Chief Executive Officer Behavioral Health

10X Recruitment; United States; On-site; USD 250,000 - 500,000; Full time

Job summary

Highly Confidential Executive Search is seeking a Chief Executive Officer for a multi-state behavioral health and substance use treatment organization in the Southeast U.S. This is a true operating CEO role reporting to Ownership/Board, with growth and expansion responsibilities across facilities.

Travel across multiple states is required. The successful candidate will own performance across the enterprise, including operations, census, financial performance, leadership development, and

Qualifications

• Significant executive leadership experience within behavioral health and/or substance use treatment
• Proven ability to lead multi-state operations and open new locations
• Strong P&L management, budgeting, and financial performance understanding
• Experience managing senior-level executives and driving accountability

Responsibilities

• Assume full operational leadership across a multi-state behavioral healthcare platform
• Lead, develop, and hold senior executives accountable for performance
• Establish operating standards, reporting structures, KPIs, and accountability
• Own organizational performance including P&L, margins, census, labor, and execution
• Drive admissions, census, revenue, staffing, and profitability; oversee new locations' openings and stabilization

Job description

Chief Executive Officer(Behavioral Health)

**THIS IS NOT A REMOTE POSITION**

Highly Confidential Executive Search
Location: Southeast U.S.
Travel: Multi-State
Reports To: Ownership / Board
Industry: Behavioral Health & Substance Use Treatment

Position Overview

A profitable, founder-owned behavioral health and substance use treatment organization is seeking an accomplished Chief Executive Officer to lead the company through its next phase of growth.

This is a true operating CEO role. The organization has an established multi-state footprint with significant expansion planned, and ownership is seeking a proven executive who can assume full responsibility for day-to-day operations, strengthen organizational accountability, and build the infrastructure required to scale.

The successful candidate will be expected to own performance across the enterprise rather than simply oversee it. This includes operations, census, financial performance, leadership development, new facility launches, and execution of the company's growth strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Assume full operational leadership across a multi-state behavioral healthcare platform
• Lead, develop, and hold senior executives and facility-level leaders accountable for performance
• Establish clear operating standards, reporting structures, KPIs, and accountability throughout the organization
• Maintain direct ownership of organizational performance, including P&L, margins, census, labor, and operational execution
• Drive admissions performance and ensure leadership understands the relationship between census, revenue, staffing, and profitability
• Lead the successful opening and stabilization of new treatment locations
• Oversee expansion from licensing and pre-opening preparation through staffing, launch, census development, and mature operations
• Identify operational issues early and implement corrective strategies before they impact performance
• Partner with ownership and the Board on growth strategy while maintaining autonomy over day-to-day execution
• Build scalable infrastructure capable of supporting continued geographic expansion
• Maintain strong standards around quality, compliance, patient experience, and organizational culture

Required Experience

• Significant executive leadership experience within behavioral health and/or substance use treatment
• Proven experience overseeing multiple treatment facilities across more than one state
• Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-site operations
• Direct experience opening and operationalizing new behavioral healthcare locations
• Strong command of P&L management, budgeting, labor management, margins, and financial performance
• Deep understanding of admissions, census management, and the revenue drivers of behavioral healthcare
• Experience leading senior-level executives and creating measurable accountability
• Ability and willingness to travel across multiple states as required

Ideal Executive Profile

The organization is seeking a true operator: an executive who is comfortable taking ownership, making difficult decisions, and being accountable for results.

The ideal candidate will have successfully scaled behavioral healthcare operations before and understands what happens at the facility level, not simply from a corporate perspective. This individual should be able to evaluate performance quickly, recognize problems before they elevate, and ensure leaders execute against clearly defined expectations.

This role requires someone who can balance growth with operational discipline, move comfortably between strategic planning and execution, and build the structure necessary for a rapidly expanding organization.

The Opportunity

The incoming CEO will join an established, profitable organization at an important inflection point. Ownership is preparing to transition away from direct involvement in daily operations while continuing to invest in substantial expansion.

With multiple additional locations planned, the CEO will have the opportunity to shape the company's next chapter, professionalize and scale its operating platform, develop the leadership infrastructure, and directly influence enterprise value.

This is not a maintenance role. It is an opportunity for a proven behavioral healthcare executive to take ownership of an existing platform and lead its next stage of growth.

This search is being conducted on a strictly confidential and exclusively retained basis.