Infection Preventionist / Director of Infection Prevention Recruiters
Healthcare Headhunters recruits healthcare professionals for employers. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
This is what we do all day: recruit healthcare professionals.
Hire an infection prevention leader who can turn surveillance findings into unit-level action.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
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What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
- Director of Infection Prevention
- Infection Control Nurse
What does an open seat cost you every week?
An open role costs you more than the recruiting fee. Someone covers the work, waits for care, or stops a service. We ask what is falling behind and who is carrying it. Use your own figures to compare the cost of waiting with the cost of hiring.
The seat is costing you every week.
Overtime, diverted patients, a stretched team and a schedule held together by favors.
The posting brought the wrong people.
Applicants arrive, but the person who has done this exact work is employed and not looking.
You are the one chasing.
Screening calls, no-shows and follow-ups land on the desk of someone with a facility to run.
What does this hire really come down to?
An Infection Preventionist or Director of Infection Prevention reviews data, observes care, teaches teams, and follows up when a practice does not match policy. You need someone who can distinguish a documentation error from a recurring work problem. Healthcare Headhunters recruits permanent contingency hires.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire under the written agreement.
The titles may carry different scopes. A Director may also report to executives, prepare for surveys, set program plans, and hold department leaders accountable. Ask what the candidate personally owned, what they recommended, and who approved changes.
Ask candidates to explain the work behind a CLABSI, CAUTI, or C. diff rate. A useful answer names records reviewed, observations made, staff consulted, and assigned actions. If a unit disputes a finding, listen for verification of facts before the candidate asks staff to change a routine.
What do we check before you see anyone?
CIC status: When a candidate lists CIC certification, we verify current standing through the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology. We ask how they apply infection prevention methods during surveillance, education, and event review. You decide whether CIC is preferred for this opening.
- NHSN reporting: We ask which NHSN modules they used and how they check a submission before release. Strong answers cover event definitions, denominator data, source records, discrepancy correction, and follow-up with departments supplying information.
- CLABSI reviews: We ask the candidate to describe a central-line event review. Did they examine line necessity, dressing care, access practice, documentation, and direct observation? We ask how they avoided assigning one cause to every event.
- CAUTI and C. diff programs: We ask how they reviewed catheter use, removal practice, testing patterns, isolation steps, and environmental cleaning coordination. They should identify who owned each action and how they checked whether the change lasted.
- Tracers and surveys: We ask how they run an internal tracer before a survey. Answers may address hand hygiene, PPE access, isolation signage, equipment cleaning, and staff knowledge of local policy. We ask how findings reached managers and returned to the unit.
- Teaching and repeat gaps: We ask what happens after a gap appears during rounds. Look for focused education, return demonstration when appropriate, documented follow-up, and a later audit. Ask what they do when a manager says the team already received training.
Where do we find them, and why would they move?
We recruit hospital and skilled nursing facility infection prevention professionals, including Infection Preventionists and Directors. Some may consider a move when they have little time for rounds, unclear authority for corrective work, or limited leadership support after findings. We also speak with ICU RNs with infection prevention training.
Critical care experience can help with device and isolation concerns. Confirm whether they independently performed surveillance, NHSN reporting, and follow-up before treating bedside experience as infection prevention leadership.
Which mistakes stall the search?
A common mistake is hiring for CIC alone without testing NHSN submissions, event investigation, unit rounds, and repeat audits. Another is assuming an ICU RN with infection prevention training has led reporting or corrective work without confirming scope. An Infection Preventionist often performs surveillance, NHSN submissions, tracers, education, and follow-up audits.
Offering a director title before defining reporting lines, authority during disagreements, and ownership after tracer findings.
How would we run the search for this opening?
Decide whether you need a working Infection Preventionist, a program Director, or one person covering both. Use a hypothetical case. We screen credentials and work history and ask candidates to explain surveillance decisions and follow-up audits. Compare shortlisted candidates on independent NHSN reporting, handling disputed findings, and assigning corrective work to department leaders.
Define the scope
Tell us who receives reports, who responds to findings, which NHSN duties belong to the role, and whether applicable RN licensure is part of your review.
Test the reasoning
If a unit reports more CAUTI events and questions the data, ask what records the candidate reviews, who they meet first, what they observe, and how they judge whether the response worked.
Complete your review
Your team completes credentialing, references, clinical assessment, and license review when the role requires a license. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
Where this search connects
Quality, Patient Safety, Case Management & Compliance
SpecialtyHospitals & Health Systems
SettingSkilled Nursing & Post-Acute Care
SettingHome Health & Hospice
SettingBehavioral Health & Addiction Treatment
SettingDirector of Quality
Related roleChief Compliance Officer
Related roleDirector of Case Management
Related roleDirector of Utilization Management
Related roleNational median annual wage. SOC 29-1141, Registered Nurses.
BLS does not publish Infection Preventionist / Director of Infection Prevention separately. Registered Nurses is the closest published proxy, not an exact-title range. This role can require different credentials and duties from other workers in that occupation.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025-05, released 2026-05-15. View source. See the full guide.
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How do we assess NHSN experience?
Ask the candidate to walk through one submission cycle from source data to final review. They should explain definitions, checks, corrections, and contact with clinical or denominator-data teams. A general statement that they used NHSN does not show independent ownership.
Should we hire an Infection Preventionist or a Director of Infection Prevention?
Choose based on authority and workload. A Director may own executive reporting, survey preparation, program planning, and department accountability.
Is CIC needed for every candidate?
Consider CIC alongside evidence of surveillance work, event review, and staff education. CIC is a respected credential, but you decide whether it is preferred for your opening.
What should we ask about CLABSI, CAUTI, and C. diff work?
Ask for a hypothetical or prior example that matches your main concern. Listen for case review, unit observation, teaching, assigned actions, and later measurement.
When is the placement fee due?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire, according to the written agreement. That agreement also sets the fee and replacement terms for a standard permanent search.
What should you send us about this role?
Send us the role, where the person will work and what needs to change with this hire. We will ask about the work, not just the title. Share any license or schedule limits that could rule someone out before we begin the search.
Tell us whether you need program leadership, hands-on surveillance support, or both. We will present permanent candidates whose work matches your reporting, rounding, education, and follow-up needs. We arrange locum tenens, travel and contract coverage on request. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
Which other positions in this family should you consider?
Director of Accreditation & Regulatory Readiness · Risk Manager
What do you get at each step of the search?
Our process for every search: calibrate the seat with you, map the market, research the real people, reach out to each one personally, qualify them in live conversation, then hand you a short list with a written brief on each person and support through the offer.
Search Calibration
You get an agreed brief: the work, reporting line, credentials, schedule, and offer you can make.
Market Mapping
You get a search aimed at relevant backgrounds, including people working now who have not applied.
Professional Contact Intelligence
We check appropriate ways to reach the people identified for your search. You do not have to chase them yourself.
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We explain your actual job and follow up with people who may consider a conversation.
Live Candidate Qualification
You see people we have spoken with about the work, interest, and practical fit, not an unread resume pile.
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a written brief and support through interviews and offer discussions. You make the hiring decision.
How long will it take to see a short list?
That depends on the job, schedule, available people, and what your employer can offer. We discuss those constraints before outreach and update you as candidates respond. We do not promise a fixed shortlist date. We check the job brief before arranging interviews. Tell us which parts of the role you can change.
What if a candidate receives a counteroffer?
We ask why the person wants to move and discuss competing decisions before an offer. A counteroffer can still change their choice. Keep the duties and offer clear rather than assuming more money settles every concern. Tell us early if parts of your offer cannot change, so the candidate hears it from us first.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement. Ask us to walk through those terms before you sign, so you know how a replacement would work for your opening and who would start it.
What do we not do in a standard permanent search?
We do not bill standard contingency search by the hour or simply repost your job. Temporary coverage is a separate arrangement. Any retainer or different engagement must be agreed, not assumed. Tell us early if you need coverage while the permanent search runs.