Director of Outpatient Services and Programs

Job Description

Job Description

Northern Children's Services Wins the 2026 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award and the 2026 Top Workplaces Professional Development Award For more information, visit -children-s-serv/

Join Our Team as a Director of Outpatient Services and Programs and help make a difference in the lives of children, youth, and families!

Northern Children’s Services (Northern) is seeking an experienced, mission-driven Director of Outpatient Services & Programs (Director) to lead the day-to-day clinical and administrative operations of Northern’s Outpatient Program. Reporting to the Senior Director of Behavioral Health, the Director is a key member of Northern’s Behavioral Health leadership team and plays a central role in ensuring that outpatient services are clinically excellent, operationally sound, and producing measurable outcomes for the children, youth, and families we serve. 

This role is not solely a clinical oversight position. The Director is expected to bring both clinical expertise and administrative discipline — embracing data, benchmarks, and performance accountability as core tools of effective leadership.

The Director is responsible for ensuring: 

• High-quality, evidence-based, and trauma-informed clinical care 
• Strong census and financial sustainability 
• Measurable client outcomes, consistently tracked and acted upon 
• Clear performance accountability, including adherence to established benchmarks, client surveys, quality assurance standards, and city and state audit requirements 
• Effective supervision of clinical staff and Master’s-level student interns 
• A culture of professionalism, transparency, direct communication, and continuous improvement 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES  

This is not solely a clinical oversight role. It is a leadership position requiring operational discipline, data fluency, and the ability to shape and sustain a high-performing program culture. 

Clinical Excellence & Program Oversight  

Clinical quality must be paired with structured systems that sustain it. 

• Oversees the clinical and administrative operations of the Outpatient Program, ensuring delivery of services consistent with best practices and regulatory standards. 
• Monitors electronic health records (Credible/Qualifacts) for documentation quality, accuracy, and timely submission; reviews and approves clinical work within the program. 
• Ensures clinical supervision structures are strong, consistent, and appropriately matched to staff licensure levels. 
• Promotes evidence-based and trauma-informed practices across the program. 
• Ensures that children and youth have current, high-quality treatment plans, and that treatment reflects individualized, outcomes-driven care. 
• Support clinicians in pursuing licensure and certification in approved evidence-based models. 
• Monitors and maintains strict adherence to Northern policies and procedures, as well as the policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements of Community Behavioral Health (CBH) and the state Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS).

Leadership & Supervisory Discipline  

The Director must model clear, consistent, and accountable leadership at all levels. 

• Provides direct administrative and clinical supervision to Outpatient therapists, program staff, and Master’s-level student interns. 

• Ensures that performance expectations are clearly communicated, documented, and consistently reinforced. 

• Addresses performance concerns directly and promptly, using coaching, retraining, and corrective action as appropriate. 

• Responds to identified issues without defensiveness, avoidance, or minimization. 

• Applies performance standards equitably and consistently across all staff members. 

• Recruits, trains, supervises, and evaluates program staff in alignment with Northern’s standards. 

• Makes appropriate human resources recommendations to the Senior Director of Behavioral Health.

Data, Benchmarks & Outcomes Ownership  

Northern is a data-informed organization. The Director must embrace and model that value — and bring program staff along in understanding, using, and valuing data as part of professional practice. 

• Regularly reviews program dashboards, including census, productivity, access, client outcomes, and documentation compliance. 

• Ensures standardized outcome tools are implemented and used consistently across the program. 

• Analyzes trends and implements timely, mid-course corrections when performance declines. 

• Maintains data integrity, including closed cases, documentation accuracy, and consistent outcome scoring. 

• Embraces benchmarks as tools for program improvement and actively builds that understanding within the clinical team. 

• Asks consistently: “Are we making a measurable difference?” 

• Maintains monthly reports to track key quality performance indicators. 

Administrative Leadership & Operational Discipline  

Effective program management requires disciplined use of available tools and systems. 

• Ensures that the Outpatient Program is fully and effectively using available program management tools (Credible/Qualifacts, Janet/Mission Driven Data, Office 365 including Outlook, Excel, and Power BI, and UKG) as real-time management tools that support mid-course corrections, billing optimization, and program improvement. 

• Aligns staffing models with census and program needs. 

• Ensures workflows support productivity, documentation quality, and timely billing. 

• Oversees productivity, access, discharge planning, and authorization processes. 

• Maintains accurate, clean documentation systems and reporting. 

• Monitors program budget; maintains operating margin within budgeted guidelines and effectively and responsibly allocates resources. 

• Responsible for implementing and documenting disciplinary actions resulting from internal investigations and/or job performance, ensuring that terminations, corrective actions, or performance improvement plans (PIPs) are executed with full documentation and HR alignment. 

Financial & Census Accountability  

Program sustainability is a leadership responsibility. The Director must understand the financial drivers of the Outpatient Program and manage them proactively — not reactively. 

• Maintains strong census across the Outpatient Program. 

• Proactively identifies and responds to declines in utilization, referrals, or access. 

• Partners with the Senior Director of Behavioral Health and Finance to monitor program margins and revenue performance. 

• Responds strategically to funding, regulatory, and authorization changes. 

Communication, Honesty & Accountability  

Responsive, honest, and direct communication is a core professional expectation of this role — not a preference. The Director must be reachable, reliable, and transparent with supervisors, peers, and staff alike. 

• Respond to emails, calls and messages in a timely manner, with one business day serving as a general expectation whenever feasible. 

• Communicate proactively by providing timely updates on significant issues, risks, and organizational matters.

• Communicates clearly, honestly, and respectfully in professional interactions.