Director Social Work Population Health ACHC

Akron Children's; Akron (OH); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Akron Children’s is seeking a Director of Social Work to provide enterprise leadership for pediatric social work services across inpatient, ED, ambulatory, and population health within the ACHC account­able care organization. The role establishes strategic direction, standards, and performance expectations to advance high‑quality, integrated social work practice across care settings.

The Director serves as a key leader aligning hospital-based social work, care transitions, population health

Qualifications

• Education: MSW required; LISW-S licensure required.
• Licensure: LISW-S required.
• Experience: minimum five years of progressive social work leadership, preferably in pediatric health.
• Supervisory: minimum three years supervisory experience; leading multidisciplinary teams preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for pediatric social work across inpatient, ED, ambulatory, population health and ACHC functions.
• Lead and develop social work leaders and teams, fostering excellence, accountability, collaboration, equity and innovation.
• Design and sustain enterprise social work structures, workflows, escalation pathways, and care coordination across the continuum.
• Oversee social work operations supporting discharge planning, family support, behavioral health navigation, and population health initiatives.
• Advance care management models through risk stratification and longitudinal support aligned with value-based care.
• Collaborate with clinical and executive stakeholders to align services with organizational priorities and improve outcomes.
• Serve as liaison with community organizations and payers to strengthen resource alignment for children and families.
• Monitor performance, utilization, and outcomes; manage program budget and donor-supported resources.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Healthcare leadership

Change management

Stakeholder collaboration

Social work leadership

Education

MSW

Related master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

Summary

The Director of Social Work – ACHC and Population Health provides enterprise leadership for pediatric social work services across inpatient care, emergency services, ambulatory operations, and population health functions within the Akron Children's Health Collaborative accountable care organization. This role establishes the strategic direction, operational infrastructure, professional standards, and performance expectations necessary to advance high-quality, integrated social work practice across the continuum of care.

Summary

The Director of Social Work – ACHC and Population Health provides enterprise leadership for pediatric social work services across inpatient care, emergency services, ambulatory operations, and population health functions within the Akron Children\'s Health Collaborative accountable care organization. This role establishes the strategic direction, operational infrastructure, professional standards, and performance expectations necessary to advance high-quality, integrated social work practice across the continuum of care.
The Director serves as a key leader in aligning hospital-based social work, ambulatory care coordination, care transitions, crisis response, population health initiatives, payer-aligned quality efforts, and services for children attributed to the ACO with complex medical, behavioral health, and social needs. This position is accountable for building scalable models of care, strengthening interdisciplinary partnerships, supporting workforce readiness, improving patient and family outcomes, and ensuring responsible fiscal stewardship of organizational and donor-supported funds.
Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for pediatric social work services across inpatient, emergency department, ambulatory, population health, and ACHC accountable care organization functions.
• Lead, develop, and support social work leaders and teams by fostering professional excellence, accountability, collaboration, engagement, equity, innovation, and top-of-scope practice.
• Design and sustain enterprise social work structures, standards, workflows, role clarity, escalation pathways, and best practices that support coordinated handoffs, transitions, crisis response, ambulatory care coordination, and integrated care management across the continuum.
• Oversee social work operations that support inpatient care delivery, discharge planning, family support, behavioral health and social needs navigation, population health initiatives, payer-aligned quality efforts, and services for children with complex medical, behavioral health, and social needs.
• Advance care management models for ACHC patients through risk stratification, proactive longitudinal support, inpatient transitions, ambulatory follow-up, and alignment with value-based care priorities.
• Partner with Case Management, Care Coordination, clinical leaders, administrative leaders, interdisciplinary teams, and executive stakeholders to advance enterprise-wide social work strategy, optimize cross-continuum workflows, align services with organizational priorities, and improve patient and family experience, access, continuity of care, utilization, equity, and outcomes.
• Serve as a strategic liaison with community organizations, social service agencies, behavioral health partners, payers, and other external stakeholders to strengthen resource alignment and support the needs of children and families served.
• Monitor program performance, quality indicators, utilization trends, access measures, and outcome data to identify opportunities, guide improvement efforts, and demonstrate the impact of social work services.
• Maintain accountability for budget oversight, responsible management of program funds, fiscal stewardship, appropriate distribution of donor-supported resources, and alignment with organizational policies, funding requirements, and strategic priorities.
  

Other Information

Technical Expertise

• Advanced knowledge of pediatric social work practice across inpatient, emergency department, ambulatory, ACHC accountable care organization, and population health settings.
• Demonstrated expertise in pediatric care coordination, care transitions, psychosocial assessment, family support, behavioral health navigation, social drivers of health, crisis response, and interdisciplinary care models.
• Experience designing and implementing social work workflows, standards, staffing structures, escalation pathways, and quality improvement processes across complex healthcare environments.
• Ability to use data, performance indicators, utilization trends, and outcome measures to inform strategy, improve service delivery, strengthen access, and advance measurable results.
• Demonstrated fiscal stewardship, including the ability to align resources with strategic priorities, monitor budget performance, support responsible allocation of funds, and ensure efficient use of organizational and donor-supported resources.
• Strong leadership capability in change management, including the ability to anticipate organizational needs, guide transformation, engage stakeholders, and sustain practice improvements.
• Ability to influence across clinical, operational, financial, community, and executive stakeholders to advance shared goals and system-level performance.
  

Education And Experience

• Education: Master\'s degree in social work (MSW) required. Master\'s degree in healthcare administration, business administration, public health, or related field preferred.
• Licensure: Licensed Independent Social Worker with Supervision (LISW-S) required.
• Certification: Case Management, healthcare leadership, quality improvement or related certification preferred.
• Years of relevant experience: Minimum of five years of progressive social work leadership experience required, preferably in pediatric healthcare, population health, care management, or an accountable care organization environment.
• Years of supervisory experience: Minimum three years supervisory or leadership experience required; experience leading multidisciplinary or matrixed teams preferred.
  

Full Time

FTE: 1.000000

Status: Onsite