Responsibilities Position Summary The Nurse Manager is a hands-on clinical leader who leads from the floor and maintains a strong, visible presence within the Behavioral Health Department. This position is responsible for the overall clinical, operational, and people leadership of the department while remaining actively engaged in day-to-day unit operations.
Unlike a primarily administrative management role, the Nurse Manager is expected to spend significant time supporting frontline staff, mentoring and coaching in real time, rounding with patients, assisting with patient flow, addressing clinical concerns, and responding to operational challenges as they occur. The Nurse Manager serves as a resource to staff and providers, promoting a culture of safety, accountability, teamwork, and exceptional patient care.
The successful candidate is a leader who prefers to be present on the unit, builds relationships with staff through daily engagement, and leads by example. A strong commitment to staff development is essential, including onboarding, coaching, succession planning, performance management, professional growth, and fostering future nursing leaders. While responsible for staffing oversight, quality outcomes, regulatory compliance, and departmental goals, this role recognizes that effective leadership begins with visibility, accessibility, and support of frontline caregivers.
This is a full-time, salaried exempt position primarily scheduled on day shift. The Nurse Manager typically works 40-55 hours per week and participates in the nursing leadership on-call rotation approximately one week per month. Schedule flexibility is required to provide periodic leadership presence on evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.
Qualifications Qualifications Required - Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state of practice.
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
- Minimum three (3) years of Behavioral Health, Psychiatric Nursing, or related clinical nursing experience.
- Minimum two (2) years of progressive leadership experience, such as Charge Nurse, Clinical Coordinator, Supervisor, Assistant Nurse Manager, or equivalent.
- Current BLS certification.
- Strong leadership, communication, conflict resolution, and team-building skills.
Preferred - Master's degree in Nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or related field.
- Previous Nurse Manager experience in an inpatient psychiatric or behavioral health setting.
- Experience with performance improvement, accreditation standards, and regulatory compliance.
