Operations Director - Outpatient

Operations Director - Outpatient Opportunity!

Palo Verde Behavioral Health Hospital - Tucson, AZ

The Operations Director - Outpatient provides comprehensive behavioral healthcare for children, adolescents, adults, and senior adults experiencing mental health and substance use disorders. PVBH is an 84-bed, short-term acute care hospital offering inpatient, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient services, as well as specialized chemical dependency programs. Located in Tucson, Arizona, at the base of the Catalina Foothills, PVBH offers an exceptional quality of life near Saguaro National Park and the University of Arizona.

Position Summary

The Operations Director - Outpatientis a key member of the Palo Verde executive leadership team, responsible for clinical excellence, operational performance, and business outcomes across all outpatient service lines. This role provides strategic and operational oversight of Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP), social services, and associated outpatient functions.

In addition to strong clinical leadership, the Director is expected to demonstrate advanced business acumen , including program growth, operational efficiency, budget management, workforce productivity, regulatory compliance, and performance improvement . The role partners closely with executive leadership to ensure outpatient services align with organizational goals, financial targets, and community needs. [2]

Key Responsibilities

Clinical & Program Leadership

• Provide leadership and oversight to outpatient clinical programming, ensuring evidence-based practices, high-quality patient care, and strong clinical outcomes.

• Supervise social work staff and outpatient program leaders; ensure ongoing education, training, and clinical competency development.
• Monitor performance improvement indicators, regulatory standards, and accreditation requirements; provide actionable feedback to staff and leadership.
• Coordinate student intern placements and support workforce pipeline development. [1]

Operational & Business Leadership

• Lead day-to-day operations of outpatient services with accountability for program efficiency, access, patient throughput, and resource utilization .
• Develop, manage, and monitor program budgets; analyze financial performance, productivity metrics, and contribution margins.
• Drive program growth strategies , including service line expansion, telehealth optimization, and referral development.
• Use data and analytics to evaluate program effectiveness, identify trends, and implement corrective actions.
• Collaborate with executive leadership, medical staff, and corporate partners to align outpatient operations with hospital-wide strategic and financial objectives. [2]

People & Culture Leadership

• Directly supervise outpatient social services, IOP, and recreational employees.
• Execute full scope of people leadership responsibilities: hiring, onboarding, performance management, coaching, development, and accountability.
• Foster an engaged, high-performing, and patient-centered culture consistent with organizational values.
• Address employee concerns proactively and resolve issues in accordance with organizational policies and applicable laws

Benefits include:

• Challenging and rewarding work environment
• Competitive Compensation & Generous Paid Time Off
• Excellent Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Drug Plans
• 401(K) with company match and discounted stock plan
• SoFi Student Loan Refinancing Program
• Career development opportunities within UHS and its 300+ Subsidiaries!

Education:

• • Master's degree in Business, Social, Behavioral, or Mental Health Services from an accredited institution.
  • Preferred - Active licensure in Arizona as an LCSW, LPC, or Clinical Psychologist.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience at the program director level or higher.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing outpatient behavioral health services , including operational and financial accountability.
• Strong background in program operations, staff management, performance improvement, and regulatory compliance .
• Proven ability to manage budgets, analyze financial and productivity data, and drive operational results.

About Universal Health Services

One of the nation's largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services, Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE: UHS) has built an impressive record of achievement and performance, growing since its inception into a Fortune 500 corporation. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, UHS has 89,000 employees. Through its subsidiaries, UHS operates 28 acute care hospitals, 335 behavioral health facilities, 40 outpatient facilities and ambulatory care access points in 39 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom.

EEO Statement

All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success.

Notice

At UHS and all our subsidiaries, our Human Resources departments and recruiters are here to help prospective candidates by matching skillset and experience with the best possible career path at UHS and our subsidiaries. We take pride in creating a highly efficient and best in class candidate experience. During the recruitment process, no recruiter or employee will request financial or personal information (Social Security Number, credit card or bank information, etc.) from you via email. The recruiters will not email you from a public webmail client like Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. If you are suspicious of a job posting or job-related email mentioning UHS or its subsidiaries, let us know by contacting us at: or View phone number on click.appcast.io.

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