Special offer 

Jumpstart your hiring with a £100 credit to sponsor your first job.*

Sponsored Jobs posted directly on Indeed are 65% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs**
  • Visibility for hard-to-fill roles through branding and urgently hiring
  • Instantly source candidates through matching to expedite your hiring
  • Access skilled candidates to cut down on mismatched hires

Chief Medical Officer Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines
7 min read

A Chief Medical Officer, or Medical Director is a licensed Doctor who is responsible for overseeing daily clinical operations and ensuring high-quality care for patients. Their duties include ensuring that medical staff follow proper procedures, defining consistent standards for medical activities and acting as a medical representative for a facility.

Chief Medical Officer duties and responsibilities

The range and type of duties of a Chief Medical Officer vary depending on factors like the size of the medical facility where they’re employed. Those who work in large hospitals may have a smaller remit than their counterparts who work for smaller establishments. Generally, their main duties and responsibilities include:

  • Continuously searching for ways to improve the efficiency of clinical operations
  • Ensuring that clinical staff follows healthcare regulations and that the facility adheres to prescribed safety standards
  • Recruiting, training and mentoring clinical staff
  • Organising meetings with clinical staff to inform them of strategic goals
  • Attending conferences and staying up to date regarding the latest developments in hospital technology
  • Reviewing patient complaints, reading through patient surveys and implementing revised processes and policies when necessary
  • Managing facility and staff budgets and creating financial reports
  • Developing and implementing strategies for clinical staff so that they can reach short- and long-term goals

Hire your next Chief Medical Officer today

Post a job

Hire your next Chief Medical Officer today

Post a job
Close

Chief Medical Officer Job Description Examples:

Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines
Create a culture of innovation
Download our free step-by-step guide on encouraging healthy risk-taking
Get the guide

What does a Chief Medical Officer do?

Health facilities strive to provide patients with quality and cost-effective healthcare. Chief Medical Officers play an important role in this goal, as they act as a bridge between a medical facility’s administrative and clinical functions. Medical Officers are typically experienced Physicians who have a deep clinical knowledge of patient care. This enables them to comprehend the needs of both patients and clinical staff. They are also aware of the administrative and financial goals of a facility. They aim to coordinate patient care by implementing steps to decrease variation in practice and ensuring compliance with best practice guidelines.

Chief Medical Officer skills and qualifications

To effectively act as a liaison between a medical facility’s administrative and clinical functions, Chief Medical Officers must have excellent communication skills. They need the ability to clearly relay administrative imperatives to clinical staff and must also provide a clinical perspective to administrative goals and strategies. A successful Chief Medical Officer will have various prerequisite skills and qualifications that typically include:

  • Excellent leadership skills to inspire excellence and ensure a shared vision
  • Strong organisational skills to effectively delegate tasks and ensure that a facility runs smoothly
  • Excellent problem-solving skills to devise effective solutions for organisational challenges
  • Professional conduct, which includes upholding ethical and professional standards
  • Sound commercial acumen and an understanding of business principles
  • Solid financial skills, including working with budgets
  • An understanding of their organisation’s structure and functions
  • Strong emotional intelligence to effectively handle staff issues and crisis situations

Chief Medical Officer experience requirements

Chief Medical Officer positions require both medical and management experience. They should have proven experience in leading a clinical team, strategic development and implementation and financial management. Experience in clinical risk and project management and knowledge of the clinical governance framework will be advantageous.

Chief Medical Officer education and training requirements

Candidates need to obtain a medical degree and must hold a valid medical licence. Many Chief Medical Officers choose to develop their professional skills by completing a post-graduate qualification, such as a Master of Health Administration (MHA) or a Master of Business Administration (MBA). Another viable post-graduate qualification is a Master of Public Health (MPH), especially for candidates who wish to occupy a governmental position.

Chief Medical Officer salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Chief Medical Officer in the UK is £97,381 per year. Salaries vary, depending on factors like location and employer.

Job description samples for similar positions

If this job description doesn’t adequately describe the job opening you currently have, here are a few other job description samples to look at:

Create a culture of innovation
Download our free step-by-step guide on encouraging healthy risk-taking
Get the guide

Chief Medical Officer job description FAQs

Two chefs, one wearing a red headband, review a laptop and take notes at a wooden table in a kitchen setting.

Hire your next Chief Medical Officer today

Post a job

Job Description Examples

Need help writing a job description for a specific role? Use these job description examples to create your next great job posting. Or if you’re ready to hire, post your job on Indeed.

No search results found