The Director of Specialty Programs provides clinical, administrative, and strategic leadership for the Center's Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT), and First Episode Psychosis (FEP) programs. The Director supervises and develops program managers, establishes measurable clinical and operational outcomes, monitors performance, and ensures services are person-centered, evidence-based, recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, and delivered in accordance with applicable regulatory, contractual, grant, fidelity, and organizational requirements.

The Director is accountable for program quality, clinical outcomes, productivity, access, documentation, staffing, community partnerships, and continuous performance improvement. The position collaborates with executive leadership, medical staff, Quality Management, Utilization Management, Finance, Human Resources, courts, hospitals, law enforcement, schools, community providers, individuals served, and families.

Education, Training, and Experience

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a master's degree in a human services field required.

• A minimum of three (3) years of Mental Health experience required, including services for individuals with serious mental illness, complex needs, or early psychosis.

• A minimum of three (3) years of supervisory experience is required.

• Experience overseeing multidisciplinary teams and monitoring clinical outcomes, productivity, documentation, and regulatory compliance.

• Experience with ACT, AOT, FEP/coordinated specialty care, crisis services, community mental health, or another intensive community-based program is strongly preferred.

Registration, Certification, Licensure, and Other Qualifications

• Current, unrestricted Texas license as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).

• The required license must remain active and in good standing throughout employment.

• Must have and maintain a background and criminal history free from any disqualifying offenses as outlined by the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) and the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license and automobile insurance. Individuals with an out-of-state driver's license must be able to obtain a driver's license in the state of Texas within thirty (30) days.
• Successful completion of all position-specific training within thirty (30) days of employment and ongoing compliance with annual training requirements is required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

·Advanced clinical judgment and knowledge of serious mental illness, suicide and violence risk, co-occurring disorders, trauma-informed care, recovery principles, and person-centered planning.

·Ability to supervise and develop experienced program managers.

·Ability to establish meaningful outcomes, productivity standards, and key performance indicators and use data to guide decisions.

·Knowledge of evidence-based and fidelity-based community behavioral-health programs.

·Understanding of civil outpatient commitment, coordinated specialty care, intensive community-based services, and interdisciplinary treatment.

·Ability to manage competing priorities and respond effectively to clinical, personnel, and operational concerns.

·Strong writing, presentation, facilitation, communication, and relationship-building skills.

·Ability to display regular and reliable (in-person, if required) attendance.

·Understanding and practice of Trauma Informed Care principles.

·Ability to analyze complex information and communicate clear recommendations.

·Ability to maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality, objectivity, and ethical conduct.

·Proficiency with electronic health records, data dashboards, spreadsheets, presentations, and standard office technology.

Essential Duties

The following list outlines key responsibilities for the position; however, it is not exhaustive and does not encompass all responsibilities. Additional duties may be assigned as needed.

1.Provide clinical and administrative oversight of the ACT, AOT, and FEP programs.

2.Ensure each program operates in accordance with its service model, eligibility requirements, contractual obligations, grant conditions, fidelity standards, and Center procedures.

3.Establish annual program goals and measurable clinical, operational, and community-impact outcomes.

4.Translate organizational priorities into program-specific expectations, work plans, and performance measures.

5.Monitor access, referrals, admissions, discharges, caseloads, staffing ratios, service intensity, continuity of care, and program capacity.

6.Identify service-delivery barriers and ensure timely, measurable corrective action.

7.Promote coordination across specialty, crisis, outpatient, medical, peer, counseling, substance use, housing, employment, and other support services.

8.Maintain sufficient knowledge of complex cases to support consultation, risk management, and level-of-care decisions without replacing the assigned treatment team's responsibilities.

9.Provide each program manager with at least one formal, documented individual supervision session every month and additional consultation as clinically or operationally indicated.

10.Establish written performance expectations and provide timely, constructive feedback.

11.Develop managers' competencies in clinical leadership, staff supervision, conflict resolution, performance management, decision-making, data analysis, budgeting, community engagement, and compliance.

12.Review managers' supervision practices to ensure direct-care staff receive appropriate, timely, and documented supervision.

13.Address performance concerns promptly and collaborate with Human Resources when coaching or corrective action is necessary.

14.Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, professional conduct, psychological safety, and continuous learning.

15.Establish and monitor outcomes related to psychiatric stability, functioning, recovery, quality of life, engagement, housing, employment or education, hospitalization, emergency-department use, criminal-justice involvement, retention, and successful transition or discharge.

16.Ensure goals and interventions are individualized, medically necessary, recovery-oriented, and responsive to each person's strengths, preferences, culture, risks, and support system.

17.Review trends involving critical incidents, hospitalizations, arrests, disengagement, repeated crises, and adverse outcomes to identify improvement opportunities.

18.Ensure individuals with elevated or recurring risk receive appropriate assessment, clinical consultation, safety planning, follow-up, collateral coordination, and least-restrictive intervention.

19.Promote integration of mental health, substance use, physical health, peer, family, vocational, educational, and social-support services.

20.Facilitate or participate in consultations involving complex clinical, ethical, legal, or system-level concerns.

21.Ensure program managers implement and monitor corrective-action and quality-improvement plans when outcomes fall below expectations.

22.Attend and actively participate in each assigned program's treatment team or team meeting at least monthly with increased attendance when clinical, staffing, fidelity, or operational concerns warrant additional oversight.

23.Establish and review program dashboards at least monthly to monitor productivity, documentation timeliness and quality, key performance indicators, fidelity measures, contractual deliverables, and clinical outcomes; communicate findings and required actions to program managers and executive leadership.

24.Oversee program budgets, staffing allocations, grant expenditures, and resources utilization in collaboration with finance and executive leadership; identify funding needs and support program sustainability, expansion and grant development activities.

25.Represent the Center and assigned programs through community outreach, stakeholder meetings, educational presentations, and partnerships with courts, hospital, law enforcement, schools, referral sources, and other community organizations.

26.Attend weekly internal and external meetings regarding referrals for court ordered services and make the clinical decision on who is appropriate for court ordered services while ensuring proper communication with all involved remaining within Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guidelines.

27.Assist Program Managers in collaboration with Human Resources to assess workforce needs by supporting recruitment, onboarding, retention, and continuity of operations strategies for vacancies, leave, and staff turnover.

28.Conduct periodic field observations and accompany Program Managers or staff in the community, as needed, to evaluate service delivery, reinforce program fidelity and safety expectations, provide coaching and skill development, and offer additional support during complex or higher risk situations.

29.Participates in the Center's Zero Suicide Initiative.

o Supports individuals experiencing a crisis by promptly connecting them with appropriate Center programs, such as the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT), Psychiatric Triage, Crisis Prevention services, and/or other applicable resources. Ensure seamless coordination to facilitate timely intervention.

o Remains with individuals, when deemed safe, to provide support and maintain a calm environment until specialized crisis staff or emergency personnel arrive to take over intervention efforts. Adheres to safety protocols to prevent escalation of the crisis situation.

o Participates in debriefing sessions with the immediate supervisor or designated staff following a crisis event. Collaborate with the team to review the incident, identify lessons learned, and ensure all HHSC guidelines and Center policies are followed.