Director, Donor Legacy

Job Description

Job Description

About Us:

Donor Network of Arizona’s mission is to make the most of life through the gift of organ and tissue donation. We challenge ourselves and others every day to realize Arizona's potential to save and improve lives. Every employee at Donor Network of Arizona is responsible for embracing the organizational culture by upholding the Donor Network of Arizona’s core values of Positive Energy, Passion and Eagerness.

We Offer:

Competitive Salary

Organizational Incentive Program Annually

Very Generous Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance

Paid Life Insurance and LTD Insurance

Voluntary Life Insurance options

403b employer match and profit sharing

Generous Tuition Assistance Program

Employee Assistance Program

Employee Wellness Program

Tobacco Free Workplace

About the Role:

The Director, Donor Legacy provides strategic and operational leadership for all aspects of authorization conversations and organ donor family support during the donation process. This role leads a high-performing team in obtaining authorization for organ donation, ensuring optimized rates consistent with organizational goals, while delivering compassionate, mission-aligned care to donor families throughout the in-hospital donation process.

A central responsibility of the Director is to optimize successful donation authorization by guiding and supporting staff in conducting sensitive, values-based authorization conversations with potential donor families. This includes training team members in OPO community best practices related to donation advocacy, family support, grief sensitivity, and cultural competence while continuously improving processes through feedback, coaching, and data analysis.

As a key member of the leadership team, the Director contributes to enterprise-wide strategy, leads departmental planning and policy development, ensures compliance with regulatory standards, and champions a culture rooted in DNA’s core values.

1.Participates in and provides strategic leadership and direction.

Engages actively as a member of the Director team, offering valuable meeting content, contributing to organizational initiatives, and providing critical insights for key decisions.

Participates in strategy, goal development, and implementation.

Ensures the organization's mission and vision are at the forefront of decision-making

Collaborates closely with other Directors and Executive Leadership Team (ELT) members to ensure effective partnership in advancing the organization's mission and goals.

Aligns department strategy with the organization’s broader mission, ensuring operational effectiveness and goal attainment.

Oversees the operations of assigned department(s), prioritizes objectives, and implements strategies to achieve department goals and KPIs.

2. Leads the Donor Legacy department.

Fosters a high-performance culture within the Donor Legacy team, ensuring professional development and operational excellence.

Conducts and completes timely and accurate annual performance reviews and employee check-ins consistent with Human Resources processes and procedures.

Ensures all department staff are trained in and perform their duties according to established Donor Network of Arizona guidelines and regulatory or affiliated agency standards. This includes observing performance and assessing the demonstration of DNA’s core values.

Monitors the department employees and ensures competency by initiating training, coaching, counseling, or discipline identified in the employee’s performance.

Responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting on data to help the department and organization make informed decisions.

Holds staff accountable for authorization rates at the individual and group level via routine and transparent data sharing

Ensures effective communication in the department, including, but not limited to, daily operational information, staff meetings, facilitating staff feedback and suggestions, etc.

Provides leadership to the department’s staff and assigns tasks, responsibilities, and special projects as needed.

Performs policy development, implementation, revision, and obsoleting as needed for the department.

Recommends, develops, implements, and ensures day-to-day operational processes, procedures, and job instructions are aligned with the overall department strategy and follow all applicable standard operating procedures and regulatory and affiliated program requirements.

Develops and monitors the Donor Legacy department budget and resource requests.

Maintains a relevant, effective sphere of influence in professional, industry, and other groups to stay abreast of applicable external influences, best practices, and resources in areas of responsibility.

Participates in national committees, meetings, and events.

3.Directs all efforts related to authorization conversations.

Trains DFAs and other staff having family conversations to speak with potential donor families for the authorization conversation using a value-centered approach.

Provides ongoing reviews and debriefings with staff regarding authorization conversations.

Stays current on best practices regarding authorization conversations with families and keeps staff current. Establishes expectations for staff authorization rates, monitors staff performance, and provides corrective action as needed.

Is especially aware of language used in authorization conversations, constantly monitoring, evaluating, and improving.

Reviews with staff relevant cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs, and societal values regarding authorization conversations and sensitivity to families.

Helps staff to understand interpersonal dynamics among those family members involved in the authorization decision.

Participates in peer-to-peer collaboration with other organ procurement organizations and partners for best practice sharing and learning.

4. Acts as an internal resource to DNA staff.

Provides feedback from donor families to DNA staff.

Collaborates with all departments as requested to increase sensitivity to donor family needs and issues.

Maintains updated professional knowledge on death, grief, and bereavement.

Facilitates ongoing training and education regarding loss and grief.

Develops and conducts in-service education for DNA staff.

Provides current information on loss and grief to DNA recovery staff through searches of current literature.

Provides opportunities for individual and group debriefing of donor cases.

Maintains employee confidentiality with all debriefings.

Conducts research and data analysis related to donor families.

Develops research tools and surveys to assess the donor family’s perception of DNA services.

Maintains databases to track and analyze data.

Provides appropriate reports to administration, clinical staff, and hospital development staff for process improvement to improve quality and outcomes related to donation.

· Submits research to professional meetings and publications.

6. Performs related duties, responsibilities, and projects as needed and/or assigned.

Qualifications:

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Minimum Experience

6 years of experience in organ donation or healthcare fields

4 years of leadership experience

Minimum Field of Expertise

Organ Donation, Chaplain Work, Social Work, Psychiatric Nursing

Preferred Education

Master’s degree

Preferred Experience

Experience in death education or bereavement counseling

Crisis and conflict management

Customer Service

Skills/Aptitudes

Strong communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.

Effective leadership skills demonstrated in clinical, educational, and administrative contexts.

Ability to practice with a high degree of autonomy in a self-directed manner, demonstrating innovation and creativity in problem-solving and sound critical analysis as the basis for professional judgment.

Solid understanding of the process flow and the interplay of administrative, clinical, and political factors within the hospital environment. Additional Information

Donor Network of Arizona is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected characteristics as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. All employment is based on qualifications, merit and business need. If you require a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or interview process, please contact our team at . We are committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace.

Full-time