MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM MANAGER I / EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS HOMELESSNESS

County of Los Angeles; California (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Los Angeles seeks an experienced Mental Health Program Manager I to lead emergency mental health initiatives within the Department of Mental Health. This role focuses on administration, budget oversight, and policy development in response to homelessness-related needs.

Initial appointments may be up to 90 days with potential for permanent employment. Successful candidates will supervise a multidisciplinary mental health team, develop and monitor program contracts, and coordinate

Qualifications

• Valid license as a clinical social worker or marriage and family therapist with two years supervising a multi-disciplinary mental health team.
• Valid license as a psychologist with one year supervising a multi-disciplinary mental health team.
• RN license with three years supervising a multi-disciplinary mental health team; Master’s in Nursing Admin/related field accepted for experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in specified fields plus four years of bona-fide supervisory experience at Health Program Analyst III level; Master’s may reduce required years.

Responsibilities

• Plan, assign, oversee and evaluate work of subordinate staff; provide technical guidance.
• Manage budget and contract allocations; align with program priorities and take corrective action.
• Formulate admin policies; ensure compliance with Medicare/Medicaid regulations for reimbursement.
• Develop revenue-generation procedures and monitor program revenue goals.
• Implement reporting procedures for service utilization and revenue data.
• Coordinate staff training to maintain mandated service levels.
• Monitor service delivery to meet standards of care and modify monitoring methods.
• Oversee audits and implement audit recommendations for programs managed.
• Represent programs in meetings with County departments, State/Federal agencies, and partners.
• Investigate complaints with Patients' Rights Division; collaborate with HR on investigations.
• Initiate requisitions for supplies and personnel; support contract negotiations and evaluations.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Education

Clinical Social Worker license

Licensed Psychologist

Registered Nurse license

Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field

Master's degree in Nursing Administration, Psychology or related field (for option III/IV)

Job description

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT:

OPEN COMPETITIVE- EMERGENCY

EXAM NUMBER:

b4740G-EA

FILING DATES:

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time)

This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to close without prior notice.

THIS ANNOUNCEMTN IS A RE-POST TO REOPEN THE FILING PERIOD.

The LA County Board of Supervisors recentlydeclared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.

The Department of Mental Health is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Mental Health Program Manager I vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%.

Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Mental Health Program Manager I.

• Performs the full range of administrative supervision to plan, assign, oversee, and evaluate the work of subordinate staff and provides technical guidance and support to staff within the scope of practice.
• Participates in the development, negotiation, implementation, and management of the budget for the program support service operations, clinic, or programs overseen; ensures that budget and contract allocations reflect program priorities; and takes corrective action where necessary.
• Formulates policies and procedures concerning administration, ensuring compliance with Federal and State Medicare and Medicaid regulations for reimbursement claiming and maximum recovery costs for directly billable services.
• Develops and monitors revenue-generation procedures and objectives for programs managed, including achievement of revenue goals.
• Develops and implements reporting procedures to ensure that program services utilization and revenue data are reported accurately and in a timely manner.
• Coordinates the delivery of staff training necessary to maintain mandated levels of services.
• Monitors service delivery to ensure that services conform to acceptable standards of care and establishes and modifies program monitoring and review methods as necessary.
• Oversees audits and the implementation of audit recommendations for programs managed.
• Represents managed programs in meetings with representatives of other County departments, State and Federal agencies, and other public and private entities.
• In conjunction with the Patients' Rights Division, investigates complaints from patients and others about programs and services under managerial oversight.
• Works in a collaborative and timely manner with departmental human resources representatives in matters such as employee investigations and performance, requesting new positions, and reorganizing and relocating staff.
• Initiates and approves requisitions for supplies and personnel required to operate programs administered.
• Assists in the negotiation, implementation, and evaluation of departmental program contracts within the jurisdictions served by the programs, as needed.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Option I: A valid, current license to practice as a clinical social worker or marriage and family therapist issued by the appropriate State of California licensing agency - AND - Two years of licensed experience supervising a multi-disciplinary mental health team.

Option II: A valid, current license to practice as a psychologist issued by the appropriate State of California licensing agency - AND - One year of licensed experience supervising a multi-disciplinary mental health team.

Option III: A valid, current license to practice as a registered nurse issued by the appropriate State of California licensing agency - AND - Three years of licensed nursing experience supervising a multi-disciplinary mental health team. A Master\'s Degree in Nursing Administration, Psychology, or a related field from an accredited college or university will be accepted for one year of the required experience.

Option IV: A bachelor\’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Public Health, Nursing, Health Administration, Human Services, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a closely-related field from an accredited college or university – AND – Four years of bona-fide supervisory experience providing administrative and technical direction at the level of Health Program Analyst III.

A Master\'s degree in Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Public Health, Nursing, Health Administration, Human Services, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a closely-related field from an accredited college or university will be accepted for one year of the required experience, only applies to option III and option IV.

NO OUT-OF-CLASS EXPEREIENCE, OR VERIFICATION OF EXPERINCE LETTERS (VOEL) WILL BE ACCEPTED. APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE ABOVE REQUIRMENT(S) AT THE TIME OF FILING IN ORDER TO BE APPOINTED TO FILL ANY VACANCIES RELATED TO THIS RECRUITMENT.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:

*A multi-disciplinary mental health team is defined as a group of mental health care providers that may consist of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, psychiatric social workers, marriage and family therapists, medical doctors, clinical case managers, and/or other mental health care professionals that work together to assess the mental health care needs of the client and develop a treatment plan tailored to the client's identified needs.

**Bona-fide supervisory experience includes responsibility for planning, assigning and reviewing the work of staff, evaluating employee performance, participating in interviewing and selecting new staff, and performance management.

***Health Program Analyst III is defined as supervising a team of analysts and other technical and support personnel providing technical and consultative services to the management of a program; or overseeing an organization-wide health program.

LICENSE:

A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS:

Physical Class II – Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10 pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

ACCREDITATION:

Accredited institutions are those listed in the publications of regional, national or international accrediting agencies which are accepted by the Department of Human Resources. Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references.

Foreign degrees

must be evaluated for equivalency to United States accredited institutions standards by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE). See Employment Information under Accreditation Information.

Note

In order to receive credit for any college or university course, or any type of college or university degree, or any certificates, such as Bachelor\'s or higher, you must include a legible copy of the official diploma or official transcripts from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization with your application at the time of filing or within seven (7) calendar days of filing.

Official Transcript

Official Transcript is defined as a transcript that bears the college seal and states "official and/or copy" issued by the school's Registrar Office. A printout of the transcript from the school's website is NOT considered official and; therefore, will NOT be accepted and may result in your application being incomplete or rejected.

EXAMINATION CONTENT:

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%. Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Applications may be rejected at any stage of the examination and selection process.
• FALSIFICATION of any information may result in DISQUALIFICATION or RESCISSION OF APPOINTMENT.
• Utilizing VERBIAGE from the Class Specification, Minimum Requirements, and/or Special Requirement Information serving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. In doing so, your application will be REJECTED as INCOMPLETE.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER LANGUAGE

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT LIBRARIES

For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

FAIR CHANCE EMPLOYER

The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

NO SHARING USER ID AND PASSWORD

All applicants must file their applications online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (ARDI)

The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

DEPARTMENT CONTACT:

HR Examinations Unit: [phone]

HR Examinations Unit Email: [e-mail]

Analyst Contact Phone: Irene San, [phone]

Analyst Contact Email: [e-mail]

ADA COORDINATOR PHONE: [phone]

TELETYPE PHONE: [phone]

CALIFORNIA RELAY SERVICES PHONES: [phone]