Operations Manager, Mental Health & Counseling and Behavioral Health

Operations Manager, Mental Health and Counseling (MHC) & Behavioral Health

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Salary Range: $82,000.00 - $131,500.00

Job Requisition ID: 134683WD

Overview

In 1971, Yale University established Yale Health to provide health services to its facility, staff and students through a multidisciplinary health maintenance organization located on campus. Yale Health has more than 50,000 members including students, staff, faculty and their families who come from every state in the country and almost every country in the world. With over 50 years of service to the Yale community, our state-of-the-art facility at 55 Lock Street, is where our members receive most of their care from our 150+ providers. It is a 144,000 square foot medical facility with over 90 exam rooms, an Acute Care Department, a 15-bed inpatient facility with two negative pressure rooms, a diagnostic imaging suite including MR and CT scan, x-ray and ultrasound and a full-service retail pharmacy.

The Operations Manager, Mental Health and Counseling (MHC) & Behavioral Health is responsible for the day-to-day clinical and program operations for the MHC service line. The Manager will also participate in program development, implementation, and ongoing management of behavioral health initiatives, with MHC leadership.

This role partners closely with clinical and operational leadership to enhance care delivery, drive program growth, and ensure alignment with organizational priorities. The Program Manager ensures efficient daily operations, including scheduling, staffing coordination, workflow optimization, and operational performance monitoring to support high-quality, patient-centered care.

This position serves as a key liaison across clinical teams, operations, access/scheduling functions, and external partners, ensuring seamless coordination of care and consistent execution of strategic and operational priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations of the MHC clinic, ensuring efficient patient flow, access, and care delivery
• Manage and optimize provider schedules and appointment templates in collaboration with leadership and scheduling teams
• Coordinate staffing coverage, including daily assignments, coverage gaps, PTO planning, and workload balancing
• Monitor and manage operational metrics, including: patient access and scheduling timelines, wait times and throughput, visit volumes and demand trends, No-show and cancellation rates
• Optimize space utilization, ensuring effective use of clinic rooms, shared spaces, and scheduling alignment
• Serve as primary liaison with front desk and call center teams to ensure scheduling accuracy, workflow alignment, and issue resolution
• Troubleshoot day-to-day operational challenges related to scheduling, patient flow, and staffing
• Standardize and maintain clinic workflows and operational protocols, particularly related to intake, scheduling, and patient movement
• Support onboarding and training of staff related to operational processes and systems
• Ensure readiness for daily operations through proactive planning and coordination

Quality Outcomes & Performance Management

• Develop, implement, and monitor operational KPIs focused on: access to care, scheduling efficiency and Patient flow and throughput, and workflow reliability and consistency
• Analyze operational performance trends and identify opportunities for improvement
• Lead and support continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiatives focused on workflows and access
• Ensure alignment with regulatory requirements, accreditation standards, and operational best practices
• Support patient safety, risk mitigation, and compliance activities as they relate to operational workflows

Reporting & Analytics

• Collaborate with informatics and analytics teams to develop operational dashboards and reporting tools
• Translate data into actionable insights to inform workflow improvements and access optimization
• Ensure data integrity, standardization, and transparency across operational reporting
• Present operational trends, insights, and recommendations to leadership

Vendor Management

• Oversee relationships with vendors supporting behavioral health services (e.g., digital platforms, care tools)
• Participate in vendor selection, contract evaluation, and performance monitoring
• Ensure vendors meet contractual obligations, service expectations, and operational standards
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders (IT, procurement, legal) to support vendor lifecycle management

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Serve as a key liaison between clinical leadership, operations, front desk/call center, and external partners
• Facilitate cross-functional meetings, workgroups, and governance structures
• Communicate program updates, operational changes, risks, and outcomes effectively
• Support change management efforts related to new programs, workflows, and operational improvements
• Maintain strong collaboration with COM and NSP structures to ensure alignment and integration

Schedule: Full-time, 37.50 hours; M-F, between 8:30-5:00; Occasional early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays/recess periods may also be required.

Required Skills and Abilities

1. Strong knowledge of behavioral health care ambulatory operations.

2. Five plus years of healthcare office or operations management experience.

3. Experience with quality improvement methodologies and operational performance measurement

4. Proficiency in data analysis, reporting, and dashboard utilization

5. Strong operational management skills, including scheduling, staffing, and workflow optimization

6. Excellent project management skills with ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously

7. Strong communication, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement skills

8. Ability to problem-solve in a fast-paced, dynamic clinical environment.

9. Key attributes: Strategic thinker with strong execution capabilities; Operationally focused and detail-oriented; data-driven and outcomes-oriented; collaborative and relationship-focused; adaptable and comfortable managing both strategic initiatives and daily operations; committed to improving patient experience, staff engagement, and operational excellence

Preferred Skills and Abilities

Master's degree in healthcare administration, Public Health, Business Administration, or related field.

Principal Responsibilities

Reviews and determines staffing needs, job posting requirements, salary guidelines, and labor agreement interpretations for exempt and non-exempt staff in one or more functional department of the University. Manages the administrative support needs for exempt and nonexempt staff and provides recommendations, improvements, solutions and assistance as needed. Manages and monitors technology needs, conducts inventory, and system requirements for the assigned departments. Develops and prepares budgets, financial forecasts, and financial analyses and the actual vs. budgeted performance reports for the departments. Manages the use of facilities in one or more departments including office space, work stations, equipment, and office supplies. Manages administrative support for activities of one or more departments to ensure timely completion of projects. Manages and coordinates training sessions for assigned departments when new policies or practices are adopted. Ensures compliance with University and federal regulations as they apply to the assigned departments. Identifies, plans, and develops administrative policies for the assigned departments. Assists in reviewing and implements University and departmental policies as they pertain to the administrative functions of the assigned department. Assesses and makes recommendations regarding staff development and staffing levels. Monitors, develops, plans, and executes systematic research on user requirements through such mechanisms as surveys, interviews, focus groups and competitive analysis. Manages a staff of exempt and non-exempt employees. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

Bachelor's Degree in related field and 5 years of experience or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

This role is a healthcare worker position. Healthcare