NPD Specialist Manager-Behavioral Health and Rehab

SUMMARY:

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Reporting to the Senior Director, RN Education, the Nursing Professional Development (NPD) Specialist designs, delivers, and evaluates education across the continuum of care, ensuring alignment with evidence-based practice, regulatory standards, and system priorities. The NPD Specialist supports onboarding, competency management, and ongoing professional development by applying adult learning principles and leveraging innovative modalities. Through data-informed strategies, the NPD Specialist fosters a culture of inquiry, continuous improvement, and professional growth, ultimately enhancing clinical practice and patient outcomes.

As a key member of the leadership team, the NPD Specialist facilitates learning, practice transitions, and organizational change to advance nursing excellence.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Evaluates learning needs through formal and informal assessments and provides just‑in‑time education to address emerging or immediate practice gaps.
- Collaborates with unit, entity, and system leaders to develop and deliver tailored education programs that align with learner needs and practice settings.
- Utilizes adult learning principles and multiple modalities to engage staff and ensure effective knowledge and skill transfer.
- Incorporates innovation and technology to enhance learning experiences.
- Plans, develops, implements, and evaluates onboarding programs for new hires and role transitions, ensuring seamless integration from classroom to clinical practice.
- Designs and delivers service line programs that increase Brown University Health’s quality and standards of care.
- Defines, assesses, evaluates and validates initial and ongoing clinical competencies to meet standards of care and regulatory requirements.
- In partnership with system leaders, evaluates clinical performance and creates action plans as necessary to drive improved system performance.
- Provides group teaching, individualized coaching, evaluation and builds preceptor capacity to support professional development.
- Encourages certification, career advancement, and lifelong learning to cultivate a continuous-learning culture.
- Promotes and translates evidence-based practice into clinical care. Supports policy development, EBP projects, and initiatives.
- Measures impact on clinical outcomes and fosters a culture of inquiry and continuous improvement.
- Participates in system quality assessments and improvement programs to evaluate effectiveness of care delivered and makes recommendations for improved individual, unit, and system performance.
- Collaborates on system committees and initiatives to develop/standardize education and implement new practice innovations.
- Serves as a change agent by anticipating barriers and implementing strategies that enhance adoption and sustainment of new practices, technologies, and workflows.
- Partners with leadership to align education with organizational priorities.
- Strengthens interprofessional relationships and collaborates with unit, facility, and system teams to implement educational components of new practice initiatives.
- Aligns education strategies with organizational goals and quality initiatives.
- Uses metrics and feedback to prioritize learning needs, evaluate program effectiveness, and drive continuous improvement.
- Tracks and reports system outcomes to support accreditation readiness and leadership decision-making.
- Maintains accurate records of competencies, attendance, evaluations, and outcomes. Ensures educational activities adhere to accreditation criteria and regulatory standards.
- Interviews for new hires/transfers and selects applicants in collaboration with Nurse Managers.
- Mentors and coaches clinical teams to support retention, staff engagement, and professional growth, while implementing initiatives that improve job satisfaction and workforce stability.
- Evaluates staff in collaboration with Nurse Managers.
- Performs other related duties as assigned to support departmental operations, organizational priorities, and the evolving needs of nursing education.

EDUCATION:

Education: Master’s in Nursing, (MSN) required

Licensure: Current RN license in applicable state(s); in good standing.

Certification: BLS certification required; ACLS/PALS certification and AHA instructor certification(s) preferred. Certification: NPD specialty or other professional certification required within 1 year of hire.

EXPERIENCE:

Experience: 3–5 years of nursing experience required; prior experience in education required.

SKILLS:

Expertise in adult learning, curriculum design, and evaluation

Proficiency with EBP, research utilization, and outcomes measurement

Strong collaboration, communication, and change-management skills

Comfort with learning technologies/LMS and data-informed decision making

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SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

Provides guidance and direction to team members assigned to specific projects

Interviews and selects applicants in conjunction with Nurse Managers

Evaluates staff in collaboration with Nurse Managers

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WORK ENVIRONMENT AND SCHEDULE:

Primarily onsite within assigned entities; travel across Brown University Health sites for system initiatives and education delivery is required. Standard business hours with flexibility for off-shift education and unit support as needed.

Pay Range:

EEO Statement:

Brown University Health is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and maintaining a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment.

Location:
Rhode Island Hospital - 593 Eddy Street Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Work Type:
M-F 8:00am-5:00pm
Work Shift:
Day
Daily Hours:
8 hours
Driving Required:
No