Community Engagement & Business Development Manager

The Healing Place; Wilmington (NC); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Healing Place of New Hanover County in Wilmington, NC seeks a Community Engagement & Business Development Manager to grow referral partnerships and improve access to low-barrier withdrawal management and recovery services.

You will lead outreach to hospitals, behavioral health providers, courts, and community groups, track referrals and census, report metrics to leadership, and ensure ethical, compliant program growth. This role travels regionally and champions person-first, stigma-free care.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred in business, marketing, public health, human services, or a related field required; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
• Minimum of three to five years of experience in business development, referral development, community relations, or outreach, preferable in behavioral health, substance use treatment, or healthcare.
• Demonstrated record of growing referrals, census, or market share with measurable results.
• Established relationships within Southeastern North Carolina's healthcare, behavioral health, criminal justice, and community service networks strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of the substance use treatment continuum, ASAM criteria, and the North Carolina Medicaid, Tailored Plan, and LME/MCO landscape.
• Knowledge of the Anti-Kickback Statute, EKRA, HIPAA, and 42 CFR Part 2, or ability to complete required training upon hire.
• Exceptional presentation, relationship-building, and communication skills, with the professionalism to engage executives, clinicians, and community members alike.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, and experience with CRM or referral tracking tools.
• Lived experience in recovery is valued and welcomed.
• Valid North Carolina driver's license, reliable transportation, and current auto insurance.
• Passion for the mission and values of The Healing Place of New Hanover County.

Responsibilities

• Identify, cultivate, and maintain referral partnerships with hospitals, EDs, crisis Centers, LME/MCOs, PCPs, opioid treatment programs, EMS, law enforcement, courts, detention centers, homeless services, faith communities, and employers.
• Develop and execute an annual referral development plan with territory mapping and defined visit cadence.
• Conduct regular in-person visits, presentations, and in-service education for referral partners on services and admission process.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for referral partners and resolve barriers promptly.
• Lead strategy to achieve and sustain average daily census in the detox program.
• Partner with admissions, monitor, and streamline the referral-to-admission process.
• Monitor census, referral volume, conversion rates, and reasons for non-admission; act on trends.
• Maintain a CRM system with complete partner records and outcomes.
• Produce monthly census dashboards and reports for leadership and quarterly board summaries.
• Track KPIs and identify service gaps, underserved populations and growth opportunities.
• Represent the organization on community coalitions and planning bodies; ensure accurate, non-stigmatizing outreach materials.

Skills

Relationship-building

Communication skills

Presentation skills

CRM experience

Data-driven

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM software

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Position Overview

The Community Engagement & Business Development Manager supports the mission of The Healing Place of New Hanover County by building the community relationships and referral partnerships that connect individuals in need with timely, low-barrier withdrawal management and recovery services. This role assists in developing the strategy to grow and stabilize the utilization of organization's social setting detox program. The ideal candidate is a strategic, data-driven relationship builder who understands the substance use treatment landscape, communicates the organization's value with credibility, and is passionate about ensuring no one in our community is turned away from help. This position reports to the Director of Development but is functionally separate from fundraising, focused entirely on referral partnerships, community engagement, and access to care.

Key Responsibilities

Referral Network Development

• Identify, cultivate, and maintain referral partnerships with hospitals and emergency departments, behavioral health crisis and urgent care centers, LME/MCOs and Tailored Plan care managers, primary care and FQHCs, opioid treatment programs, EMS and post-overdose response teams, law enforcement, courts and treatment courts, detention centers, homeless services, faith communities, and employers.
• Develop and execute an annual referral development plan with territory mapping, priority accounts, and a defined visit and follow-up cadence.
• Conduct regular in-person visits, presentations, and in-service education for referral partners on the program's services, admission process, and low-barrier access.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for referral partners, resolving referral barriers quickly and professionally.

Admissions Pipeline

• Lead the strategy to achieve and sustain an average daily census in the detox program.
• Partner with admissions, monitor, and program staff to streamline the referral-to-admission process, reduce time to admission, and minimize lost referrals.
• Monitor daily census, referral volume, conversion rates, referral source mix, and reasons for non-admission, and take timely action on emerging trends.

Data, Reporting & Performance Accountability

• Maintain a referral tracking or CRM system with complete, current records of all partner contacts, activities, and outcomes.
• Produce monthly census and referral dashboards and monthly reports for the Director of Development and Executive Director, with quarterly summaries for the Board of Directors.
• Track and report key performance indicators, including average daily census, referrals by source, referral-to-admission conversion, time to admission, new partners added, and partner retention.
• Use data to identify service gaps, underserved populations and geographies, and new growth opportunities.

Community Engagement & Brand Presence

• Represent The Healing Place of New Hanover County on community coalitions, task forces, and planning bodies, including local opioid settlement and substance use prevention efforts.
• Collaborate with the Development team to create outreach materials and presentations that are accurate, consistent with the organization's brand, and use person-first, non-stigmatizing language.
• Educate the community about substance use disorder, the social model of recovery, and how to access services.
• Refer any philanthropic, sponsorship, or grant opportunities identified in the community to the Development team rather than pursuing them directly.

Ethics, Compliance & Regulatory Integrity

• Conduct all business development in full compliance with the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), North Carolina law, and organizational policy; never offer, solicit, or accept anything of value in exchange for referrals.
• Maintain a firewall between referral relationships and fundraising: do not solicit or accept donations, sponsorships, or gifts from referral sources, and do not use donor relationships to generate referrals.
• Adhere to recognized ethical marketing standards for addiction treatment providers, such as those of LegitScript and the NAATP Code of Ethics.
• Protect client privacy in all referral communications in full compliance with HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2, obtaining valid consent before any disclosure.
• Represent services, level of care, eligibility, and outcomes accurately and truthfully in all communications.
• Uphold the principle that admission decisions are made on clinical appropriateness under ASAM criteria and organizational policy, never on census goals.

Collaboration & Mission Support

• Work closely with the Clinical Director, program managers, and admissions staff to stay aligned on bed availability, admission criteria, and capacity.
• Share referral and community insights with leadership to inform strategic planning, program development, and resource allocation.
• Support other administrative or mission-driven tasks as assigned by the Director of Development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred in business, marketing, public health, human services, or a related field required; equivalent professional experience may be considered.
• Minimum of three to five years of experience in business development, referral development, community relations, or outreach, preferable in behavioral health, substance use treatment, or healthcare.
• Demonstrated record of growing referrals, census, or market share with measurable results.
• Established relationships within Southeastern North Carolina's healthcare, behavioral health, criminal justice, and community service networks strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of the substance use treatment continuum, ASAM criteria, and the North Carolina Medicaid, Tailored Plan, and LME/MCO landscape.
• Knowledge of the Anti-Kickback Statute, EKRA, HIPAA, and 42 CFR Part 2, or ability to complete required training upon hire.
• Exceptional presentation, relationship-building, and communication skills, with the professionalism to engage executives, clinicians, and community members alike.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, and experience with CRM or referral tracking tools.
• Lived experience in recovery is valued and welcomed.
• Valid North Carolina driver's license, reliable transportation, and current auto insurance.
• Passion for the mission and values of The Healing Place of New Hanover County.

Work Environment

• Majority of time spent in the field meeting with partners throughout New Hanover County and catchment counties in Eastern, NC.
• Occasional evening or weekend hours required for community events, presentations, and time-sensitive referral needs.
• Ability to lift up to 20-25 pounds for event and outreach materials is helpful.
• Mileage reimbursement provided for business travel in accordance with organizational policy.

The Healing Place of New Hanover County is an equal opportunity employer. We value lived experience and welcome applicants of all backgrounds, including individuals in recovery. A criminal history is not an automatic disqualifier; employment is contingent on a background check and drug screen in accordance with organizational policy.