Program Manager, Clinical Services

Position Summary

The Program Manager, Clinical Services holds dual responsibility for clinical operations and clinical growth. This role does not simply oversee therapists. It builds and scales a high-performing outpatient behavioral health department.

The Program Manager oversees all Clinical Licensed Supervisors, Associate Therapists, practicum students, interns, and other clinical personnel assigned to the department. The Manager is accountable for clinical quality, staff productivity, census growth, referral development, supervision compliance, clinician retention, payer readiness, and overall departmental performance.

This is an outcomes-driven leadership position. Performance is measured against the Simple Solutions Manager Evaluation Scorecard, a KPI-driven framework that measures measurable outcomes rather than effort alone. Targets are established at the beginning of each review period and performance is evaluated against objective results.

The Manager works closely with executive leadership, clinical supervisors, intake, billing, quality assurance, marketing, and referral partners to ensure sustainable department growth while maintaining exceptional standards of care.

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical Operations and Performance

• Drive active client census growth across all clinical service lines.
• Maintain therapist productivity and billable service targets.
• Monitor client engagement, attendance, and treatment retention rates.
• Ensure clinicians maintain caseloads within established utilization targets.
• Monitor wait times from referral to intake and intake to first appointment.
• Ensure timely assignment and redistribution of new referrals.
• Maintain efficiency in staffing ratios, scheduling, and resource allocation.

Clinical Quality and Compliance

• Maintain department audit scores above established benchmarks.
• Ensure documentation compliance across treatment plans, progress notes, assessments, discharge summaries, and supervision records.
• Monitor chart audit outcomes and implement corrective action plans when necessary.
• Ensure completion of all required clinical supervision documentation.
• Maintain department compliance with BBS, HIPAA, DHCS, payer, and applicable state and federal regulations.
• Monitor ethical concerns, grievances, risk incidents, and corrective actions.
• Ensure clinician adherence to evidence-based treatment practices and documentation standards.

Department Growth and Revenue

• Own department census growth targets.
• Expand therapist capacity through recruitment, onboarding, and retention initiatives.
• Increase clinical service utilization and revenue generation.
• Monitor referral conversion from inquiry through admission.
• Partner with marketing and leadership to grow community visibility and referral volume.
• Develop strategies to reduce client dropout and increase continuation of care.

Clinical Supervision and Workforce Development

• Oversee Licensed Clinical Supervisors and verify supervision requirements are being met.
• Ensure associate therapists receive required individual and group supervision.
• Monitor supervisor performance through audit of supervision records and staff development activities.
• Build and maintain clinical training pathways for associates, interns, and practicum students.
• Create leadership development plans for high-performing clinical staff.
• Maintain succession planning and clinical bench strength.

Partnerships and Referral Development

• Build strategic referral relationships with physicians, hospitals, schools, universities, employee assistance programs, attorneys, and community organizations.
• Develop referral partnerships that result in measurable client referrals.
• Represent the organization at community events, presentations, professional associations, and behavioral health forums.
• Track referral source performance and conversion outcomes.
• Expand internship, practicum, and clinical training partnerships with academic institutions.

Program Expansion and Service Development

• Launch and operationalize new clinical programs and specialties.
• Expand department capabilities in targeted treatment areas.
• Evaluate emerging service opportunities and community needs.
• Develop group therapy programs, specialty clinics, and evidence-based treatment tracks.
• Lead process improvement initiatives designed to improve outcomes, client satisfaction, or operational efficiency.

Leadership and Strategic Management

• Establish departmental objectives aligned with organizational goals.
• Analyze operational and clinical performance data to guide decision-making.
• Partner with executive leadership on strategic planning initiatives.
• Identify and resolve barriers impacting department performance.
• Manage cross-functional projects involving intake, operations, billing, HR, credentialing, and quality assurance.
• Anticipate risks and proactively implement solutions before issues escalate.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Behavioral Health Administration, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or a related field required.
• Current California clinical licensure required, including LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, PsyD, or Psychologist licensure.
• Minimum five (5) years of clinical behavioral health experience required.
• Minimum three (3) years of supervisory, management, or leadership experience required.
• Experience overseeing licensed and pre-licensed clinicians strongly preferred.
• Experience in outpatient behavioral health, private practice, community mental health, managed care, or integrated care settings preferred.
• Demonstrated history of building clinical teams, improving performance, growing service utilization, and maintaining compliance required.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.
• Valid California driver's license, reliable transportation, proof of auto insurance, LiveScan background clearance, and TB clearance required before employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Expert knowledge of behavioral health service delivery, clinical operations, evidence-based treatment practices, documentation standards, and risk management principles.
• Strong working knowledge of California Board of Behavioral Sciences regulations, clinical supervision requirements, HIPAA regulations, and payer documentation requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to manage clinical supervisors and therapists while maintaining accountability for quality and operational performance.
• Strong understanding of behavioral health quality assurance methodologies, clinical auditing practices, and performance improvement strategies.
• Ability to interpret operational data, productivity reports, census trends, clinician utilization metrics, and financial performance indicators.
• Skilled in conflict resolution, coaching, team development, and performance management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with clinicians, leadership, referral partners, and community stakeholders.
• Ability to maintain professionalism and sound judgment in highly sensitive clinical situations.

Why Join Our Team

At Simple Solutions Psychotherapy, we believe meaningful care happens when people work together with compassion, accountability, and purpose. As Program Manager, Clinical Services, you will directly influence the quality of care delivered across the organization while helping build the next generation of behavioral health professionals. You will be empowered to lead, innovate, develop staff, and expand access to high-quality mental health services in the communities we serve.

Apply today and help us make a difference.

The pay range for this role is:

95,000 - 125,000 USD per year (8350 Archibald Avenue)