Description
Director of Behavioral Health – Full Time
Seattle/Tacoma, WA (Hybrid)
Amara serves the evolving needs of children, youth, and families impacted by the child welfare system. Centering equity, we advocate for systems change and bridge gaps by providing compassionate wrap-around resources, while helping to reduce trauma and bring healing. Our work helps maintain family and community connections while preventing child welfare involvement when possible.
At Amara, we believe that a supportive, equitable and inclusive workplace, where everyone feels valued, trusted, and nurtured, is key to shaping organizational culture and investing in underrepresented communities. Amara believes that a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture enhances our ability to fulfill our mission. We strongly invite candidates from diverse backgrounds, including communities of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans, and people with disabilities to apply.
We are seeking to hire a Director of Behavioral Health. The Director of Behavioral Health will be responsible for analyzing, developing and implementing a new Behavioral Health program at Amara. The Director of Behavioral Health will report to the Chief Innovation and Program Officer and is an integral part of the Leadership team and plays a role in the development and ongoing promotion of Amara’s mission, vision, philosophy and culture.
Requirements
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the following satisfactorily; other duties may be assigned. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Program Development and Administration (25%):
Assess program viability and develop program implementation in-house or in partnership with community agencies.
Establish Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe) program and explore expanding to other behavioral health services based on community need and agency ability to meet that need.
Establish all necessary licensures (e.g. behavioral health agency license through the Department of Health), contracts, or accreditations necessary to effectively and efficiently operate a behavioral health program at Amara.
Establish contracts between Amara and pertinent Managed Care Organizations (MCO)-like Coordinated Care; lead the negotiation process for Amara with the support of the Leadership Team.
Collaborate with internal and external partners to ensure Amara is meeting all monitoring, reporting and contract requirements associated with licensure and program related contracts. This includes guiding internal and external audits to ensure regulatory compliance regarding service delivery.
Create and implement protocols, procedures and program structure that are consistent with best practice models for effective program implementation for Amara’s behavioral health programs (e.g. staffing model, cross-program collaboration, etc.).
Build collaborative relationships with local Community Based Organizations (CBOs) including behavioral health organizations, foster care organizations, etc. to ensure effective referrals and community support.
Manage the day-to-day operations of Amara behavioral health programs.
Attend required and recommended county and state provider and community behavioral health meetings in each of the Mental Health Planning Areas served by Amara.
Project, develop and monitor revenue and expense budget for Behavioral Health Service program with the assistance of the Chief Innovation and Program Officer.
Lead the organizational renewing or renegotiating of any behavioral health contracts.
Work collaboratively with Amara Program leads to ensure impactful, efficient and complementary services across Amara’s service array.
In partnership with the Impact and Evaluation Director, ensure appropriate data collection and reporting to evaluate program impact and efficacy given the contract constraints and the established programmatic goals.
Identify, recommend and implement program and process improvement in concert with team feedback and guidance.
Clinical Supervision and Management (25%):
As a director, this position plays a key role in development and ongoing promotion of Amara’s mission, vision, philosophy and culture.
Provide a warm, caring and confident leadership style that supports a team providing direct behavioral health and care coordination to children and families.
Develop, supervise and support the Behavioral Health Services team, including recruitment and retention, hiring, orientation, supervision, evaluation and promotion of staff.
Ensure that services provided are high quality, consistent and responsive to child and family needs across all team members.
Provide behavioral health services as needed during program development and maintenance.
Respond/attend to details of crisis situations that may arise during working and non-working hours. Be available for staff questions and support as needed.
Partner with all program areas to ensure effective care coordination for shared clients, be readily available for ad-hoc staffing and participate in team meetings as needed.
Provide clinical supervision (utilizing reflective supervision skills in individual and group settings) and ensure best practice across all program areas.
Assign and manage staff caseloads, setting and adjusting work to be accomplished by staff.
Track overall performance of Behavioral Health service staff (including Foster Care Specialists and Caregiver Support Specialists who serve as WISe Care Coordinator)
Participate in select internal and external collaborative efforts with key stakeholders/partners (e.g. DCYF, WACF, other CPA’s, etc.) to advance systemic child welfare change
Operational Management (25%)
Budgeting
o Ensures effective program budget management including oversight of funds receivable and expenditures.
o Review billing reports for reconciliation between service delivery and invoicing.
o In coordination with Behavioral Health staff, ensure efficiency and accuracy of billing/reporting system.
Outcomes, Evaluation and Reporting
o Collaborate with Chief Innovation & Program Officer and Impact and Evaluation Director to ensure programmatic reporting is aligned with Agency vision, mission, and strategic plan
o Collaborate with internal and external partners to ensure Amara meets all monitoring, reporting, and contract requirements for Behavioral Health programming. This includes guiding internal and external audits to ensure regulatory compliance regarding service delivery
o Assures ongoing appropriate utilization of services through continuous measure and evaluation.
o Inform Amara staff and key personnel up to date as to program outcomes and performance
Program Development/Refinement
o Support the implementation and iteration of protocols, procedures, and program structure that are consistent with best practice models for effective program implementation
o Support Behavioral Health specialists in ensuring effective management of the day-to-day operations– including identifying, recommending, and implementing program and process improvement in concert with team feedback/guidance
o Collaborate with Amara’s leadership team to advance program impact and Amara’s overall mission and vision
Strategic Leadership (25%)
In collaboration with the Chief Innovation & Program Officer, create and implement a strategic workplan for Behavioral Health programming annually to ensure clear team-wide direction setting, work assignment, and accountability
Remain apprised of current trends, practices, and legislation in child welfare through networking and publications to improve current programming and/or develop new programs to either meet changing needs in our community or to diversify Amara’s services
Regularly review and recommend changes in program services to meet client needs with emphasis on services for underserved populations
Develop and maintain effective relationships with other service providers, agencies and partners to ensure that children and families have excellent access to all needed services
As a member of the leadership team, this position plays a key role in the development and ongoing promotion of Amara’s mission, vision, philosophy, and culture
Participate in select internal and external collaborative efforts with key partners (e.g. DCYF, WACF, other CPAs, etc.) to advance systemic child welfare change
Build collaborative relationships with local Community Based Organizations (CBOs) including behavioral health organizations, family support organizations, schools, churches, foster care organizations, DCYF, etc. to ensure effective referrals and community support across Behavioral Health programming
In collaboration with program teams and Amara’s communication team, ensure key successes and challenges are transparently shared with our community partners
Support the organizational efforts in creating narrative and practice change across Washington state’s child welfare system
Coordinate with Communications team on media content regarding issues related to all Behavioral Health programming
Qualifications: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Required:
Education/Experience:
o Master’s degree in Counseling or related field (e.g. psychology, social work, family therapy, etc.)
o At least 3 years of clinical licensure experience; be able to provide supervision for licensed and license-eligible staff
o Prior supervisory experience
Licensed mental health clinician (e.g. LMFT, LICSW, LMHC, PhD); must maintain eligibility to participate in federal health care programs.
Experience in navigating the licensure process and/or license maintenance for a behavioral health agency
Knowledge of child development and family systems
Knowledge of child welfare, foster care, guardianship and adoptions and the needs of families supporting children through transitions and post permanency
Ability to demonstrate initiative, discretion, maturity, flexibility and independent judgement required
Ability to work with individuals across the spectrum of age, religion, race, culture, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and gender expressions and identities
Ability to work collaboratively with an outstanding professional team, DCYF and community providers
In-depth knowledge of treatment approaches, evidence-based practices and assessment standards
First Aid/CPR/BBP Certification
Valid Driver’s License, reliable vehicle and current auto insurance
Must be a Washington state resident
Must be at least 21 years of age
Preferred Qualifications:
Relevant lived experience navigating the complexities of behavioral health and child welfare will also greatly benefit anyone in this position
Managerial experience in a diverse work environment
Strong written and oral communication skills
Experience coordinating and managing individuals and group supports
Experience with MS Word, Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel
Ability to establish effective working relationships with multi-cultural staff, collaborators, community representatives and the general public.
Able to model appropriate, respectful and effective conflict resolution skills
Willingness and ability to work at Amara offices and travel as needed to other WA state counties
Supervisory Responsibilities: Direct supervision of Behavioral Health staff as determined in collaboration with the Chief Innovation & Program Officer including recruitment, retention, hiring, orientation, supervision, evaluation, and promotion.
Criminal Background Check:
Amara conducts background checks appropriate to the contractual requirements of the position. A previous conviction will not necessarily bar individuals from employment at Amara. Specific clearance requirements can be discussed with the Hiring Manager or Human Resources.
Salary and Benefits
This is a full-time position with a salary range starting at $103,000. The final salary offer will be commensurate with the selected candidate’s experience, qualifications and demonstrated abilities. Amara offers a generous leave and benefits package including 10 company holidays, 4 personal days, sick leave, a paid holiday closure at years end, and 15 days of vacation per year. Competitive health, dental and vision insurance rates, 401k with a company match, life, disability insurance and paid sabbatical. Amara supports a hybrid work schedule with some flexibility to work from home. Occasional travel between our King and Pierce County offices will be required.
To Apply
To express your interest in this position, please send your resume and a one-page cover letter indicating why this position is the right opportunity for you via Smart Recruiters https://smrtr.io/wtZrF
Applications submitted without a cover letter will NOT be considered.
Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.
Amara is an Equal Opportunity Employer
