Director of Programs & Clinical Services

Hospice of Santa Barbara, Inc.; Santa Barbara (CA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Hospice of Santa Barbara is seeking an experienced Director of Programs & Clinical Services to provide strategic leadership for the organization’s programs, people, and community impact.

As a member of HSB’s Senior Leadership Team, the Director will guide Bereavement, Patient Care, and Volunteer Services, partnering with Development and aligning staff and resources with program priorities to serve Santa Barbara County.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree required in a behavioral health field.
• Significant leadership experience in behavioral health, nonprofit programming, or related field.
• Clinical oversight and program development experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for Bereavement, Patient Care, and Volunteer Services programs.
• Lead development, evaluation, and continuous improvement of programs.
• Oversee clinical services and supervision ensuring compliance with standards.
• Partner with program leaders to assess service models, capacity, and innovation.
• Promote cross-program collaboration to strengthen services and client care.

Skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Relationship building

Organizational & financial acumen

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

Advanced degree in social work, counseling, psychology, marriage and family therapy, or related behavioral health field

Job description

Hospice of Santa Barbara is a community-based nonprofit providing compassionate care and support to individuals and families experiencing grief or serious/life-threatening illness. Through professional counseling, patient care services, volunteer support, education, and community initiatives, HSB serves people throughout South Santa Barbara County at no charge.

For more than 50 years, HSB has worked collaboratively with healthcare providers, schools, nonprofit organizations, and community partners to respond to the evolving needs of our community.

Opportunity

Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) seeks an experienced, collaborative, and forward-thinking Director of Programs & Clinical Services to provide strategic leadership for the organization’s programs, people, and community impact.

As a member of HSB’s Senior Leadership Team, the Director of Programs & Clinical Services will help shape the future of HSB’s services while ensuring programs remain responsive to evolving community needs. This leader will engage in all key program areas, including Bereavement Services, Patient Care Services, Volunteer Services, and Community Engagement. The Director will also work closely with others across the organization, partnering with Development to communicate program needs and impact and collaborating with Finance, Operations, and Human Resources to align people, resources, and systems with program priorities.

This is an opportunity for a mission-driven leader who combines strong program and people leadership with clinical expertise, strategic thinking, and a deep commitment to community.

Leadership Priorities

Ensure HSB’s programs remain high-quality, accessible, effective, and responsive to changing community needs while identifying opportunities for innovation and growth.

Develop People & Preserve Culture

Develop strong managers and emerging leaders and support program staff while fostering the collaborative, supportive, and mission-driven culture that is central to HSB.

Expand Community Impact & Access

Strengthen partnerships and community engagement while advancing HSB’s ability to reach culturally diverse and historically underserved populations.

Build for the Future

Strengthen program systems and use data, program evaluations, and community needs to guide decisions, planning, and organizational sustainability and measured growth.

Leadership Responsibilities

Program & Clinical Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership for HSB’s Bereavement, Patient Care Services, and Volunteer Services programs.
• Lead the development, evaluation, and continuous improvement of existing and emerging programs.
• Provide oversight for HSB’s clinical services and clinical supervision structure, ensuring adherence to professional, ethical, regulatory, and organizational standards.
• Partner with program leaders to evaluate service models, community needs, program capacity, and opportunities for innovation.
• Promote collaboration across programs to strengthen services and client care.

People & Culture

• Lead, mentor, and develop program managers, clinical leaders, and program staff.
• Foster trust, communication, accountability, and collaboration across teams and departments.
• Guide staffing and workforce planning based on program demand, organizational priorities, and available resources.
• Champion a workplace culture that reflects HSB’s mission and values and encourages innovation, inclusion, learning, and employee engagement.

Community Engagement & Access

• Build and strengthen relationships with healthcare organizations, schools, nonprofit agencies, community coalitions, and other partners.
• Advance community education and engagement related to grief, bereavement, caregiving, serious illness, and HSB services.
• Provide leadership and consultation in response to community critical incidents involving grief and loss.
• Advance strategies to ensure HSB’s programs are responsive and accessible to culturally diverse and historically underserved communities.

Program Operations & Impact

• Strengthen systems supporting client access, intake, referral, service delivery, documentation, and program coordination.
• Monitor program capacity, utilization, service demand, and outcomes to support effective planning and resource allocation.
• Use data and community needs to evaluate effectiveness, identify trends, and guide continuous improvement.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, systems, and the effectiveness and accessibility of services.

Organizational Leadership & Stewardship

• Serve as an active member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to organizational strategy, planning, decision-making, and change initiatives.
• Develop annual program priorities and oversee program budgets, financial planning, and resource allocation.
• Collaborate closely with Finance, Operations, Development, and executive leadership to advance organizational priorities.
• Partner with the fundraising team to communicate program needs, impact, and opportunities to funders and community stakeholders.
• Represent program priorities and initiatives with staff, the Board of Directors, funders, and community partners.

Candidate Profile

As the ideal candidate, you are a thoughtful, collaborative leader who combines strategic perspective with a strong understanding of clinical and community-based services. You are skilled at leading and developing people, strengthening programs, building community relationships, and translating ideas into effective action. You bring cultural humility and a demonstrated ability to build trust and develop responsive services with culturally diverse and historically underserved communities. You also bring sound judgment, curiosity, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to both innovation and organizational culture.

Key Qualifications

• Advanced degree in social work, counseling, psychology, marriage and family therapy, or a related behavioral health field.
• Current California clinical licensure required (LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, or Licensed Psychologist).
• Significant leadership experience in behavioral health, human services, healthcare, nonprofit programming, or related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading programs, managers, clinical professionals, or multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong understanding of clinical program delivery, professional standards, ethical practice, and clinical oversight.
• Experience developing, evaluating, and improving programs and using data to inform planning and decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to develop staff, build effective teams, and foster a collaborative and accountable workplace culture.
• Strong organizational and financial acumen, including program planning, budgeting, and resource allocation.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in grief and bereavement, serious illness, caregiving, hospice/palliative care, or related services.
• Familiarity with Santa Barbara County and its healthcare, behavioral health, education, and nonprofit communities.
• Bilingual English/Spanish skills.

Compensation & Location

This is a full-time, salaried position based in Santa Barbara, California.While some work may be performed remotely, this is pre-dominantly an in-person position.Salary range: $130,000-$165,000, commensurate with experience.

Hospice of Santa Barbara is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace and encourages qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.