Director Outpatient Services

Summit BHC; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Summit BHC seeks a Director of Outpatient Services to lead day-to-day operations of the outpatient department, oversee clinical care systems, and drive patient outcomes. You will supervise clinical staff, guide treatment planning, and ensure safe, evidence-based care across programs.

Responsibilities include coordinating multidisciplinary teams, discharge planning, community referrals, and maintaining regulatory compliance. Strong leadership and budget oversight are essential.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in clinical, psychology or social service related field is required.
• 3+ years’ experience in substance use disorder treatment (inpatient or outpatient) required.
• State licensure with preference for independent practice supervision is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Plan, develop, and implement evidence-based outpatient programming and supervise staff.
• Lead multidisciplinary team and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
• Manage discharge planning and community referrals.
• Coordinate with marketing to develop community relations and referral programs.
• Provide clinical supervision to clinicians and oversight of case planning and care coordination.
• Plan and monitor budgets and costs to achieve financial objectives.

Skills

Therapy & Assessment

Social Work Principles

Regulatory Standards

Education

Master’s degree in clinical/psychology/social work

Job description

About the Job:

PURPOSE STATEMENT:

The Director of Outpatient Services is responsible for the management and oversight of the day-to-day operations of the outpatient department, planning, implementation, and evaluation of clinical care systems and for client health outcomes attributable to clinical practice. Provides direct supervision to clinical staff and indirect guidance to other staff regarding clinical programming and treatment expectations to ensure effective & safe therapeutic practices are being provided. Leads all aspects of the outpatient counseling/social work programs including Psychosocial Assessments, conducting groups, facilitating family therapies, and developing, implementing, and reviewing Treatment Plans. Oversees all outpatient clinical programs, monitoring the multidisciplinary treatment team process, monitoring discharge planning, and community resource referral.

Roles and Responsibilities:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Plans. develops and implements evidence-based quality programming including all clinical program schedules, as part of the therapeutic environment. Reviews the progress, quality, and effectiveness of all outpatient clinical programs.
• Identifies and prioritizes issues of importance, including those priority issues as set by leadership. Collaborates with department leaders and corporate leaders, as needed.
• Communicates instructions, expectations, and timelines clearly and concisely.
• Provides support and instruction as needed to direct care staff to ensure they adequately understand the treatment program and service delivery expectations to clients based on the clients’ individual treatment plans and clinical needs.
• Ensures that all outpatient clinical programming, staffing, operations, and documentation is in accordance with regulatory agencies and standards of care. Ensures that all programming is clinically relevant and appropriate to client needs.
• Establishes methods for evaluating clinical care practices, formulates plans for new programs and changes to existing programs, and initiates and/or utilizes studies and research applicable to the development of clinical services.
• Serves as Chief Health Care Disparity Officer - Outpatient responsible for identifying and analyzing health care disparities for the populations served in Outpatient by the organization and leading activities to reduce those disparities, in coordination with the facility’s Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement Committee (QAPI) and with the oversite by the Medical Executive Committee (MEC) and Governing Board.
• Leads a team of highly engaged members through hiring, orienting, performance assessment and management, motivating, training, scheduling, and coaching to meet department goals and ensure effective and efficient department operation.
• Maintains productivity levels that are aligned with client census, curtailing unnecessary overtime and/or excessive staff work hours.
• Manages staff scheduling and maintains an updated plan for contingency staffing.
• Maintains accountability expectations for self and staff in all areas of job performance.
• Engages staff in quality and safety basics to ensure sustained, measurable compliance.
• Identifies staff educational needs and ensures they are addressed with education programs that are attended by staff.
• Holds staff accountable for non-compliance and client safety concerns, as well as attendance, following policies, behavior, and adherence to code of conduct.
• Provides clinical consultation, oversight of case planning and care coordination.
• Ensures all clinical staff conduct group, individual, family and collateral contacts and document all contacts in the medical record.
• Monitors and reviews discharge plans and after-care for clients by the clinical staff. Ensures that they are arranged and appropriate.
• Reviews and audits charts for documentation – both quality and completeness. Reviews caseloads regularly to ensure appropriate utilization of services.
• Directs and oversees program operations, to include independent decision making for program requiring clinical expertise.
• Coordinates with marketing to develop and implement Community Relations and Referral Development Program for the facility. Offers suggestions to promote a positive, professional image, which helps to define an appropriately broad niche in the general and Behavioral Health Care marketplace.
• May be required to provide onsite coverage for other programs when needed, develops, and executes new programs according to market needs and may provide training, case consultation, and Administrator on Call coverage during and after program hours as needed.
• Performs Leadership Rounds as assigned to include observation and immediate identification of environment of care, safety, and infection control concerns, as well as real time education of new facility processes.
• Maintains an awareness of community and market-related activities which includes knowledge of the activities of other providers, needs of local payors and the political climate related to mental health.
• Responsible for a limited caseload as needed.
• Schedule and facilitate regularly occurring treatment team meetings.
• Provides individual and group supervision to clinicians.
• Plans, directs, controls, implements, evaluates, monitors and forecasts budgets and costs to achieve financial objectives; performance improvement and risk monitoring
• Communicates and explains new directives, policies or procedures to managers; for major changes meets with staff to explain changes, answer questions and maintain morale.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILL REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s Degree from an accredited school in clinical, psychology or social service related field required.
• Three or more years’ experience working in substance use disorder treatment (either inpatient or outpatient level of care) with individuals with substance use disorders and/or treatment of individuals with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders required, unless otherwise specified by state requirements.
• One or more years’ experience working in settings that provide PHP/IOP/OP for individuals with substance use disorders and/or treatment of individuals with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders preferred.
• Skills in therapy and assessment, considerable knowledge of social work principles and practice, social health and welfare programs and laws governing eligibility for these programs; regulatory standards.

LICENSES/DESIGNATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS:

• State issued licensure required, with a strong preference for licensure status allowing for independent practice and supervision of other entry level clinicians.
• CPR certification and de-escalation training required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
• First aid may be required based on state or facility.

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS:

Two or more years’ supervisory/management experience required, preferably in social/clinical services, with strong preference for Supervisory clinical licensure or eligibility to obtain supervisor licensure within 90 days of hire.

Why Cottonwood Tucson? Cottonwood Tucson offers a comprehensive benefit plan and a competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Cottonwood Tucson is an EOE.

Veterans and military spouses are highly encouraged to apply. Summit BHC is dedicated to serving Veterans with specialized programming at our treatment centers across the country. We recognize and value the unique strengths of the military community in supporting our mission to serve those who have served.