BCBA - Clinical Director

Job Description

Job Description

Where you'll be working:

Location(s): Smyrna, TN

Setting: Center-based, hybrid - option to work remotely one day per week as center operations allow

Population Served: Children with autism

What You'll Actually Be Doing (aka no surprises later):

• Own clinical quality and outcomes across every client program in the center
• Oversee assessments, treatment planning, and program implementation - including final review and approval of treatment plans before payer submission
• Lead and mentor a team of BCBAs, BCaBAs, and RBTs, and set the supervision and training standards they work to
• Carry a small caseload of your own so you stay connected to client care
• Partner with intake and operations on timely client onboarding, and guide families and caregivers through transitions and discharge planning
• Track clinical performance and operational metrics, and drive ongoing program improvement

Caseload & Support Transparency (because details matter):

• Caseload size: a small caseload alongside your leadership responsibilities, to stay connected to client care
• Clinical authority: you are trusted to make the decisions that drive care quality, in alignment with CASP best practices
• Clinical support: standing clinical committees and advisory boards, regular Grand Rounds, an annual clinical conference, and clinical outcomes published quarterly
• RBT quality: first-time BACB exam pass rates well above the national average, through an accredited in-house training system
• Tenure and advancement: a defined path from Clinical Supervisor to Center Director, average BCBA tenure several times the industry norm, and a large share of Center Directors promoted from within
• Onboarding: a multi-week Clinical Director cohort training, plus ongoing mentorship
• Organization: part of a large multi-state network, with both clinical and operational advancement paths and opportunities to take part in research

Compensation & Perks (real ones):

• Base salary: $90,000 - $95,000
• Bonus structure: $7,000 - $18,000 (paid monthly)
• Sign-on bonus: $5,000 - $20,000 (depending on start date and location)
• Total annual compensation: Up to $113,000
• PTO: 15 paid days off and 9 holidays annually
• Health benefits: dental and vision coverage, IVF and maternity support, wellness resources
• CEU stipend: 24/7 access to 100+ free CEUs, plus a professional development stipend up to $1,000
• 401(k) match
• Annual merit-based salary increases

If it's listed here, it's real.

✨ Why This Is a Green-Flag Clinic

This organization meets our standards in:

• Ethical leadership
• Transparent pay & expectations
• Realistic caseloads
• Work/life balance
• Clinical support that actually exists
• Real clinical authority for its leaders

We don't certify everyone, and we definitely don't promote clinics we wouldn't work at ourselves.

✅ You'd Be a Great Fit If You:

• Are a credentialed BCBA
• Want real clinical authority, not a title with someone else's signature on your treatment plans
• Like building teams - developing RBTs and supervisors is the part of the job you look forward to
• Hold the line on ethics and quality even when volume is the easier answer
• Want to stay close to client care while you lead
• Believe burnout is not a badge of honor - for you or for your team