Chief Clinical Officer

Chief Clinical Officer

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Location: San Antonio, TX
Status: Full-Time, Exempt


GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF POSITION

The Chief Clinical Officer is responsible for the direct leadership and oversight for Brighton Center's pediatric therapy service lines, including Outpatient Therapy and Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) operations. This role is accountable for operational performance, clinical excellence, financial sustainability and long-term growth across all therapy discipline services and early intervention programming.


The Chief Clinical Officer ensures the delivery of high-quality, mission-driven therapy services, and alignment with Brighton Center's values and culture. This includes strengthening operational performance, and strategic growth of Brighton Center's pediatric therapy service lines. This position ensures high-quality therapy services, strengthens operational systems and infrastructure, and maintaining full compliance with state contracts, Medicaid and private insurance and pay requirements; improving access and service capacity and optimizing financial performance. The role builds scalable systems that support sustainability and prepares the organization for thoughtful expansion, including the development of additional therapy service offerings when conditions support growth. All leadership responsibilities are carried out in alignment with the Brighton Center mission, values, and culture, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and service-centered environment. The Chief Clinical Officer is a member of the Executive Team and works closely with the Chief Executive Officer and all members of the Executive and Leadership team to advance Brighton Center's short- and long-term strategic priorities.


ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

This position requires face-to-face interactions with co-workers, families, children, and the general public on a daily basis to accomplish all essential functions of the position.


OPERATIONAL & DIRECT LEADERSHIP


Responsible for successfully operating Brighton Center's Outpatient Therapy and Early Childhood Intervention programs, ensuring clinical excellence, operational effectiveness, financial sustainability, and full alignment with the organization's mission and core values. Accountable for overall program performance, service quality, access to care, and long-term viability across all therapy lines of service.


Drives ongoing operational and service excellence by analyzing performance data, industry benchmarks, payer trends, and client outcomes to identify opportunities for continuous improvement. Ensures therapy programs reflect innovative, evidence-based, and best practices within pediatric healthcare and early intervention.


Provides direct oversight and strategic leadership to Directors of all therapy service lines, ensuring alignment, consistency, and accountability across outpatient, in-home, community, and preschool-based settings. Enhances and monitors standardized workflows for intake, scheduling, evaluations, treatment delivery, documentation, care coordination, and discharge planning to promote reliable, high-quality, and family-centered services.


Utilizes operational audits, financial analysis, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and improve metrics related to access, productivity, attendance, revenue integrity, compliance, throughput, and operational reliability. Translates data into actionable strategies and ensures timely reporting to executive leadership. Maintains strong working knowledge of the electronic health record (EHR), documentation standards, billing processes, and regulatory requirements to safeguard compliance and optimize operational performance.


Ensures clear communication systems and defined expectations across service line revenue cycles, compliance, and external partners. Promotes cross-functional collaboration to reduce silos and strengthen service coordination across organization.


Provides comprehensive leadership in performance management, workload distribution, staff development, coaching, and accountability. Attracts, develops, mentors, and retains high-performing leaders and clinicians, empowering them to expand their scope, elevate performance, and build internal leadership capacity. Promotes cohesive team communication, psychological safety, and a culture of continuous improvement, resilience, and shared accountability during periods of growth and organizational change.


QUALITY, COMPLIANCE & PAYER REQUIREMENTS

Provides oversight to ensure full compliance with Medicaid, private pay, state contract, and regulatory requirements across all pediatric therapy programs. Accountable for maintaining audit readiness and ensuring accurate, timely, and service delivery, and reimbursement integrity.


Ensures compliance to documentation standards, therapist credentialing and licensure requirements, authorization workflows, and payer-specific billing rules. Establishes and monitors quality assurance systems, including internal audit tools and documentation review processes, to proactively identify risks, improve clinical documentation, and strengthen service delivery practices.


Oversees the implementation of corrective action plans when compliance gaps are identified and ensures sustainable process improvements are embedded within operational workflows. Promotes a culture of accountability and continuous quality improvement across all therapy disciplines.


Partners with Compliance, Billing, and Directors of therapy service lines to interpret and enforce third-party payer rules and regulations within operational workflows. Collaborates with Billing leadership to review patterns in authorization lapses, documentation errors, and payer-related challenges, and makes necessary operational adjustments. Ensures program-related regulatory reports and documentation are completed accurately and on time.


Ensures all required program reports, regulatory submissions, and contract deliverables are completed accurately and submitted on time. Maintains oversight of policy updates and regulatory changes impacting pediatric therapy and early intervention services to ensure organizational readiness and compliance stability.


STRATEGIC PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & EXPANSION READINESS

Leads the strategic planning and long-term development of Brighton Center's therapy service lines to ensure sustainable growth, strong market positioning, and responsiveness to community needs. Responsible for evaluating and advancing opportunities to expand clinic capacity, strengthen preschool partnerships, and prepare for the launch of additional pediatric therapy locations when organizational readiness and financial conditions support expansion.


Conducts comprehensive market research, referral pipeline analysis, payer mix review, workforce capacity assessments, and operational feasibility studies to inform data-driven expansion decisions. Assesses community demand, competitive landscape, reimbursement trends, and facility requirements to determine scalability and risk.


Develops and evaluates new business opportunities, service delivery models, and strategic partnerships (including collaboration with early education partners), to enhance access, sustainability, and community impact. Ensures proposed growth initiatives align with Brighton Center's mission, financial targets, and operational capacity.


Provides formal recommendations to the Executive Team regarding service line expansion, staffing models, infrastructure needs, financial projections, and return-on-investment analysis. Creates annual departmental strategic initiatives and monitors progress toward goals. Makes proactive recommendations for program modifications to support organizational effectiveness and strategic positioning.


OTHER FUNCTIONS


Participation as a member of the Executive Team, contributing to organizational strategy, cross-departmental initiatives, and enterprise-wide decision-making. Prepares and presents program performance and strategic reports as needed.


Represents Brighton Center in community, partner, and organizational events, and supports key initiatives that advance the organization's mission and growth. Performs other duties as assigned.


QUALIFICATIONS

Required Minimum:

• Bachelor's Degree in Healthcare Administration, Business, Early Childhood, Therapy Discipline, or related field.
• Minimum 7 years of progressive leadership experience in pediatric therapy operations (OT/PT/SLP clinics, outpatient rehab, or home health).
• Experience with Medicaid and private payer requirements, including documentation standards, authorization processes, payer compliance, and early childhood service rules.
• Experience supervising leaders/managers and overseeing multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience using operational data and performance metrics to drive improvements.

Preferred:

• Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Early Childhood, Rehabilitation Management, or related field.
• Experience with early intervention programs, school-based therapy, or multi-site pediatric therapy management.
• Experience with program expansion, clinic growth, or new site development.

NECESSARY SKILLS

• Ability to demonstrate, understand, and apply Brighton Center Core Values, which are at the heart of the organization and embedded in all roles.
• High quality of work, strong organization and planning, problem-solving, decision-making, adaptability, and initiative.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with families, staff, community partners, and leadership.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, professional boundaries, and sound judgment.
• Ability to meet documentation expectations and maintain data integrity.
• Ability to lead staff toward the outcomes set forth in strategic and operational goals.
• Strong leadership, coaching, conflict resolution, and performance management skills.
• Ability to multitask using multiple systems and maintain accuracy and professionalism.
• Ability to create and deliver presentations internally and externally.
• Knowledge and ability to supervise staff, prioritize responsibilities, and support an effective operational environment.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships and proactively address conflict.

MENTAL & PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Ability to analyze data, compute figures, and compile reports.
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress and empathize with families, children, staff, and partners.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving ability to inform decision-making and judgment.
• Ability to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends as required.
• Ability to lift and/or move up to 40 lbs.
• Ability to drive a personal vehicle on occasion and maintain personal auto liability insurance.
• Ability to remain seated and/or monitor a computer screen for extended periods.

TOP COMPETENCIES

• Strategic Leadership & Vision
• Building and Developing High-Performing Teams
• Listening and Negotiating
• Written Communication & Presentation Skills
• Decision Quality & Problem Solving
• Managing Vision and Purpose
• Organizational Agility
• Integrity and Trust
• Managerial Courage
• Managing and Measuring Work
• Timely Decision Making
• Action Oriented / Drives for Results
• Change Leadership & Innovation
• Personal Learning and Development

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this classification. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job. It is not an employment contract. Our organization reserves the right to modify job duties or job descriptions at any time.

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