Chief Nursing Informatics Officer Job Description

The Chief Nursing Informatics Officer (CNIO) serves as a strategic and operational leader responsible for advancing clinical practice, optimizing patient care, and driving strategic innovation through the effective integration and adoption of health technologies.

The CNIO is responsible for the enterprise approach to Informatics and has accountability for advancing informatics and information services across the organization.

As a visionary leader, the CNIO plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of healthcare by leveraging cutting-edge technologies and strategic insights to enhance clinical outcomes and streamline operations. Through a forward-thinking approach, the CNIO ensures that the organization remains at the forefront of healthcare innovation, continuously improving patient care and fostering a culture of excellence.

Alternative Names

Chief Clinical Information Officer

Category

Clinical

Experience Level

Expert

Primary Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Digital Transformation

• Develop and execute a strategic vision for clinical informatics aligned with organizational priorities and health system goals.
• Establish the vision, direction, strategy, and culture of informatics and information services to advance organizational goals and mission.
• Serve as a strategic advisor and partner with information services and nursing leadership.
• Guide the integration of emerging technologies – including health technologies into clinical workflows to improve patient outcomes.
• Collaborate with the Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO), Chief Nursing Executive (CNE), and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), clinical and ancillary teams, and other executive leaders to advance digital transformation, interoperability initiatives, and enterprise-wide health IT initiatives.
• Champion the adoption of innovative, evidence-based health IT solutions, which enhance evidence-based patient safety, care quality, evolving models of care and clinical decision-making.
• Advance workforce development by strategically allocating resources, cultivating leadership pathways, and enhancing professional growth opportunities for nursing and informatics professionals.

Clinical Informatics & Workflow Optimization

• Provide executive oversight into the strategic design, deployment, and ongoing optimization of clinical decision support systems, ensuring alignment with care excellence and organizational priorities.
• Streamline clinical workflow and ensure optimization of electronic health records (EHRs) and other health technologies by improving usability, automation, workflow integration, and operational efficiency.
• Leverage the development of data-driven insights to inform clinical, financial, and operational decision-making.
• Incorporate opportunities for end-user feedback to improve clinician engagement with technology, identify training gaps, and capture clinical outcomes. o Alternative: Collaborate with nursing, operational, and technology executives to establish feedback mechanisms that elevate the voice of the bedside nurse and care team, close training, and capability gaps, and improve adoption.
  
  

Change Management & Workforce Education

• Serve as a change agent, fostering a culture of digital competency and innovation, adaptability, and continuous learning across nursing and interdisciplinary teams. Drive the development and implementation of training programs to advance digital health literacy among clinical and ancillary staff.
• Champion interprofessional collaboration to ensure successful adoption and sustainability of health IT initiatives.
• Establish structures and processes to engage frontline clinicians in system design, implementation, optimization, and evaluation to ensure usability, relevance, and long-term impact.
  
  

Policy, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure adherence to regulatory, legal, and ethical standards in nursing informatics and data governance.
• Influence health IT policies and standards at organizational, regional, and national levels.
• Advocate and represent nursing in IT governance structures, transformation initiatives and decision-making processes.
• Collaborate with IT and operations to ensure business continuity processes are in place during downtime /disaster events.
• Support and advance policy initiatives that address workforce development and elevate the strategic role of the CNIO in healthcare leadership.
  
  

Research & Innovation

• Drive and elevate clinical informatics research initiatives to produce evidence-based insights that guide clinical practice, technology adoption, and digital health innovation.
• Foster a culture of inquiry and scholarly collaboration across interdisciplinary teams.
• Lead initiatives centered on clinical informatics, data science, and technologyenabled care models.
• Utilize big data and analytics to inform evidence-based practice, predictive modeling, and continuous quality improvement.
  
  

Qualifications

• Active RN license is required.
• Master’s or doctoral degree in nursing, informatics, healthcare administration, or a related field required.
• Clinical Nursing Experience (5–10 years) – A strong foundation in direct patient care across diverse settings.
• Informatics Experience (5–10 years) – Hands-on experience with electronic health records (EHRs), health IT implementation, and workflow optimization is required.
• Leadership/Management Experience (5+ years) – Experience leading interdisciplinary teams, managing complex projects, and collaborating with executive stakeholders.
• Certification in Nursing Informatics (e.g., ANCC Informatics Nursing Certification) preferred.
• Proven experience in clinical informatics leadership, digital transformation, and health IT implementation.
• Strong knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, interoperability, cybersecurity, System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), and other emerging health technologies.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills with a proven ability to influence organizational change.
  
  

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