Chief Nursing Officer

About the role

Stepful is building a new model for healthcare workforce development by partnering with the nation's largest health systems to define, train, and advance the clinical staff they rely on every day. As Chief Nursing Officer, you will own the clinical strategy and external positioning of the nursing practice across all Stepful initiatives, ensuring that every program, message, and partnership reflects the reality of frontline care. You will act as the trusted clinical authority for our CNOs and nursing executives, translating complex operational needs into credible, evidence-based solutions. The role requires you to live in the intersection of clinical practice and commercial execution, challenging assumptions and elevating the standards for how healthcare talent is built and deployed. You will own the narrative of nursing excellence for Stepful, validating program designs and ensuring that our offerings are shaped by real-world workflows and patient safety imperatives. Success in this role will depend on your ability to build deep, enduring relationships with clinical leaders and to represent nursing leadership with the confidence and clarity of a seasoned operator.

Key facts

What you'll do

Partner with sales as the clinical voice in the room, using lived experience and clinical authority to guide conversations with CNOs and nursing executives rather than relying on standard sales talking points.

Reframe clinical objections in real time during discussions, offering perspectives that an account executive cannot authentically deliver.

Establish trusted, long-term relationships with clinical champions inside target accounts that survive changes in leadership and organizational priorities.

Co-own the clinical validation process during sales engagements, helping buyers construct defensible internal business cases for investing in workforce development.

Serve as the primary voice of the clinical operator on program and product roadmaps, challenging decisions and use cases against the realities of nursing workflows and patient care.

Coach account executives on clinical fluency, including terminology, care delivery models, and the specific concerns that keep CNOs up at night.

Review and stress-test all clinical claims in marketing materials, case studies, and ROI models to ensure accuracy and credibility with nursing leadership.

Develop and present clinical content such as white papers and webinar sessions that strengthen Stepful's reputation and credibility with nursing executives.

Advise go-to-market strategy through a clinical lens, identifying which programs, buyer segments, and problems resonate most with health system nursing teams.

Represent Stepful at nursing and health system conferences, speaking with the confidence of a peer rather than the posture of a vendor.

Build and actively cultivate a network of clinical advisors and reference customers who can attest to the impact of Stepful's model.

Operate comfortably in ambiguous, fast-paced environments, making timely decisions without perfect information while maintaining clinical rigor.

Balance external engagement with internal impact, dedicating significant time to coaching, program quality, and strategic positioning.

Spend the majority of time in external conversations with clients and at conferences, while reserving a meaningful portion of the week for internal coaching and strategic work.

Ensure that every interaction, whether internal or external, reinforces Stepful's commitment to improving healthcare access and career ladders for the workforce that delivers care.

Requirements

Bring a minimum of 10 years of clinical nursing experience, with at least 5 of those years in a senior nursing leadership role such as Director of Nursing, Vice President of Patient Care, Chief Nursing Officer, or equivalent position.

Have sat in the seat of the buyers you are targeting, understanding the pressures, trade-offs, and decision criteria within a real health system or academic medical center.

Demonstrate comfort operating in commercial environments, having worked with vendors, led evaluations, or made significant technology or operational purchasing decisions.

Show willingness and confidence to challenge the status quo of healthcare education, push back on buyers when necessary, and hold Stepful's own team accountable when clinical logic does not align.

Possess excellent communication skills, able to present effectively in both small group settings and in front of large audiences at conferences and health system meetings.

Hold at least a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as a non-negotiable baseline qualification for understanding complex clinical and operational dynamics.

Be comfortable with remote work while maintaining a strong presence in clinical and commercial discussions, balancing independence with collaborative teamwork.

Demonstrate a bias toward action, thriving in fast-paced, ambiguous settings where decisions must be made with incomplete information yet grounded in clinical evidence.

Show deep respect for the realities of frontline nursing, including safety, staffing, and workflow constraints, and reflect this understanding in every interaction.

Nice to have

Hold a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or other advanced certification such as CENP or NEA-BC.

Have direct experience at a top-tier, complex health system, whether an academic medical center, a large integrated delivery network, or a magnet-designated organization.

Practical notes

This is a remote role with an expected travel commitment of approximately 30%.

This role reports to the Senior Vice President of Growth.