Chief Clinical Officer

Spectrum of Hope, LLC; Cypress (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Spectrum of Hope, LLC is seeking a Chief Clinical Officer to lead our clinical strategy and drive excellence across autism and ABA services. The role combines strategic vision with hands-on execution to ensure high-quality patient outcomes and organizational performance.

The CCO will oversee clinical standards, quality assurance, staff training, and regulatory compliance, partnering with senior leaders to support growth and innovation.

Qualifications

• PhD or PsyD in Behavior Analysis, Psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis, Special Education, Healthcare Administration, or related field strongly preferred.
• Active BCBA certification required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the organization's long-term clinical vision and strategic roadmap.
• Lead implementation of clinical initiatives with measurable outcomes across all service lines.
• Oversee clinical quality assurance, audits, and regulatory compliance including BACB standards and state licensing.
• Drive training, competency development, and leadership growth for clinical staff.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to align clinical strategies with organizational growth and market expansion.

Education

PhD or PsyD in Behavior Analysis, Psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis, Special Education, Healthcare Administration, or related field

Job description

Location: In person Houston or Hybrid (with travel as needed)

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Department: Clinical Operations

Position Summary

The Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) is the organization's senior clinical leader responsible for establishing and executing the clinical vision, ensuring the highest standards of care, and driving clinical excellence across all service lines. This individual will combine strategic leadership with operational execution, serving as both architect and implementer of the organization's clinical strategy.

The ideal candidate is a highly respected clinical leader with deep expertise in autism services and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a strong business mindset, and a proven ability to translate clinical vision into scalable, measurable outcomes. They are equally comfortable presenting a multi-year clinical roadmap to the Board and executive team as they are rolling up their sleeves to support field implementation, clinical quality initiatives, training programs, and operational improvements.

The Chief Clinical Officer is accountable for the overall clinical quality, integrity, and effectiveness of services delivered across the organization. This leader will oversee clinical quality assurance, clinician training and professional development, and organizational compliance with all applicable BACB, state licensing, payer, accreditation, and regulatory requirements. The CCO will ensure that clinical standards are consistently implemented, monitored, and continuously improved to drive exceptional client outcomes and organizational performance.

As a key member of the executive leadership team, the CCO will partner closely with other business leaders to support growth, innovation, workforce development, quality outcomes, and organizational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Vision & Strategy

• Develop and execute the organization's long-term clinical vision, philosophy of care, and clinical strategic roadmap.
• Establish evidence-based clinical standards, treatment frameworks, and care models that support exceptional outcomes for clients and families.
• Identify emerging trends, innovations, and best practices within autism services and ABA.
• Serve as the organization's primary clinical thought leader and advocate for clinical excellence.
• Ensure the organization's clinical approach differentiates the company as a leading provider in the autism services industry.
• Partner with executive leadership to align clinical priorities with organizational growth and business objectives.

Clinical Operations & Execution

• Lead the implementation of clinical initiatives from strategy through execution and measurement.
• Partner with operations leadership to ensure clinical programs are scalable, sustainable, and operationally effective.
• Drive consistency in clinical practices across all markets, centers, and service settings.
• Ensure the consistent implementation of clinical initiatives, treatment standards, and quality expectations across the organization.
• Monitor key clinical performance indicators, quality metrics, client outcomes, and operational benchmarks.
• Establish metrics, dashboards, and accountability systems that measure treatment effectiveness, clinician performance, client progress, and program quality.
• Identify opportunities to improve service delivery, clinical effectiveness, operational efficiency, and client outcomes.
• Hold clinical leadership accountable for service quality, staff development, compliance, and clinical performance.

Clinical Quality, Compliance & Risk Management

• Provide executive oversight of the clinical quality of services delivered throughout the organization.
• Establish, monitor, and continuously improve clinical quality assurance and quality improvement programs.
• Develop and maintain clinical standards, policies, procedures, and treatment protocols that support evidence-based care and exceptional client outcomes.
• Ensure organizational compliance with all applicable BACB Ethical Code requirements, state licensing regulations, payer requirements, accreditation standards, and federal and state healthcare regulations.
• Oversee clinical audits, documentation reviews, utilization reviews, and corrective action plans.
• Proactively identify and mitigate clinical and regulatory risks.
• Monitor regulatory changes within the autism and ABA industry and ensure timely implementation of required updates across the organization.
• Serve as the executive leader responsible for maintaining clinical integrity, regulatory readiness, and audit preparedness across all locations and service delivery models.

Clinical Training, Learning & Development

• Lead the organization's clinical learning, training, and professional development strategy.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and evaluation of clinical onboarding, continuing education, competency management, and leadership development programs.
• Ensure consistent training and implementation of clinical standards, treatment methodologies, and best practices across all clinical team members.
• Develop scalable systems to support clinical excellence, supervision quality, and clinician performance.
• Partner with clinical leadership to identify skill gaps and create targeted development initiatives.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, professional growth, clinical innovation, and accountability.
• Oversee BCBA supervision standards and development programs for emerging clinical leaders.
• Ensure clinical staff receive ongoing training related to ethics, compliance, documentation standards, payer requirements, and regulatory changes.
• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain high-performing clinical leaders and clinicians throughout the organization.

Quality Assurance & Outcomes

• Establish outcome measurement strategies and continuously monitor client progress and treatment effectiveness.
• Develop systems to evaluate clinical quality and ensure consistency across service lines and geographies.
• Utilize data and clinical outcomes to guide strategic decisions and program enhancements.
• Lead clinical audits, quality reviews, and performance improvement initiatives.
• Drive a culture of evidence-based practice and data-informed decision-making.
• Ensure quality metrics and client outcomes are regularly reviewed and acted upon to improve organizational performance.
• Evaluate and develop new service offerings and clinical programs that improve outcomes and support organizational growth.
• Partner with operations, growth, and executive leadership on market expansion initiatives.
• Assess opportunities for clinical innovation, technology adoption, and research partnerships.
• Identify opportunities to improve workforce effectiveness, service delivery models, and clinical outcomes.
• Represent the organization in professional, industry, payer, and community settings as a clinical leader and subject matter expert.
• Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team.
• Provide clinical expertise and strategic guidance to the CEO, Board of Directors, and senior leadership team.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to align clinical initiatives with organizational priorities and long-term objectives.
• Act as the organization's executive authority on clinical quality, regulatory compliance, risk management, and clinical workforce development.
• Regularly report clinical outcomes, quality indicators, compliance metrics, and workforce development progress to executive leadership and the Board.
• Support due diligence, acquisitions, integrations, and strategic partnerships as needed.

Required Qualifications

• PhD or PsyD in Behavior Analysis, Psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis, Special Education, Healthcare Administration, or a related field strongly preferred.
• Active BCBA certification required.
• Minimum of 15 years of progressive leadership experience within the autism and ABA services industry.
• Demonstrated success leading multi-site, regional, or national clinical organizations.
• Proven experience developing and executing enterprise-wide clinical strategies and initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience leading clinical quality assurance, compliance, accreditation, and risk management initiatives within a healthcare, autism, or ABA organization.
• Proven success building clinician training, competency management, and leadership development programs at scale.
• Deep expertise in ABA, autism services, clinical quality systems, workforce development, and outcome measurement.
• Advanced knowledge of BACB standards, state licensing requirements, payer regulations, healthcare compliance requirements, and clinical documentation expectations.
• Experience managing and developing senior clinical leaders and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong understanding of payer models, operational performance metrics, and healthcare service delivery.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience serving as a Chief Clinical Officer, Vice President of Clinical Services, Senior Clinical Director, or similar executive leadership role.
• Experience leading clinical growth during periods of rapid organizational expansion.
• Track record of implementing scalable clinical quality, compliance, and training systems across multiple locations.
• Experience with value-based care, clinical outcomes management, and technology-enabled service delivery.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The successful candidate is a highly respected BCBA and clinical executive who has spent at least 15 years in the autism and ABA industry. They possess the strategic vision to define the organization's clinical future while maintaining a hands-on approach to implementation, quality oversight, clinician development, and operational execution.

Compensation

Compensation: Competitive executive compensation package including base salary, annual incentive opportunity, and long-term incentive participation, commensurate with experience and qualifications.