Assistant Director, Regulatory Affairs for Graduate Medical Education
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About Duke University Hospital
Pursue your passion for caring with Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, which is consistently ranked among the best in the United States. The largest of the four Duke Healthhospitals with 1062 patient beds, it features comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, including a regional emergency/trauma center, an endo-surgery center, and more.
The Assistant Director, Regulatory Affairs for Graduate Medical Education (GME) provides system-level leadership for accreditation oversight, regulatory compliance, and operational readiness across Duke University Health System’s GME enterprise. Reporting to the Director of Graduate Medical Education / Designated Institutional Official (DIO), this role supports more than 160 residency and fellowship programs and approximately 1,200 physician trainees by strengthening Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) compliance, standardizing program support, and leading the transition of GME Program Coordinator employment and management from the Duke University School of Medicine to the Duke University Health System.
Position Scope and Institutional Context
Duke’s GME programs operate in a complex regulatory environment that includes ACGME institutional and program requirements, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expectations, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, and other accreditor-specific requirements. The Assistant Director serves as a delegated operational leader for the DIO, helping ensure that institutional and program-level practices support continuous accreditation readiness, consistent interpretation of requirements, and timely response to emerging regulatory expectations.
A major near-term responsibility of this role will be to design, implement, and sustain the centralization of GME Program Coordinator employment and management within Duke University Health System, anticipated to begin in fiscal year 2028 (FY28), but requiring advance planning and strategy. This includes developing consistent recruitment, onboarding, evaluation, professional development, and performance management practices for Program Coordinators who currently support residency and fellowship programs through the Duke University School of Medicine. Additionally, this individual will be responsible for development of job descriptions, with an advancement tier, and appropriate policies regarding PC allocation and work expectations.
The position will provide leadership across 106 ACGME-accredited programs and additional internally sponsored programs with varying external accreditor requirements. The role is intended to increase OGME’s capacity to support Program Directors, Associate Program Directors, Program Coordinators, and departmental leaders through standardized tools, proactive monitoring, and consistent operational guidance.
Essential Responsibilities and Proposed Effort Allocation
The proposed effort distribution below reflects the Assistant Director's anticipated steady-state responsibilities, with the understanding that effort may shift during the FY28 Program Coordinator centralization implementation period.
Responsibility Area |
Effort |
Key Responsibilities |
ACGME Accreditation Oversight and Continuous Readiness |
35% |
Monitor, interpret, and operationalize ACGME institutional and program requirements; maintain systems for continuous readiness; support annual institutional review processes; coordinate responses to citations, areas for improvement, and accreditation-related reporting needs. |
Program Coordinator Recruitment, Evaluation, and Development |
40% |
Lead standardized recruitment, onboarding, evaluation, competency development, and performance support for GME Program Coordinators as employment transitions from the School of Medicine to the health system; partner with Human Resources and program leadership to define position expectations, career pathways, and professional development structures. |
Program Support, Standardization, and Operational Consultation |
15% |
Advise Program Directors, Associate Program Directors, and Program Coordinators on accreditation documentation, program evaluation, remediation processes, policy alignment, and operational workflows; develop standardized templates, tools, and guidance to reduce variability across programs. |
Quality Improvement, Outcomes Reporting, and Data-Informed Decision Support |
5% |
Support institutional GME quality improvement initiatives, program evaluation, trainee outcomes reporting, and analysis of trends that affect accreditation performance, trainee experience, and program effectiveness. |
Strategic Initiatives and Enterprise Alignment |
5% |
Execute delegated strategic initiatives on behalf of the DIO; align program-level operations with institutional GME policies; collaborate with DUHS, DUH, SOM, departments, and accreditor-facing stakeholders to strengthen the GME compliance infrastructure. |
Core Competencies and Qualifications
The successful candidate will bring substantial experience in graduate medical education administration, accreditation management, regulatory interpretation, staff leadership, and complex operational change management. Experience with ACGME accreditation requirements, institutional review processes, program evaluation, and GME data systems is strongly preferred.
Required competencies include the ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical operational workflows; build trusted relationships with Program Directors, Program Coordinators, departmental leaders, Human Resources, and institutional stakeholders; lead staff development and performance management processes; use data to monitor compliance and identify risk; and communicate clearly with executive, faculty, and administrative audiences.
Expected Outcomes
- Strengthened ACGME accreditation oversight and continuous readiness across Duke’s GME enterprise.
- Successful transition of GME Program Coordinator employment and management from the School of Medicine to Duke University Health System.
- Standardized recruitment, onboarding, evaluation, development, and performance support for GME Program Coordinators.
- Improved consistency of accreditation practices, documentation, and program evaluation processes across residency and fellowship programs.
- Reduced administrative burden on Program Directors, Associate Program Directors, departmental leaders, and physician educators through centralized tools and processes.
- Enhanced institutional ability to identify institutional and program accreditation risk, respond proactively to requirements, and support high-quality trainee education and outcomes.
Minimum Qualifications
Education
Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Business, Healthcare Administration, or a related field. Master's degree preferred (MHA, MBA, MMM, Med),
Experience
Minimum of 7 years of experience working relevant working experience.
Preferred experience At least three years of senior administrative responsibility, including extensive experience with GME training programs as a program administrator/coordinator, working with the ACGME and other accreditors. Demonstrated ability to manage complex, large projects efficiently. Ability to lead complex administrative teams with matrixed reporting structures, including development of job descriptions and managing transition of team members from SOM to DUHS employment. Ability to supervise and evaluate performance, promoting direct reports’ career advancement. Strong familiarity and expertise with accreditation/compliance requirements, including experience with site visits
Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions:
Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.