Program Manager - Licensed (Outreach & ICMS)

Job Description

Job Description

Hope Mission Statement

The mission of Hope the Mission is to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness by offering immediate assistance and long-term solutions.

Position Purpose and Summary 

The Program Manager oversees all clinical functions of Hope the Mission’s Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing (HSH)-funded Intensive Case Management Services (ICMS) programs: ICMS Street-Based Engagement (SBE), delivered through field-based Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs), and ICMS Permanent Housing (PH) tenancy-sustaining services. This role is distinct from traditional Program Manager positions due to its required clinical licensure and responsibility for providing the licensed clinical supervision, chart review, and case conferencing required under the HSH Work Orders. The Licensed Program Manager serves as the Program Manager’s designated alternate and day-to-day liaison to HSH. The Licensed Program Manager ensures compliance with HSH Work Order, Measure A, and HIPAA requirements, delivers trauma-informed, harm-reduction, and Housing First services, and integrates physical health, mental health, and substance use services into street-based outreach and permanent housing case management while maintaining contract, staffing, documentation, billing, and performance oversight.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities 

Program Administration

Administer and oversee all clinical program operations, policies, and staff. Ensure alignment with HSH Work Order requirements (ICMS SBE and ICMS PH), HTM policies, and evidence-based practices. Collaborate with Regional Leadership and internal departments to oversee personnel, field operations, and service delivery.

Serve as designated alternate to the contractual Program Manager, with authority to act for HTM on matters relating to the daily operation of the Work Orders. Remain accessible to HSH 24 hours a day, 365 days a year through a designated on-call number.

Develop, submit, and maintain County-required program documents, including the Implementation Plan, Quality Control Plan (updated at least annually), Grievance and Termination Policies and Procedures, conflict resolution procedures, and program forms, and ensure services are delivered in accordance with the County-approved versions.

Program Management

Provide direct management and provide clinical guidance for program staff, including ICMS case managers and SBE MDT members (medical professional, Master’s-level Mental Health Specialist, Substance Use Disorder Specialist, Peer Counselors with Lived Experience, and Generalist Case Managers/Outreach Workers). 

Provide direction and oversight to medical and mental health crises directly in the field and in participants’ homes and to provide clinical and operational guidance to staff.

Direct SBE outreach within assigned Service Planning Area(s): develop monthly outreach schedules, participate in coordinated outreach planning and the Coordinated Entry System (CES), respond to LA-HOP, ECRC, and County outreach referrals, conduct and document outreach at priority encampment locations identified by City partners, and maintain AB 210 Homeless MDT information-sharing agreements.

Direct ICMS PH services: ensure referred participants are contacted within seven (7) business days, and oversee intake, housing navigation, move-in coordination, tenancy-sustaining services, eviction prevention, and coordination with property management.

Analyze program reports and key data to identify trends and make projections or recommendations for program modification. 

Identify staff development needs and activities. Work closely with the team to bring in training opportunities and identify areas for professional growth. 

• Ensure all staff complete County-mandated and in-service trainings (including field safety, de-escalation, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Informed Care, harm reduction, overdose prevention and naloxone administration, Housing First, CES, crisis intervention, suicide assessment and prevention, and securing protected health information), and maintain training documentation in each employee file.

• Respond to emergency and priority situations such as safety and security measures.

• Resolve grievances and complaints, crisis, and troubleshoot incidents. Implementation of program policies and procedures. Ensure overall policies, procedures, and practices are in line with respective funding sources and with HTM's goals and values. 

• Maintain County-compliant staffing: notify HSH of vacancies and backfill within contract timelines (ICMS PH: notice within 72 hours and replacement within 30 days; ICMS SBE: replacement within 60 days), submit a monthly staff roster/organizational chart, submit program management and clinical staff resumes to HSH for approval prior to hire, and maintain signed job description acknowledgements.

• Ensure programs are effective and deliver desired outcomes through data compliance by ensuring all services are documented in HMIS and the County-approved information management system within three (3) business days of service delivery; that minimum monthly service and face-to-face contact standards are met (documentation is the basis for County payment); that Data Quality Report errors are corrected within three (3) business days; and that Attachment B Interim Tracking Requirements and Key Performance Indicators are tracked and reported.

• Operate within County-approved program budgets and track expenditures. Ensure accurate monthly invoicing (ICMS PH fee-for-service slot billing; ICMS SBE cost reimbursement) and that no service is billed to more than one payor, including coordination with CalAIM Enhanced Care Management (ECM) providers. 

Clinical Oversight and Supervision

• Provide direct clinical supervision to ICMS SBE and ICMS PH direct service staff, including intensive case managers and MDT behavioral health staff, in accordance with California licensure standards and the supervision requirements of the HSH Work Orders. 

• Maintain the separation of clinical and administrative supervision required by the HSH Work Orders: the incumbent provides clinical supervision as a licensed clinician, and day-to-day administrative supervision of staff receiving the incumbent’s clinical supervision is assigned to a designated program supervisor or lead. Any exception requires written approval from the County Program Manager.

• Conduct chart review of participant records for clinical appropriateness, documentation quality (including GIRP-format progress notes for SBE), and required timelines: ICMS PH Initial Assessment and Individualized Care Plan within 30 days of enrollment, 90-day reassessments (5x5 and Housing Acuity Index) and care plan updates, and minimum monthly services and face-to-face visits by acuity tier.

• Lead case conferencing in concert with clinical supervision (on an ongoing basis for ICMS SBE participants and at minimum every six (6) months for each ICMS PH participant), including mental health and health care professionals, community partners, and County staff when appropriate. Ensure documentation in each participant record includes the date, participant name or ID, the name, title, and signature of each attendee, psychosocial issues identified, and interventions to be implemented.

• Be available on an on-call basis to provide clinical guidance during emergencies encountered by ICMS staff, and establish and maintain the 24/7 on-call crisis intervention system, including policies, procedures, and staff training on crisis response roles.

• Coordinate clinical oversight of licensed medical MDT staff (RN/LVN) with an appropriately licensed medical supervisor, consistent with scope-of-practice requirements.

• Ensure ethical, compliant, and effective delivery of case management and behavioral health services, including CES and clinical assessments, suicide risk assessment, crisis intervention, harm reduction, and care coordination. 

• Support staff with case consultation, documentation review, and clinical decision-making.

• Provide regularly scheduled individual and team clinical supervision through structured supervision sessions and ongoing consultation, to support growth and accountability of direct service staff. Document each supervision session and make documentation available to HSH upon request.

Health and Behavioral Health Services Integration

• Oversee and support delivery of mental health services including crisis intervention, suicide risk assessments, safety planning, psychoeducation, and coordination with DMH (HSSP/FSP), DPH (Client Engagement and Navigation Services), DHS Mobile Clinic and Field Medicine programs, CalAIM ECM providers, and other behavioral health partners. Ensure referrals and linkages are initiated within three (3) business days and outcomes are documented.

• Ensure transition-of-care visits following inpatient hospital discharge (within 24 hours for ICMS PH participants; as soon as possible for ICMS SBE participants), and that all participants are offered overdose response training, naloxone, and harm reduction supplies.

Government, HSH, and Community Engagement

• Serve as primary program representative to HSH, other LA County departments, LA City Council Offices and the City Administrative Officer (CAO), and community stakeholders. 

• Participate in monitoring visits, audits, and interdisciplinary meetings, including HSH monthly collaborative provider and check-in meetings, quarterly strategic planning and performance dashboard meetings, SPA outreach and care coordination meetings, MDT Director meetings, County Learning Collaboratives, and City Council Office/CAO meetings. 

• Ensure contract compliance and accurate reporting.

Reports and Contract Compliance

• Review and authorize program and contract reports prior to submission. 

• Ensure incident reports are submitted to HSH within 24 hours of the incident, Contractor Discrepancy Reports receive a written Corrective A