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Ensign Services
El Cajon, California

Director of Nursing

Registered NurseIncludes callFull-Time

Listed compensation

$110K - $170K

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 3mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Magnolia Post Acute Care

Come join our team and start making a difference!

Pay: $110,000.00 - $170,000.00 per year

  • ## MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE WORKING AS A DON or ADON in a licensed Skilled Nursing Facility
  • The primary purpose of this position is to plan, organize, develop and direct the overall operation of our Nursing Service Department in accordance with current federal, state, and local standards, guidelines, and regulations that govern our facility, and as may be directed by the Administrator and the Medical Director, to ensure that the highest degree of quality care is maintained at all times.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Develop, implement, and maintain an ongoing quality assurance program for the nursing service department.
  • Participate in facility surveys (inspections) made by authorized government agencies.
  • Assist the Quality Assessment & Assurance Committee in developing and implementing appropriate plans of action to correct identified deficiencies.
  • Assist the Discharge Planning Coordinator in developing, implementing, and periodically updating the written procedures for the Discharge Planning Program.
  • Perform administrative duties such as completing medical forms, reports, evaluations, studies, charting, etc., as necessary.
  • Serve on, participate in, and attend various committees of the facility as required, and as appointed by the Administrator.
  • Schedule, attend, and participate in developing the agenda for Care Plan Committee meetings as necessary.

Personnel Functions

  • Assign a sufficient number of licensed practical and/or registered nurses for each tour of duty to ensure that quality care is maintained.
  • Ensure that a sufficient number of certified nursing assistants are assigned for each tour of duty to ensure that routine nursing care is provided to meet the daily nursing care needs of each resident.
  • Make daily rounds of the nursing service department to ensure that all nursing service personnel are performing their work assignments in accordance with acceptable nursing standards.
  • Monitor absenteeism to ensure that an adequate number of nursing care personnel are on duty at all times.

Nursing Care Functions

  • Participate in the interviewing/screening and selection of residents for admission to the facility.
  • Provide the Administrator with information relative to the nursing needs of the resident and the nursing service department's ability to meet those needs.
  • Inform nursing service personnel of new admissions, their expected time of arrival, room assignment, etc.
  • Review nurses' notes to ensure that they are informative and descriptive of the nursing care being provided, that they reflect the resident's response to the care, and that such care is provided in accordance with the resident's wishes.
  • Monitor medication passes and treatment schedules to ensure that medications are being administered as ordered and that treatments are provided as scheduled.

Education Requirements

  • Must possess, as a minimum, a Nursing Degree from an accredited college or university.

Experience

  • Must have two years of experience as a DON/ADON in a Skilled Nursing Facility.

Requirements

  • Must possess a current, unencumbered, active license to practice as a Registered Nurse in this state.
  • Must possess the ability to deal tactfully with personnel, residents, family members, visitors, and government agencies.
  • Must be knowledgeable of nursing and medical practices and procedures, laws, regulations, and guidelines that pertain to long-term care.
  • Working knowledge of Title XXII and OBRA, HCFA, Chapter 3, state and federal regulations pertaining to skilled nursing facilities, Medicare, Medi-Cal.
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality in a variety of circumstances and make sound judgments.
  • The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be interpreted as all-inclusive. Supervisors, as deemed appropriate, may assign additional functions and requirements.

Physical Requirements

  • Must be able to perform the essential physical requirements of the job.
  • All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background investigation (A felony or misdemeanor conviction may disqualify the applicant from employment.)

For benefit details check us out here ensignbenefits.com

Benefits eligibility for some benefits dependent on full time employment status.

Disclaimer: Pay rates are competitive and determined by various factors. Please note that any rates labeled as "estimated" are provided by third-party job boards and may not accurately reflect the actual pay rates.

EOE disability veteran

Key Responsibilities

Plan and direct the overall operations of the Nursing Service Department to ensure high-quality care and compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. Manage nursing personnel, oversee quality assurance programs, and coordinate resident admissions and care plans.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Nursing AdministrationStaff SchedulingCare PlanningRegulatory CompliancePatient Admission ScreeningMedical ChartingPersonnel ManagementClinical Oversight

Nursing Administration — Registered Nurse Career Context

Of the 49 active Nursing Leadership listings this role was benchmarked against, 31% are remote, 51% have no call, 73% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$140k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $126k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Nursing Leadership by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score3.9 / 10 · above average in nursing leadershipranked against 1,187 Nursing Leadership listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$110k–$170kNursing Leadership median $130k (middle half $110k–$155k)18 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$126k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Nursing Leadership listings in California408 active5,779 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 31% remote · 51% no call · 73% no weekends49 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia Registered Nurse listings: 10% state a sign-on bonus (median $9k) · 4% offer loan repayment408 active listings, Nov 2026
New Nursing Administration listings86 in the last 30 days66 the 30 days before (+30%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (1,187 Nursing Leadership listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Registered Nurse Jobs

30 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

30 jobs · 26 employers
12
<$105k
7
$105k-125k
6
$125k-145k
5
$145k-165k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

21 jobs
401k / retirement match
95% this job
Sign-on bonus
19%
Loan repayment
14%
CME allowance
14% this job
Relocation assistance
5%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 1.5this job 3.9
Better work-life than 70% of Nursing Leadership listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,187 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
  • Includes call
Ensign Services logo

About Ensign Services

Hospitals and Health Care
San Juan Capistrano, California
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health insurance
Dental
Vision
Life insurance
Disability
401(k)
Paid time off
Holidays

Living in El Cajon

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$783k≈ 7.1× annual pay
Typical market rent
$2,259/mo≈ 25% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
25 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.