988 Suicide Prevention - Associate Director, Clinical Practice & Quality

Contra-Costa-Crisis-Center; Walnut Creek (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Contra Costa Crisis Center is seeking an Associate Director, Clinical Practice & Quality in Walnut Creek, CA. This hands-on leadership role will guide clinical integrity for 988 Crisis lines, grief services, and mobile crisis programs, ensuring alignment with 988, SAMHSA, and AAS standards.

You will provide direct consultation on high-risk calls, lead QA and training, and collaborate closely with operational leadership to keep clinical work integrated with daily service delivery.

Qualifications

• Active California clinical license (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, PsyD, or PhD), 3+ years post-licensure.
• 3+ years providing clinical services and supervision in crisis care, social services, mental health, or substance-use settings.
• Experience in suicide prevention, crisis intervention, trauma, and disaster response.
• Working knowledge of 988, SAMHSA, and AAS standards and practices.
• Ability to discuss concrete clinical work with specifics of cases.
• Collaborative approach—works closely with operational leadership.

Responsibilities

• Provide real-time clinical consultation on high-risk calls, complex presentations, and critical incidents.
• Build and run a structured QA process — reviewing calls, chats, and documentation, identifying trends, and turning findings into training and practice improvements.
• Review, revise, and maintain clinical policies and protocols to align with 988, SAMHSA, and AAS standards.
• Develop and implement clinical training curricula, from new-hire onboarding through ongoing refresher training.
• Provide clinical oversight for grief services and mobile grief response.
• Coach and develop staff clinical competency in suicide intervention, de-escalation, and crisis documentation.

Skills

Clinical license (CA)

Crisis care supervision

Suicide prevention

Crisis intervention

Trauma experience

Disaster response

988/SAMHSA/AAS knowledge

Case-based discussion

Team collaboration

Job description

Associate Director, Clinical Practice & Quality

Contra Costa Crisis Center — Walnut Creek, CA

Location: On-site at our Walnut Creek office

Status: Exempt Full-Time

Reports to: Executive Director

Compensation: $100,000 – 130,000 Annually

CCCC is a 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline center and 211 provider serving Contra Costa County.

Contra Costa Crisis Center (CCCC) is seeking an Associate Director, Clinical Practice & Quality to lead the clinical integrity of our 988 Crisis line, grief services, and mobile crisis programs following the parameters of 988, SAMHSA, and AAS standards.

This is a hands‑on clinical leadership role. You'll provide direct consultation on high-risk calls, run our clinical quality assurance process, lead clinical training and coaching for staff and volunteers. You'll work in close partnership with our Associate Director of Crisis Operations & Quality, who leads the operational side of the program, so that clinical standards and day‑to‑day service delivery stay connected rather than siloed.

What you'll do

• Provide real‑time clinical consultation on high‑risk calls, complex presentations, and critical incidents
• Build and run a structured QA process — reviewing calls, chats, and documentation, identifying trends, and turning findings into training and practice improvements
• Review, revise, and maintain clinical policies and protocols to align with 988, SAMHSA, and AAS standards
• Develop and implement clinical training curricula, from new‑hire onboarding through ongoing refresher training
• Provide clinical oversight for grief services and mobile grief response
• Coach and develop staff clinical competency in suicide intervention, de‑escalation, and crisis documentation

What you bring

• Active California clinical license (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, PsyD, or PhD), 3+ years post‑licensure
• 3+ years providing clinical services and supervision in a crisis care, social service, mental health, or substance‑use setting
• Experience in suicide prevention, crisis intervention, trauma, and disaster response ideally including all center experience
• Working knowledge of 988, SAMHSA, and AAS standards and practices
• Ability to speak concretely about your own clinical work — we're looking for someone who can walk through the specifics of cases they've personally handled, not just describe frameworks
• A collaborative approach — this role partners closely with operational leadership rather than working in isolation

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Our Values

Compassion | Integrity | Equity | Collaboration | Excellence

We believe every person in crisis deserves dignity, empathy, and skilled support — and that the professionals who provide that support deserve strong leadership, structure, and care.

Contra Costa Crisis Centeris an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified applicants in accordance with federal and California law.