Director, Pediatric Mental Health Service

Pediatric Mental Health Services Director

The Pediatric Mental Health Services Director provides strategic, clinical, and operational leadership for pediatric behavioral health services within the organization. This role is dual-focused: immediate oversight of existing outpatient pediatric mental health programs and integrated services, and active participation in the design, development, and future leadership of a new pediatric behavioral health facility.

Essential Functions

Current Operations Leadership (Immediate Focus)

• Provide administrative and clinical oversight of
  • Outpatient pediatric mental health clinic
  • Pediatric integrated behavioral health services within primary care
• Supervise multidisciplinary teams (psychiatrists, therapists, care coordinators, nurses, support staff)
• Ensure compliance with all regulatory, accreditation, and FQHC requirements.
• Monitor clinical quality, outcomes, and patient satisfaction
• Optimize access, scheduling, and throughput for outpatient services
• Develop and maintain workflows for integrated care delivery
• Manage departmental budget, productivity, and resource allocation
• Implement evidence-based practices and quality improvement initiatives.

Community Engagement & Referral Network Development

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with
  • Schools
  • Pediatricians and primary care providers
  • Emergency departments
  • Community mental health agencies
  • Child welfare and juvenile justice systems
• Develop referral pathways into outpatient and crisis services
• Ensure timely intake, triage, and follow-up processes
• Establish "warm handoff" protocols to ensure continuity of care
• Represent the organization in community coalitions and behavioral health initiatives
• Lead recruitment and workforce planning for future staffing needs.

Future Facility Operations Leadership (Post-Opening)

• Provide full operational oversight of pediatric services within the new facility, including:
  • Outpatient services
  • 23-hour pediatric observation/stabilization chairs
  • 16-bed inpatient pediatric behavioral health unit
• Ensure safe, efficient patient flow across levels of care
• Oversee admission, stabilization, and discharge processes
• Maintain high standards of patient safety, quality, and regulatory compliance
• Lead interdisciplinary care coordination across all service levels

Crisis Services & Clinical Oversight

• Establish and oversee pediatric crisis response protocols
• Ensure trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate care delivery
• Support risk assessment, safety planning, and crisis stabilization
• Ensure compliance with involuntary/voluntary admission regulations (as applicable)
• Provide clinical consultation for complex or high-risk cases
• Promote use of least restrictive, patient-centered interventions

Discharge Planning & Continuity of Care

• Develop and oversee safe discharge processes for all levels of care
• Ensure effective "warm handoffs" to:
  • Outpatient providers
  • Community-based services
  • Schools and family supports
• Reduce readmissions through strong follow-up and care coordination
• Monitor post-discharge outcomes and engagement

Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Establish and monitor quality metrics and performance indicators
• Lead continuous quality improvement initiatives
• Ensure adherence to:
  • State and federal regulations
  • Accreditation standards (e.g., Joint Commission, CARF)
  • FQHC requirements
• Oversee incident reporting, risk management, and patient safety efforts

Leadership & Staff Development

• Recruit, train, supervise, and retain high-performing staff
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and clinical excellence
• Provide ongoing staff development, training, and mentorship
• Promote staff wellness and resilience in high-acuity environments

Strategic Planning & Growth

• Contribute to organizational strategy for pediatric behavioral health services
• Identify opportunities for service expansion and innovation
• Monitor trends in pediatric mental health and crisis care
• Support grant development, funding opportunities, and program sustainability

Note: May include evening, weekend, or on-call rotation coverage due to the nature of crisis work.

Qualifications

Education

• Masters Degree in Relevant Field.

Experience

• 1-2 years in leadership experience.
• 5 plus years in relevant experience in the role.

Certification

• N/A

Licensure

• N/A

Registrations

• N/A

Training

• N/A

Job Info

• Job Identification 945
• Job Category Patient Services
• Job Schedule Full time
• Job Shift Day
• Locations 1515 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL, 33401, US (On-site)
• Department Administration - Behavioral

About Us

The Health Care District of Palm Beach County is an independent special taxing district that has served as a healthcare safety net for more than 36 years to fill in gaps in access to healthcare services. This unique healthcare system covers the entire county and provides a wide range of services such as nine community health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers) which serve everyone regardless of ability to pay; school health teams in 172 public schools; a lifesaving Trauma Hawk aeromedical helicopter program; a rural, public teaching hospital, Lakeside Medical Center; an award-winning skilled nursing center; a ground ambulance program for Health Care District patients needing a higher level of care and the county's Trauma Agency, which ensures quality outcomes within the county's trauma system and leads initiatives to prevent traumatic injury.

We are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, military or veteran status, age, sex, pregnancy status, genetic information, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation or identification status, or any other legally recognized category protected by jurisdictional, state or federal law. The information collected by this application is solely to determine suitability for employment, verify identity and maintain employment statistics on applicants.

We are also committed to maintaining a safe, healthy, and productive work environment for all employees. As such, we are a Drug-Free Workplace.

This role may require Agency of Health Care Administration (AHCA) background screening and clearance. As required under House Bill 531, applicants may review AHCA's education and awareness information at the following link: