Program Leader - Community-Based Behavioral Health

Friend Health; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

403(b)

Paid Time Off (PTO) & Paid Holidays

Life Insurance & Disability Coverage

Tuition Reimbursement & Professional D

Wellness Programs & EAP

Job summary

Friend Health in Chicago seeks a Program Manager of Community-Based Services to lead ACT, CST, and FDDP programs, ensuring clinical fidelity and compliant operations. The role oversees supervisors, drives outcomes, and sustains funding through effective service delivery and documentation.

The position focuses on high-risk client oversight, referrals, and program performance, while collaborating with cross-disciplinary teams to improve access, engagement, and continuity of care.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Social Work from a CSWE-accredited program required.
• Current, unrestricted Illinois Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) license required.
• Five years of behavioral health/community mental health experience preferred.
• Three years of supervisory, program management, or clinical leadership experience preferred.
• Experience working with individuals with serious mental illness and intensive community-based behavioral health services strongly preferred.
• ACT, CST, FDDP, or comparable community-based program experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical, administrative, and operational oversight of ACT, CST, and FDDP programs.
• Supervise the ACT Supervisor, CST Supervisor, and FDDP Supervisor and hold program leadership accountable for clinical quality, staff performance, productivity, documentation, census, and outcomes.
• Ensure services are delivered at the appropriate frequency, intensity, and location based on client clinical needs and program requirements.
• Monitor program eligibility, caseloads, community contacts, difficult-to-engage clients, and transitions between levels of care.
• Review IM+CANS assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, community support documentation, and other required clinical records.
• Ensure documentation supports medical necessity, billed services, and IDHS/DMH, Medicaid, and CCBHC requirements.
• Provide oversight and clinical consultation for high-risk and high-acuity clients, including individuals experiencing frequent hospitalization, crisis utilization, housing instability, or disengagement.
• Ensure timely follow-up and re-engagement following psychiatric hospitalization or behavioral health crises.
• Oversee the referral process from receipt and eligibility determination through enrollment, first community contact, and ongoing engagement.
• Monitor referral conversion, census, admissions, discharges, available capacity, and clients lost to follow-up.
• Develop referral partnerships with hospitals, crisis programs, housing providers, substance use programs, justice-system partners, and other community organizations.
• Participate in outreach and marketing activities to increase appropriate referrals and program census.
• Monitor staff productivity, billable services, field-based service delivery, and utilization of available program capacity.
• Collaborate with Intake, Quality, Billing, Finance, and organizational leadership to improve operational and financial performance.
• Use program data to monitor hospitalization, crisis utilization, engagement, documentation, productivity, and other performance indicators.
• Support staff recruitment, training, performance management, retention, and field-based safety practices.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Staff supervision

Community-based services

IM+CANS knowledge

Interagency collaboration

Education

Master's degree in Social Work (CSWE-accredited)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) license

Job description

Friend Health in Chicago seeks a Program Manager of Community-Based Services to lead ACT, CST, and FDDP programs, ensuring clinical fidelity and compliant operations. The role oversees supervisors, drives outcomes, and sustains funding through effective service delivery and documentation.

The position focuses on high-risk client oversight, referrals, and program performance, while collaborating with cross-disciplinary teams to improve access, engagement, and continuity of care.