Clinical Director Outpatient

Kathyirelandrecoverycenters; Des Moines (IA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

PTO

Paid holidays

Life insurance

Professional development

Leadership growth opportunities

Job summary

Thrive Now Recovery Centers seeks an experienced Clinical Director to build and lead the Des Moines outpatient program starting in late 2026. You will shape clinical culture, recruit and develop a strong team, and establish workflows, documentation, and quality metrics for high-quality care.

You will partner with medical and operations leaders to ensure trauma-informed, evidence-based treatment across outpatient and intensive services, while maintaining compliance with HIPAA and state

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work, counseling, psychology or related field required.
• Current Iowa behavioral health license or ability to obtain before employment.
• Independent clinical licensure preferred (LISW/LMHC/LMFT or equivalent).
• Experience leading behavioral health or SUD programs required.
• Experience supervising clinicians strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of documentation, treatment planning, and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and oversight of outpatient clinical programming prior to opening.
• Recruit, onboard, and retain a high-performing clinical team.
• Provide clinical leadership, supervision, coaching, and professional development.
• Establish a culture of clinical excellence, accountability, and compassionate care.
• Ensure individualized, evidence-based, trauma-informed care and appropriate level of care.
• Oversee assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, discharge planning, and documentation.
• Monitor clinical outcomes, engagement, and program KPIs.
• Collaborate with medical, admissions, case management, and community partners.
• Lead quality improvement initiatives and ensure regulatory readiness.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Team development

Regulatory compliance

Coaching staff

Education

Master's degree in behavioral health

Job description

Clinical Director – Outpatient

Facility: Thrive Now Recovery Centers
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Employment Type: Full-Time | Leadership
Anticipated Opening: Late 2026

Join Thrive Now

Thrive Now Recovery Centers is growing, and we are preparing to open a new outpatient behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment program in Des Moines in late 2026.

We are seeking an experienced, mission-driven Clinical Director to help build and lead the clinical program from the ground up.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strong clinical leader who wants more than maintaining an existing program. You will have the opportunity to help shape the clinical culture, develop a high-performing team, establish strong programming and workflows, and create an outpatient program focused on quality, accountability, accessibility, and long-term recovery.

About Thrive Now

Thrive Now Recovery Centers, in partnership with Ascension Recovery Services, provides compassionate, evidence-based treatment to individuals experiencing substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health needs.

We believe recovery looks different for everyone. Our approach is person-centered, outcomes-focused, and built around collaboration between clinical, medical, peer recovery, case management, and community partners.

What You'll Do

As the Clinical Director, you will provide leadership and oversight of clinical services for the Des Moines outpatient program and play a key role in preparing the program for opening and continued growth.

Responsibilities include:

• Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing oversight of outpatient clinical programming.
• Help build the clinical program prior to opening, including workflows, schedules, programming structure, documentation expectations, and clinical processes.
• Recruit, onboard, develop, and retain a strong team of therapists, counselors, case managers, peer recovery professionals, and other clinical team members.
• Provide clinical leadership, supervision, coaching, and professional development to clinical staff.
• Establish a culture of clinical excellence, accountability, teamwork, and compassionate patient care.
• Ensure treatment services are individualized, evidence-based, trauma-informed, and aligned with each patient's clinical needs and appropriate level of care.
• Oversee individual, group, and family clinical programming, including outpatient and intensive outpatient services as applicable.
• Ensure timely completion and quality of assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, discharge planning, and other clinical documentation.
• Monitor clinical documentation for quality, medical necessity, consistency, and regulatory compliance.
• Partner with medical providers, nursing, admissions, case management, peer recovery, operations, and utilization review to ensure coordinated patient care.
• Participate in multidisciplinary treatment team meetings and promote strong communication across disciplines.
• Support appropriate patient placement, continued-stay decisions, transitions between levels of care, and discharge planning.
• Monitor clinical outcomes, patient engagement, program completion, attendance, and other key performance indicators.
• Identify clinical trends and use data to improve programming, outcomes, and patient experience.
• Lead clinical quality improvement initiatives and participate in QAPI activities.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, Iowa requirements, payer expectations, accreditation standards, HIPAA, and 42 CFR Part 2.
• Maintain readiness for regulatory, licensing, payer, and accreditation reviews.
• Address clinical concerns, patient grievances, safety concerns, and higher-risk clinical situations in partnership with appropriate leadership.
• Help establish referral relationships and collaborate with community providers, hospitals, courts, recovery organizations, and other community partners.
• Support census growth by helping create a clinically strong program that referral partners and patients trust.
• Serve as a clinical resource and leader for the broader Thrive Now team.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and model ethical clinical practice.
• Perform other leadership responsibilities as needed to support the successful opening and operation of the program.

Who You Are

You are a clinical leader who can balance excellent patient care with the operational realities of running a successful behavioral health program.

You are comfortable building systems, developing people, holding teams accountable, solving problems, and creating structure in a growing organization.

Most importantly, you believe people can recover and that strong clinical leadership can change the trajectory of a person's life.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology, or another related behavioral health field required.
• Current Iowa behavioral health license or ability to obtain Iowa licensure prior to employment.
• Independent clinical licensure strongly preferred, such as LISW, LMHC, LMFT, or another Iowa-recognized independent behavioral health credential.
• Experience providing behavioral health and/or substance use disorder treatment required.
• Previous clinical leadership, supervision, or program-management experience strongly preferred.
• Experience in outpatient, IOP, PHP, SUD, co-occurring disorder, or behavioral health programming preferred.
• Experience supervising and developing clinicians strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of clinical documentation, treatment planning, utilization management, medical necessity, and discharge planning.
• Understanding of ASAM criteria and level-of-care decision making preferred.
• Knowledge of HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 confidentiality requirements.
• Experience with accreditation, regulatory compliance, quality improvement, or Joint Commission standards preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to thrive in a growing organization and help build programs, systems, and teams.

Why Join Thrive Now?

This is an opportunity to help build something meaningful.

As the founding Clinical Director for Thrive Now's Des Moines outpatient program, you will have the opportunity to influence the clinical model, build your team, develop the culture, and help establish a program that becomes a trusted resource for the Des Moines community.

You’ll join a growing organization focused on increasing access to high-quality behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment while creating environments where both patients and team members can grow.

What We Offer

Thrive Now offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Company-paid and supplemental life insurance options
• Professional development opportunities
• Leadership growth opportunities within a rapidly expanding behavioral health organization

Additional benefit details will be provided during the interview process.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Thrive Now Recovery Centers is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and providing equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.