Graduate Program Director Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

NorthBay Health is seeking a visionary and academically grounded Founding Program Director to launch and lead our inaugural, community-based Family Medicine Residency Program in Fairfield, California. As an independent, ACGME-accredited Sponsoring Institution bringing graduate medical education to the region for the first time, NorthBay Health is committed to building a program rooted in community need, clinical excellence, and the highest standards of resident education.
This is a unique and rare opportunity to build a program from the ground up. The Founding Program Director will have final authority and accountability for all aspects of the residency program, including resident evaluation, promotion, discipline, and graduation decisions. The Program Director will be provided with sufficient protected time, institutional support, and resources to fulfill all responsibilities in accordance with ACGME Common Program Requirements and Family Medicine Program Requirements. The Founding Program Director will work in close partnership with the Director of Graduate Medical Education and the Designated Institutional Official (DIO), who provides dedicated institutional support and infrastructure, enabling the Program Director to focus on programmatic and clinical excellence.
The Program Director will lead the development, accreditation application, implementation, and continuous improvement of the program, establishing the clinical rotations, faculty infrastructure, evaluation systems, and governance committees necessary to support safe, high-quality resident education from initial accreditation through full program complement. The program will launch in July 2028 with six (6) residents and grow to a full complement of 18 residents in a 6-6-6 configuration. This individual will play a pivotal role in integrating graduate medical education into NorthBay Health's long-term strategic vision.
This is a 1.0 FTE with 70% administrative FTE allocation dedicated to program development and leadership, with 30% dedicated to clinical practice.
Primary Responsibilities:
Administration and Operations

• Organize and direct the Family Medicine Residency Program at NorthBay Health, including rotations and educational activities at all clinical sites, ensuring quality of didactic and clinical education across all sites.
• Be available and accessible to residents at the primary teaching site(s).
• Ensure the program does not place excessive reliance on residents for service as opposed to education.
• Maintain active clinical practice in Family Medicine consistent with ACGME requirements.
• Submit accurate and complete information required by the DIO, GMEC, and ACGME, including program application forms and annual resident updates to the Accreditation Data System (ADS).
• Maintain current knowledge of accreditation and operational requirements; monitor trends and anticipate changes; maintain working knowledge of GME finance and reimbursement.
• Attend educational programs sponsored by the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD) and other activities to maintain and improve program quality.
• Leverage NorthBay Health's academic affiliation with Touro University California to enhance teaching resources, faculty development, and medical student integration.

Faculty Appointment and Development

• Select qualified Family Medicine physicians and other specialists to serve on program faculty; approve a local director at each participating site accountable for resident education.
• Develop and implement programs to enhance the knowledge, clinical expertise, and teaching skills of faculty.
• Ensure faculty meet research and scholarly activity requirements, including active participation in clinical discussions, rounds, journal clubs, and conferences that promote a spirit of inquiry and scholarship.
• Curriculum and Educational Programming
• Prepare and implement the Family Medicine Residency curriculum meeting ACGME and American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) requirements, including required breadth across inpatient, outpatient, obstetrics, pediatrics, behavioral health, and procedural medicine.
• Establish clinical assignments and schedules for all residents to achieve educational objectives; schedules are expected to be finalized no later than June 1 for the upcoming academic year beginning July 1.
• Oversee development of an effective resident advising and mentoring program; hold supervisory authority over all educational tracks in the Family Medicine Residency Program.
• Recruit and select candidates through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP); provide applicants who are offered an interview with information regarding eligibility for relevant board examinations.
• Prepare and send proposals to the ACGME for approval of innovative educational approaches.

Resident Evaluation and Promotion

• Establish and maintain a Clinical Competency Committee (CCC) in accordance with ACGME requirements; conduct semi-annual resident reviews and maintain appropriate documentation of the evaluation process.
• Make decisions, with faculty input, to promote residents to the next level of training and to graduate residents upon program completion.
• Document verification of education for all residents within 30 days of completion of or departure from the program; provide individual verification upon resident request within 30 days.
• Ensure residents are assigned clinical responsibilities appropriate for their level of training, are properly supervised, and provide safe and effective patient care; develop and maintain written supervision standards in accordance with ACGME requirements.
• Program Evaluation, Quality, and Continuous Oversight
• Establish and maintain a Program Evaluation Committee (PEC) responsible for conducting the Annual Program Evaluation (APE), overseeing continuous quality improvement, reviewing resident and faculty survey data, monitoring board pass rates, and preparing the program for ACGME Self-Study.
• Monitor program performance metrics, including resident survey results, faculty survey results, milestone trends, clinical experience data, and scholarly activity, to proactively address areas of concern before ACGME review.
• Monitor and maintain compliance with ABFM board certification pass rate standards, including analysis of three-year rolling board pass rates, and implement corrective action plans as needed.
• Promote a culture of professionalism, psychological safety, and resident well-being, including monitoring workload, duty hour compliance, and access to wellness resources.

Institutional and Committee Participation

• Participate in the Graduate Medical Education Committee and other hospital committees as requested by the DIO; serve as Chair of the Family Medicine Education Committee.
• Ensure implementation of policies and procedures consistent with institutional and ACGME program requirements, including duty hours, moonlighting, grievance procedures, and due process.
• Submit reports on program, faculty, and resident performance to the GMEC as requested.

Scholarly Activity

• Demonstrate scholarly activity as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications, presentations at local, regional, or national meetings, review articles, book chapters, or other scholarly contributions.
• Participate regularly in clinical discussions, rounds, journal clubs, and research conferences, support resident participation in research and scholarly activities as appropriate.

Qualifications
Education and Licensure:

• MD or DO Degree from an Accredited Medical School.
• Current Board Certification by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) or the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians (AOBFP); certification must be maintained throughout tenure as Program Director.
• Unrestricted license to practice medicine in the State of California.

Experience:

• Minimum of three (3) years of documented educational and/or administrative experience in an ACGME-accredited Family Medicine Residency Program. Qualifying experience includes service as an Associate Program Director, Core Faculty Member with dedicated administrative responsibilities, CCC or PEC member or chair, or Medical Director of a Family Medicine Residency continuity clinic. The ACGME Family Medicine Review Committee may consider alternative pathways for candidates whose experience fulfills the goals of the role.
• Minimum of five (5) years of clinical experience in Family Medicine post-residency.
• Deep knowledge of ACGME Common Program Requirements and Family Medicine-specific program requirements, including milestone-based evaluation, CCC and PEC governance, scholarly activity standards, and board certification compliance.
• Demonstrated experience in curriculum development, faculty development, and resident evaluation.
• Preferred: Prior experience with ACGME initial accreditation, new program development, or participation in an ACGME site visit, given that NorthBay Health is a new Sponsoring Institution launching its inaugural Family Medicine program.
• Internal candidates: Must be appointed in good standing to the NorthBay Medical Staff and hold unrestricted credentials within the Department of Family Medicine at NorthBay.

Skills:

• Conflict Mediation: Ability to navigate high-stakes disagreements between residents, faculty, and hospital administration with diplomacy.
• Empathetic Mentorship: Providing supportive guidance and active listening to manage resident well-being and professional growth.
• Adaptive Leadership: Modeling clinical excellence while remaining agile to adjust the program to changing ACGME regulations and the evolving needs of a new program.
• Strategic Communication: Articulating a clear vision for the program and delivering difficult, constructive feedback with tact.
• Organizational Integrity: Managing sensitive personnel data and accreditation requirements with high ethical standards and extreme attention to detail.
• Proficient in using medical software and electronic health records (EHR); Cerner and EPIC a plus.
• Fiscal Management: Oversight of program budgets and understanding of GME Medicare/CMS reimbursement.
• Data Analytics: Ability to analyze resident performance metrics, milestone evaluations, and board pass rates to implement quality improvement initiatives.
• Regulatory Oversight: Ensuring strict adherence to California-specific requirements, including Postgraduate Training License (PTL) reporting and physician wellness mandates.

Physical Effort and Working Conditions:

• Attendance is an essential function of the job.
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Compensation and Benefits (Employed Physician):

• Program development administration 0.7 FTE up to $240. per hour
• Clinical Compensation: 0.3 FTE FM at $188. per hour
• Sign-on bonus up to $50,000
• Relocation assistance up to $20,000

About Us
Interpersonal Skills and Values
Demonstrates NorthBay Health's True North Values: Nurture Care, Own It, Respect Relationships, Build Trust, and Hardwire Excellence. These values guide behavior, accountability, teamwork, and commitment to high-quality patient care.
Why NorthBay Health
NorthBay Health is an independent, nonprofit health system serving the Napa, Solano, and Yolo County regions. We are expanding access to care across our communities through two acute-care hospitals, including a Level II Trauma Center and a Level III NICU maternity unit, along with a cancer center, urgent care locations, and a growing network of primary and specialty care clinics.
We provide advanced services in cardiovascular care, neuroscience, orthopedics, surgery, and outpatient specialties. NorthBay Health is nationally recognized for quality care, including Magnet with Distinction designation for nursing and multiple U.S. News and World Report high performing recognitions.
We are committed to being the trusted healthcare partner of choice and offer an environment where employees can grow, contribute meaningfully, and support the health of our communities.
NorthBay Health Benefits Options
NorthBay Health offers a comprehensive benefits package based on established eligibility requirements. Benefits may include medical, dental, and vision insurance, life, disability, and long-term care coverage, paid time off including vacation, sick leave, holidays, and bereavement, a 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, education reimbursement for eligible roles, professional development and training programs, Employee Assistance Program, wellness programs, recognition programs, shift differentials, and market-based compensation review and increases subject to approval and organizational performance.
Compensation Structure
NorthBay Health uses a structured compensation framework. Staff-level positions use a step-based system (Steps 1-5) based on years of directly related experience, with Step 5 representing 20 or more years of experience in the role. Manager level and above positions are paid a fixed annual base salary and are eligible for a variable incentive compensation plan. Physician compensation is structured based on specialty and role requirements.
Remote Work Disclosure
NorthBay Health is primarily an onsite organization due to the nature of healthcare. Some roles may allow hybrid or remote work based on business needs.
Remote work is not supported in Washington, Ohio, Wyoming, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or outside of the United States.
Notice to Recruitment Agencies
NorthBay Health utilizes a managed service provider (MSP) for agency partnerships and is not currently eng