Senior Executive, Adult Behavioral Health Operations

Merakey; Lafayette (LA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision

Retirement plan

DailyPay

Well-being platform

Backup care services

EAP

Tuition reimbursement

Employee discounts

Online learning

Job summary

Merakey is seeking a Senior Executive to lead Adult Behavioral Health Operations across Louisiana. The role entails statewide strategic and operational oversight, guiding program leaders to deliver high-quality, recovery-oriented services.

Reporting to senior leadership, you will be accountable for budgets, productivity, and service outcomes, driving sustainable improvements and organizational change. Significant travel and strong clinical-operational collaboration are required.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required; progressive leadership with increasing responsibility.
• Experience leading multi-site or statewide operations with executive-level staff.
• Proven ability to turn around underperforming programs and improve operations.

Responsibilities

• Provide statewide strategic and operational leadership for Adult Behavioral Health programs across Louisiana.
• Oversee program leaders and ensure high-quality, recovery-oriented services.
• Manage operational and financial performance, including budgets and outcomes; drive measurable results.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Change management

Budget management

Operational leadership

Education

Master’s degree in social services, behavioral health, business, health administration, or a related field

Job description

Senior Executive, Adult Behavioral Health Operations

#114344

Lafayette, Louisiana, United States

Position Type

Full-Time

Work Schedule

Traditional Business Hours

Description

The Behavioral Health Executive Director will provide statewide strategic and operational leadership for Adult Behavioral Health programs across Louisiana, overseeing program leaders and ensuring high-quality, recovery-oriented services.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, the Executive Director will be accountable for operational and financial performance, including productivity, budgets, quality outcomes, and service delivery. This hands‑on leadership role requires the ability to assess complex operational challenges, improve processes and systems, address underperformance, and implement sustainable solutions that deliver measurable results.

The ideal candidate will bring progressive leadership experience within behavioral health, with increasing levels of responsibility and operational scope. Provider‑side behavioral health experience, particularly in complex, multi‑site or statewide operations, is strongly preferred.

The successful candidate will have a proven ability to lead and develop executive‑level teams, establish clear performance expectations, and hold leaders accountable for results. Experience leading program turnarounds, improving underperforming operations, driving organizational change, and strengthening operational and financial performance is highly valued.

Familiarity with Louisiana’s behavioral health system and service delivery environment is preferred.

This position is based in Louisiana and requires regular statewide travel. The Executive Director must maintain a visible leadership presence, build strong relationships with regional and program leaders, and work directly with teams to drive consistent performance across locations.

Merakey offers generous benefits that promote well‑being, financial security, and work‑life balance, including:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus access to healthcare advocacy support.
• Retirement plan -- both pre‑tax and Roth (after‑tax) options available for employee contributions.
• DailyPay -- access your pay when you need it!
• On the Goga well‑being platform, featuring self‑care tools and resources.
• Access Care.com for backup childcare, elder care, and household services.
• Confidential counseling, legal, and financial services through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Tuition reimbursement and educational partnerships.
• Employee discounts and savings programs on entertainment, travel, and lifestyle.
• Access to Pryor Online Learning for free online personal development classes.

Merakey is a non‑profit provider of developmental, behavioral health, and education services. More than 8,000 employees provide support to nearly 40,000 individuals and families throughout 12 states across the country each year. Merakey strictly follows a zero‑tolerance policy for abuse.

Merakey is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer! We deeply value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ethnic background, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or disability status. Moreover, we are committed to creating teams that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Merakey welcomes all Veterans to apply!

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in social services, behavioral health, business, health administration, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience with increasing responsibility and scope, preferably in provider‑side behavioral health operations.
• Experience leading multi‑site or statewide operations and managing executive‑level staff and leadership teams.
• Proven success turning around underperforming programs, improving operational performance, and implementing sustainable process and systems improvements.
• Demonstrated accountability for operational and financial results, including productivity, budgets, and service delivery outcomes.
• Strong strategic planning, performance management, decision‑making, and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to translate strategy into measurable results.
• Ability to partner effectively with clinical, operational, and executive leadership.
• Ability and willingness to be based in Louisiana and travel regularly throughout the state.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with Louisiana’s behavioral health system and service delivery environment.
• Experience leading organizational change and improving program productivity and financial sustainability.

This Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or on any other basis prohibited by law. Information on race, gender and national origin will only be used for statistical and recordkeeping purposes, and will not be used in making any employment decisions. All information provided will be kept separate from your expression of interest. Providing this information is strictly voluntary, and you will not be subjected to any adverse action or treatment if you choose not to provide this information. If you do not choose to answer these questions, we ask that you select "Decline to Identify" for each question. Thank you for your voluntary cooperation.