Senior Director of Clinical Excellence

The Senior Director of Clinical Excellence supports clinical quality, workforce readiness, client safety, and access to care through oversight of agency-wide intake, clinical training, internships and academic partnerships, and assigned clinical governance activities. The role provides leadership to Directors overseeing assigned programs and brings a clinical operations perspective to cross-department problem-solving. Working collaboratively with program and support leaders, the Senior Director applies clinical best practices to strengthen services, resolve barriers, and advance organizational priorities.

POSITION SPECIFIC DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Centralized Intake

• Coordinate implementation and continuous improvement of the agency-wide intake process across assigned programs and service lines.
• Monitor intake performance across assigned service lines against established standards and ensure the data utilized to guide decisions, take corrective actions, and intervene when coordinated support is needed.
• Ensure intake teams and systems support timely engagement, intake completion, appropriate service connection, and continuity of care.
• Review intake data to identify cross-program trends, barriers, service gaps, and disparities; coordinate improvement plans with Directors and bring forward recommendations when broader organizational decisions are needed.
• Ensure intake operations comply with organizational policies, payer requirements, regulatory standards, and CCBHC requirements.

1. Clinical Training

• Oversee ongoing delivery and continuous improvement of the organization's established clinical training framework across assigned programs and service lines.
• Monitor clinical training against established standards and performance expectations that support safe, effective, evidence-based care.
• Ensure clinical onboarding includes role-specific training, assessment of skills, and follow-up support to address training gaps and prepare staff for their clinical responsibilities.
• Translate approved organizational goals, evidence-based practices, and regulatory requirements into clinical training priorities and work plans for assigned areas.
• Collaborate with Directors and clinical leaders to align clinical training across programs as needed, address training gaps, and ensure follow-through on action plans; provide support to resolve barriers and achieve training goals.
• Review clinical training outcomes, quality measures, and performance trends; adjust plans to achieve expected results.

1. Internship and Workforce Development

• Oversee ongoing operations and performance of assigned internship, practicum, and academic partnership programs, promoting consistent practices while allowing appropriate flexibility for program needs.
• Ensure collaborative partnerships maintained with universities, colleges, and professional training programs to meet organizational needs.
• Monitor internship and practicum programs against established goals to ensure quality, consistency, and effectiveness.
• Collaborate with Director and program leaders to meet intern supervision and training standards; provide support and hold leaders accountable for program quality and follow-through.
• Review program outcomes, identify improvement opportunities, and adjust plans to strengthen internship and practicum programs.
• Collaborate with Human Resources, Directors, and Clinical Leadership to anticipate internship and practicum needs; recommend coordinated solutions and escalate needs requiring executive decisions or additional resources.

1. Clinical Governance

• Support the organization's risk management program by overseeing clinical risk activities within assigned areas and coordinating with clinical and risk leaders.
• Provide proactive approach to apply best practices in collaboration with Compliance, Human Resources, Risk, Information Technology, and operational leaders to address issues affecting clinical services, coordinate solutions across departments, and escalate significant concerns requiring executive decisions.
• Coordinate development, implementation, and periodic review of clinical policies, protocols, and practice standards within assigned areas; bring proposed policy changes forward for appropriate approval.
• Provide clinical guidance to the electronic health record (EHR) team as needed to support clinical workflows, documentation, and alignment with clinical best practices.

1. Technology and Systems Oversight

• Provide operational oversight of systems and technology supporting assigned departments and programs:
  • Agency-Wide Intake Process
  • Clinical Training
  • Internship and Academic Partnership Programs
• Collaborate with Information Technology, Directors, and business leaders to coordinate system improvements, reporting, workflow efficiency, and automation across assigned programs; bring forward recommendations when broader organizational decisions are needed.
• Monitor ongoing system performance and results of system improvements across assigned areas; ensure leaders address operational issues and escalate risks or resource needs requiring executive support to the Chief Clinical Officer.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION:

• Master's or doctoral degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, or another discipline that supports eligibility for the required Oklahoma clinical license..

EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum seven (7) years of progressive leadership experience in behavioral health, healthcare, or human services.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience leading multiple departments, programs, or organizational functions.

• Demonstrated experience leading Directors or other program leaders, coordinating work across programs, implementing organizational priorities, managing change initiatives, and developing leadership capacity.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience within a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) environment.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of behavioral health service delivery systems and clinical operations.
• Knowledge of risk management, patient safety, and regulatory requirements.

• Strong ability to translate organizational strategy into clear priorities, measurable goals, work plans, and expectations across assigned programs and service lines.
• Ability to review outcomes and interpret operational, financial, workforce, and quality data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities and inform decisions.
• Excellent communication skills, including serving as a link between Directors, executive leaders, and support departments and communicating priorities, decisions, expectations, and changes clearly.
• Ability to collaborate across programs and departments, resolve cross-program issues at the appropriate level, promote shared accountability, and escalate matters requiring executive decisions.
• Strong budget oversight, staffing, and resource-allocation capabilities, including monitoring operational sustainability and exercising sound judgment within delegated authority.
• Ability to coach Directors and senior operational leaders, develop leadership capacity and succession plans, and address cross-program leadership or performance concerns promptly.

CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSES:

• Current Oklahoma clinical licensure required (LCSW, LPC, LMFT, Psychologist, or equivalent behavioral health license).