Lead Speech-Language Pathologist (Lead SLP)

About the Job The Lead Speech-Language Pathologist (Lead SLP) serves as the clinical and operational leader of the Speech Therapy Department at Mindful Sprouts. This role is responsible for ensuring the delivery of exceptional, evidence-based speech-language services while fostering a culture of clinical excellence, collaboration, accountability, and compassionate care. The Lead SLP provides direct patient care while overseeing the performance, development, and clinical quality of the Speech Therapy team. This individual partners closely with executive leadership to improve department operations, drive quality initiatives, support strategic growth, and ensure every family receives outstanding service. The ideal candidate is an experienced pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist with strong leadership abilities, excellent clinical judgment, and a passion for mentoring clinicians and building high-performing teams. Responsibilities Build and scale the Speech Therapy Department, including its service model, clinical standards, policies, workflows, documentation tools, outcome measures, and staffing plan. Lead the recruitment, onboarding, training, coaching, performance management, and retention of SLPs, Clinical Fellows/provisional licensees, and SLPAs. Complete pediatric evaluations, develop evidence-based plans of care, provide skilled therapy, and serve as the primary resource for complex clinical cases. Maintain a clinically appropriate direct-care caseload while ensuring timely, accurate, medically necessary, and payer-compliant documentation. Serve as the designated supervisor or mentor for SLPAs, provisional licensees, and Clinical Fellows when assigned. Maintain required supervision plans, competency records, observation schedules, performance reviews, regulatory notifications, and coverage arrangements. Monitor clinical quality, outcomes, documentation, authorizations, supervision compliance, incidents, family concerns, and corrective actions. Track department KPIs, including client access, clinician utilization, cancellations, documentation timeliness, outcomes, family experience, retention, and growth. Coordinate with Intake, Scheduling, Credentialing, Authorizations, Billing, Compliance, and executive leadership to support efficient and compliant services. Coordinate with BCBAs, RBTs and other treating professionals to coordinate care while maintaining appropriate clinical boundaries and discipline-specific judgment. Advise executive leadership on staffing, resources, service development, and responsible department growth. Required: Master’s or doctoral degree in Speech-Language Pathology and an active, unrestricted Florida SLP license in good standing. Current ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP) and eligibility to serve as a Clinical Fellowship mentor. At least five years of pediatric clinical experience, including work with children with autism or other developmental needs. At least two years of clinical leadership or supervisory experience, including demonstrated experience supervising SLPAs. Strong pediatric clinical judgment and knowledge of evaluations, plans of care, medical necessity, payer requirements, and EMR documentation. Excellent leadership, communication, coaching, organization, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution skills. Ability to satisfy background screening, credentialing, payer enrollment, exclusion-screening, and employment requirements. Valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and ability to work primarily on-site. Preferred: Experience building or expanding a pediatric therapy department or working collaboratively with ABA providers. Experience with pediatric feeding and swallowing, AAC, Florida Medicaid, quality assurance, or payer audits. Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish. Benefits: Bi-weekly performance bonus. Competitive salaried employee (W2) based on experience, expertise, and attitude. Up to 20 days of paid vacation and 5 days of sick time. Health, Dental, and Vision insurance upon regularization. Employee Referral Program Bonus Annual salary increases with a predictable percentage increasebased on performance review. Terms and conditions apply. #J-18808-Ljbffr