Hands-On Ops Director for Naperville Behavioral Health

Atlantic Health Strategies; Naperville (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance premium coverage

Performance incentives

Ownership of facility operations

Growth of new location

Job summary

Forrest Behavioral Health is seeking a hands-on Director of Operations in Naperville, Illinois, to lead day-to-day facility operations for our new Illinois South location. You will oversee intakes, staffing, scheduling, admissions, and AMA processes, ensuring smooth transitions into treatment and strong patient experiences.

The role demands operating leadership across admissions, clinical and operational teams, with accountability for performance, culture, and census growth.

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 such as PHP, IOP, OP, residential, detox, or similar treatment settings.
• Experience with one or more core operational functions such as patient intake, admissions, utilization review, staffing, scheduling, discharges, census management, or patient retention.
• Ability and willingness to maintain an active, visible presence in day‑to‑day facility operations.
• Strong organizational, communication, leadership, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively across admissions, clinical, and operational teams.
• Ability to hold team members accountable while contributing to a collaborative and positive workplace culture.
• Commitment to behavioral healthcare, recovery, and a strong patient experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day‑to‑day operational functions of the Naperville facility.
• Conduct the majority of patient intakes and help ensure a smooth transition into treatment.
• Maintain direct responsibility for facility staffing and scheduling.
• Manage and coordinate utilization review activities.
• Maintain operational oversight of admissions, discharges, and AMA situations.
• Communicate closely with admissions, clinical, and other facility team members.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with referral sources and facility partners.
• Identify operational problems early and implement practical solutions.
• Step into different areas of facility operations when additional support is needed.
• Establish clear expectations and help hold staff accountable while contributing to a positive workplace culture.
• Support census, patient retention, and the overall patient experience.
• Help ensure consistent execution of organizational policies, workflows, and operational expectations.
• Partner with organizational leadership on facility performance and improvement initiatives.
• Support the successful establishment and continued growth of Forrest Behavioral Health Illinois South.

Skills

Operational leadership

Behavioral health

Staffing & scheduling

Intake & admissions

Utilization review

Census management

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem-solving

Communication

Job description

Forrest Behavioral Health is seeking a hands-on Director of Operations in Naperville, Illinois, to lead day-to-day facility operations for our new Illinois South location. You will oversee intakes, staffing, scheduling, admissions, and AMA processes, ensuring smooth transitions into treatment and strong patient experiences.

The role demands operating leadership across admissions, clinical and operational teams, with accountability for performance, culture, and census growth.