Executive Medical Director of Pediatric Surgical Services (Surgeon in Chief) Full-Time

Reports To: Vice President/Chief Medical Officer (VP/CMO)

AdventHealth for Children (AHFC)

FTE: 0.5 (20 hours / week)

Position Summary

The Executive Medical Director of Pediatric Surgical Services (Surgeon in Chief) serves as the primary medical and administrative leader for pediatric surgical and proceduralist services, including pediatric surgical specialties and procedural programs, such as gastroenterology and dentistry. The role bridges high‑level hospital administration, pediatric network, and direct clinical care, providing strategic, clinical, academic, and operational leadership across the perioperative continuum. Oversight includes but not exclusive to Pediatric Outpatient Procedures & Sedation (POPS), Pediatric Infusion Center (PIC), Pediatric Surgical Center (PSC), Post Acute Care Unit (PACU), Rapid In and Out (RIO), inpatient/ambulatory post‑op.

This physician leader is accountable for excellence in patient care, surgical quality and safety, patient & family experience, education and scholarly activity, operational efficiency, fiscal stewardship, and program growth—all aligned with AdventHealth for Children’s mission, vision, values, and long‑term strategy. The role maintains an active clinical practice, focuses on complex case management, and serves as the senior physician liaison to administration, anesthesia, nursing, and multidisciplinary teams.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Advise senior leadership on the operation, optimization, and allocation of pediatric surgical and procedural resources.
• Establish and enforce clinical practice guidelines, policies, evidence‑based standards, and safety regulations.
• Participate in key hospital and network performance, quality, and operational governance committees.
• Partner in managing capital/operating budgets and allocating equipment and resources.
• Recruit, hire, and evaluate surgeons and staff; oversee credentialing and privileging.
• Drive development of high‑need pediatric surgical subspecialties.

Financial Stewardship & Growth Strategy

• Accountable for financial performance of pediatric surgical service lines in partnership with finance and administrative leadership.
• Participate in annual budget development and capital planning.
• Evaluate business cases for new programs, technology, and service expansion.
• Lead strategic roles and initiatives to drive referral base and market presence.

Quality Improvement & Patient Safety

• Oversee designated hospital and network pediatric surgical specialty programs.
• Lead quality improvement initiatives, Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) reviews, and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) processes.
• Monitor patient outcomes and champion evidence-based changes where needed.
• Serve as the physician leader responsible for the accuracy and integrity of submitted surgical data.
• Ensure clinical databases are maintained and utilized to identify trends, gaps, and variation in care
• Ensure compliance with DNV Accreditation and American College of Surgeons standards.
• Resolve patient care issues with risk management and legal.
• Accountable for achieving & sustaining defined quality, safety, and performance benchmarks.

Patient Experience

• Set and champion a clear vision for patient-centered, compassionate, and equitable surgical care across all services
• Model and enforce high standards for communication, shared decision-making, professionalism, and respect with patients and families.
• Ensures a consistent, safe, and high-quality experience across the full surgical journey through collaboration, standardization, and data-driven improvement.
• Lead accountability for patient-experience outcomes by reviewing feedback, addressing concerns, and driving continuous improvement
• Build a culture that prioritizes trust, teamwork, and empathy by developing surgeons and teams to deliver exceptional patient experiences

Operational Coordination & Efficiency

• Provide executive oversight of operational performance across pediatric surgical services including access, capacity management, throughput, and efficiency.
• Serve on the Operating Room Block Committee.
• Improve throughput across all perioperative phases.
• Partner with anesthesia for appropriate pediatric coverage.

Academic & Educational Leadership

• Promote excellence in teaching and mentorship.
• Lead continuing education and collaborate with system pediatric surgery chair.
• Promote clinical research and scholarly activity.
• Advance academic reputation and external visibility at regional and national levels.

Physician & Team Development

• Mentor surgical leaders (Medical Directors, Program Leaders, Advanced Practice Providers (APP) leads, etc.)
• Promote diversity, inclusion, and physician well‑being.
• Develop future physician leaders and implement succession planning for key surgical roles.
• Complete requested performance reviews and provide timely feedback to support personal and professional development of leaders and team members.

Collaboration, Advocacy & Community

• Serve as senior physician liaison to perioperative services, anesthesia, nursing, and hospital administration.
• Strengthen partnerships across care teams.
• Advocate for patients at local, regional, and national levels
• Engage in community outreach and philanthropy.
• Represent AHFC effectively within nationally recognized forums for quality and patient care (SPS, CHA, etc) when requested.
• Maintain professional proficiency by participating in continuing education and appropriate learning experiences, both internal and external. Attend pertinent conferences and seminars regarding clinical care, business, or management.

Qualifications

Required:

• MD or DO; board certification in pediatric surgical specialty.
• Clinically active with a minimum of 0.25 FTE (0.5 FTE preferred).
• Active, unrestricted medical license in the state of Florida (or ability to obtain).
• Significant pediatric surgical experience.
• 10+ years leadership experience.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and transition management skills.
• Demonstrates the ability to develop and mentor others to their optimum levels of skill and professionalism
• Demonstrates experience in financial management, service line growth, and strategic development.

Preferred:

• Prior medical director or Surgeon‑in‑Chief experience.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Scholarly activity and research experience.
• Expertise in quality & process improvements and healthcare operations.

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinking and ability to influence organizational culture.
• Expertise in evidence-based practice.
• Data-driven decision-making and analytical proficiency.
• Commitment to patient-centered care and safety.
• Expertise in quality & process improvements and healthcare operations.
• Executive communication and enterprise alignment.
• Experience with organizational change management.
• Ability to lead in complex matrix system.
• Strong financial and operational acumen.

The above statements reflect the general duties and responsibilities necessary to describe the principal functions of the job as identified. They shall not be considered an exhaustive list of job responsibilities which may be inherent in the job. Responsibilities are subject to change.

Tagged as: Pediatrics, Pediatrics Leadership