We are searching for a System Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)-- someone who works well in a fast-paced setting. In this position, you will serve as the senior executive responsible for overseeing and advancing a comprehensive and effective compliance, privacy, and audit program across Texas Children's, a nationally recognized pediatric and women's academic health system. Reporting directly to the General Counsel with dotted line reporting lines to the CEO and Board of Directors, the CCO provides strategic leadership and operational oversight to ensure the organization's compliance with applicable laws, regulations, accreditation standards, and internal policies.
Texas Children's encompasses a flagship children's hospital in the Texas Medical Center, Pavilion for Women, three community hospitals, a growing network of primary and urgent care sites, a top-ranked health plan, and more than 3,000 affiliated providers in partnership with a leading academic medical school. As a member of the senior leadership team, the CCO drives a culture of integrity and accountability that aligns with the organization's mission to provide safe, high-quality, and compassionate care.
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Job Duties & Responsibilities
Strategic Compliance Leadership
- Develop and lead an enterprise-wide risk-based compliance strategy that ensures adherence to all relevant laws and regulatory requirements and supports the organization's mission and strategic priorities.
- Continuously enhance a long-term compliance framework aligned with institutional goals and regulatory expectations.
- Provide regular updates to the General Counsel, executive leadership, and Board committees on compliance program operations, compliance matters, trends, organizational risks, investigations, and risk mitigation strategies.
- Promote an organizational culture that fosters ethical decision-making, transparency, and compliance accountability at all levels.
- Provide oversight of Compliance Department employees including regular review of employee performance.
- Serve as an executive leader responsible for the Audit, Compliance and Risk committee to the Board.
Regulatory Oversight and Risk Mitigation
- Ensure ongoing compliance with federal and state healthcare laws and regulations, including HIPAA, Medicare and Medicaid requirements, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, EMTALA, and state-specific requirements.
- Proactively lead the periodic risk assessment processes and annual workplan development to identify, assess and mitigate potential areas of noncompliance or organizational risk before they impact operations or reputation.
- Collaborate with legal, clinical, academic, and operational leaders to develop corrective action plans and monitor their effectiveness.
Compliance Operations and Infrastructure
- Develop, review, and maintain a comprehensive set of compliance-related policies and procedures including a Code of Conduct that align with current laws, regulations, and organizational operations.
- Lead the system’s response to external audits, regulatory inquiries, and accreditation reviews.
- Maintain an effective and confidential reporting mechanism (hotline or other tools) to allow employees to report concerns anonymously and without fear of retaliation.
- Provide formal reports to the Audit Compliance and Risk Committee on the effectiveness of the compliance program, highrisk issues, and strategic initiatives.
- Lead and oversee internal investigations of potential compliance concerns, ensuring timely resolution, thorough documentation, and appropriate corrective action. This includes coordination with Legal as necessary.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the compliance program periodically, incorporating metrics, audit results, and feedback to guide improvements.
Audit Operations and Infrastructure
- Provide overall direction and leadership to ensure that all aspects of the internal audit function operate at top efficiency and achieve the objectives of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Subcommittee of the Board of Trustee’s, the Audit and Compliance Steering Group, and senior leaders.
- Collaborate with the Director of Audit Services to identify improvement and innovation to current audit practices, methodology and processes. Guide the team on audit framework, engagement planning and execution, and issue identification and reporting.
- Collaborate with internal audit to conduct risk-based audits, including billing and coding audits, monitor internal controls, ensure timely remediation of audit findings, and reduce compliance risks.
- Oversee the development of compliance auditing processes and reporting systems and participate in the development and delivery of skills training to continuously enhance the capability of the Audit Services team.
- Assess and leverage internal and external audit results to continuously enhance processes and strengthen organizational compliance infrastructure.
- Oversee internal audit planning and activities related to compliance and regulatory risk.
Privacy and Information Protection
- Oversee the organization's privacy program to ensure compliance with HIPAA and other data protection laws.
- Collaborate with the Chief Information Officer to safeguard protected health information and ensure appropriate breach response protocols.
- Perform privacy risk assessments and related compliance monitoring initiatives.
- Oversee, direct, and deliver privacy training to all employees.
- Create and monitor Business Associate Agreements to ensure that all Business Associates are maintaining privacy requirements and responsibilities.
Education and Engagement
- Oversee the development of risk-based education and training programs and communication strategies that enhance awareness of compliance requirements, ethical standards, and individual responsibilities. This includes the development of an annual training plan that includes annual and risk-based training.
- Partner with Human Resources, medical school leaders, and department chairs to reinforce compliance across clinical, research, and administrative domains.
Collaboration and Integration
- Work closely and collaborate with the Executive Leadership Team, Quality, Risk, Internal Audit, Legal, Human Resources, Research Compliance, Medical Staff Affairs, Medical Staff Leadership and Baylor College of Medicine to ensure a coordinated and integrated approach to compliance and institutional integrity.
- Serve as liaison to government agencies, industry organizations, and peer institutions on compliance-related matters.
Skills & Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree required
- Advanced degree in Law (JD), Health Administration (MHA), Public Health (MPH), or Business Administration (MBA) strongly preferred.
- CHC - Certified Healthcare Compliance certification preferred
- 10 years' progressively responsible experience in healthcare compliance, with a strong preference for experience in academic medical centers or complex health systems.
About Texas Children’s
Since 1954, Texas Children’s has been leading the charge in patient care, education and research to accelerate health care for children and women around the world. When you love what you do, it truly shows in the smiles of our patient families, employees and our numerous accolades such as being consistently ranked as the best children’s hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation by U.S. News & World Report as well as recognition from Houston Business Journal as one of this city’s Best Places to Work for ten consecutive years.
Texas Children’s comprehensive health care network includes our primary hospital in the Texas Medical Center with expertise in over 40 pediatric subspecialties; the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI); the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children’s care for communities north of Houston; and Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin, the new state-of-the-art facility providing world-class pediatric and maternal care to Austin and Central Texas families. We have also created Texas Children’s Health Plan, the nation’s first HMO focused on children; Texas Children’s Pediatrics, the largest pediatric primary care network in the country; Texas Children’s Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that is channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine, one of the largest, most diverse and successful pediatric programs in the nation.
To join our community of 15,000+ dedicated team members, visit texaschildrenspeople.org for career opportunities.
Texas Children’s is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants and employees are considered and evaluated for positions at Texas Children's without regard to mental or physical disability, race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or any other protected Federal, State/Province or Local status unrelated to the performance of the work involved.