk reduction.
• Lead Critical Issue Dispositioning (CID):
  • Provide executive leadership for the Critical Issue Dispositioning program.
  • Ensure systematic triage, risk containment, and client communications.
• Chair the Patient Safety Committee:
  • Lead the executive Patient Safety Committee.
  • Establish rigorous governance protocols and maintain robust audit trails.
• Regulatory & Industry Alignment:
  • Maintain authoritative knowledge of evolving clinical quality measures and regulatory frameworks.
  • Translate shifts into proactive corporate strategies.

External Representation & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Key Clinical Liaison:
  • Serve as a credible clinical executive and ambassador to client C-suites and regulatory bodies.
  • Reinforce trust and showcase NextGen’s commitment to patient safety and clinical excellence.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Partner with Legal, Regulatory Affairs, Client Success, and R&D leaders.
  • Align operational risk mitigation with broader enterprise business objectives.

Perform other duties that support the overall objective of the position.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree from an accredited institution.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive, combined experience in active clinical practice and healthcare information technology (HIT) / digital health environments.
• 5+ years in an executive or senior clinical leadership role within an EHR vendor, healthcare technology company, or large health system/ambulatory network.
• Proven track record of influencing software development life cycles, user experience, and clinical informatics strategy.
• Direct experience leading or managing clinical risk governance programs, patient safety initiatives, or cross-functional safety committees.
• Any combination of education and experience which would provide the required qualifications for the position.

License/Certification Required

• Completion of a U.S. accredited residency program.
• Current, unrestricted, and active U.S. medical license in good standing.
• Current or previous Board Certification in a recognized medical specialty (ABMS or AOA).
• Maintenance of limited active clinical practice is strongly supported and encouraged.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of: Deep mastery of ambulatory care delivery, clinical workflows, and human-factors engineering.
• Skill in: Exceptional executive communication, stakeholder management, and relationship building.
• Ability to: Navigate high-stakes, ambiguous safety or quality issues under pressure with transparency, decisiveness, and analytical rigor.