Hands-On Director of Operations – Behavioral Health (Naperville)

Zohorecruit; Naperville (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Performance incentives

Leadership ownership

Growth of new location

Collaboration with leadership

Job summary

Forrest Behavioral Health in Naperville, IL seeks a hands-on Director of Operations to lead day-to-day operations of the new Illinois South location. The role requires healthcare operations leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and a proactive approach to patient intake, staffing, admissions, and discharge processes.

The successful candidate will establish strong operational practices, work with organizational leadership, and ensure the service delivery meets clinical and patient

Qualifications

• Direct professional experience within substance use disorder and/or mental health treatment.
• Operational or leadership experience within a behavioral health treatment environment.
• Working knowledge of behavioral health facility operations and levels of care (PHP, IOP, OP, etc.).
• Experience with core operational functions: intake, admissions, utilization review, staffing, scheduling, discharges, census management, or retention.
• Willingness to maintain an active presence in day-to-day facility operations.
• Strong organizational, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work across admissions, clinical, and operational teams.
• Commitment to behavioral healthcare, recovery, and patient experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operational functions of the Naperville facility.
• Conduct the majority of patient intakes and ensure smooth transition into treatment.
• Maintain direct responsibility for staffing and scheduling.
• Manage utilization review activities.
• Oversee admissions, discharges, and AMA situations.
• Coordinate with admissions, clinical, and facility teams.
• Support census, patient retention, and patient experience.
• Establish and enforce operational policies and workflows.
• Partner with leadership on facility performance and improvement.
• Help establish and grow Forrest Behavioral Health Illinois South.

Skills

Operational leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Visible presence in operations

Job description

Forrest Behavioral Health in Naperville, IL seeks a hands-on Director of Operations to lead day-to-day operations of the new Illinois South location. The role requires healthcare operations leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and a proactive approach to patient intake, staffing, admissions, and discharge processes.

The successful candidate will establish strong operational practices, work with organizational leadership, and ensure the service delivery meets clinical and patient