Medical Director/Youth and Adolescent Psychiatrist

We are seeking an experienced, visionary, and compassionate Medical Director and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist to lead clinical operations at our 16-bed youth Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) in California. In this dual leadership and clinical role, you will establish clinical standards of care, oversee psychiatric services, guide medical staff, and serve as the attending physician for adolescent patients experiencing acute behavioral health crises.

You will drive a trauma-informed, culturally competent culture of care, ensure rigorous compliance with Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) regulations (including Title 22 standards), and collaborate closely with executive leadership on facility operations and community partnerships.

Essential functions

Medical & Administrative Leadership

• Clinical Governance: Provide overall medical leadership for the PHF, establishing treatment protocols, clinical pathways, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all clinical services comply with California Welfare and Institutions Code (including 5150 evaluation criteria and minors' mental health treatment laws), and DHCS standards.
• Staff Oversight & Credentialing: Participate in the recruitment, onboarding, supervision, and peer review of attending psychiatrists, mid-level providers, and consulting medical staff.
• Committee Leadership: Actively participate in quality assurance, risk management, infection control, and utilization review committees.

Direct Patient Care & Clinical Practice

• Evaluations & Treatment Planning: Conduct timely psychiatric evaluations, diagnostic interviews, and mental status examinations for complex adolescent admissions. Formulate individualized treatment plans in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.
• Medication Management: Provide evidence-based psychopharmacological management, carefully monitoring efficacy, safety profiles, and metabolic parameters.
• Crisis Stabilization: Direct acute stabilization strategies for youth in severe emotional or behavioral distress, prioritizing de-escalation, least-restrictive interventions, and strict adherence to seclusion and restraint protocols.
• Multidisciplinary Rounds: Lead clinical team rounds with psychiatric nurses, licensed therapists, social workers, and mental health rehabilitation specialists to review patient progress and risk assessments.
• Discharge Coordination: Oversee robust discharge planning to ensure safe and sustainable transitions back to lower levels of care or community-based wraparound services.

Competencies

• Comprehensive understanding of California mental health statutes, facility licensing requirements, and non-HCAI or sub-acute adolescent behavioral health frameworks.
• Proven ability to mentor clinical staff, foster a collaborative interdisciplinary team environment, and manage medical clinical operations efficiently.
• Exceptional communication skills with pediatric populations, families facing acute stress, and executive leadership teams.

Supervisory responsibilities

Participate in the recruitment, onboarding, supervision, and peer review of attending psychiatrists, mid-level providers, and consulting medical staff.

Work environment

Modern, secure 16-bed youth Psychiatric Health Facility designed with trauma-informed environmental standards, optimized line-of-sight compliance, and dedicated recreational and therapeutic spaces. Operates within a controlled-access behavioral health environment with robust security protocols, emergency call systems, and personal duress monitoring to ensure staff and patient safety.

Physical demands

Primarily an indoor clinical and office environment. Requires sitting, walking throughout the facility for rounds, and occasionally engaging in active crisis de-escalation protocols or supporting physical safety interventions when necessary.

Travel required

Occasional local and regional travel is required for interagency stakeholder meetings, county behavioral health board presentations, professional association conferences.

Required education and experience

• Education: Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree from an accredited medical school.
• Training: Successful completion of an accredited residency in General Psychiatry in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
• Licensure: Active, unencumbered Physician and Surgeon license issued by the California Medical Board and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration with sub-specialty prescribing authority.
• Certification: Board Certified or Board Eligible in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN).

Preferred education and experience

• Fellowship: Successful completion of an accredited fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
• 5 years of clinical practice, with at least 2-3 years in a leadership, supervisory, or medical director capacity within an inpatient psychiatric hospital, crisis stabilization unit (CSU), or youth PHF in California.