Team Lead

Description

Position Title: Team Lead

Program/Location: Mobile Crisis Team – San Luis Obispo

Position Summary:

The Mobile Crisis Team provides 24/7 crisis triage, dispatch, psychiatric placement and transportation coordination, and community-based mobile crisis response for people of all ages experiencing behavioral health crises in San Luis Obispo County. The program works across the behavioral health crisis system to identify the most appropriate response, coordinate timely crisis services and resources, and provide trauma-informed, culturally responsive care in the least restrictive setting.

Under the direction of the Clinical Director and in collaboration with San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health and Central Coast Hotline leadership, the Mobile Crisis Team Lead serves as the day-to-day clinical and operational leader for Crisis Dispatch and Mobile Crisis Team services. The Team Lead is responsible for the overall administration, clinical oversight, operation, integration, and continuous improvement of the program, including 24/7 staffing and coverage, supervision, training, quality assurance, documentation, WIC section 5150/5585 designation processes, contract compliance, data and reporting, budgets, partner relationships, and critical incident response. The Team Lead provides clinical consultation within the scope of licensure, supports sound crisis assessment and disposition decisions, and ensures strong coordination between dispatch and field response. This is a licensed clinical leadership position; the Team Lead may also provide direct crisis services when operationally necessary and within the scope of licensure and designation.

Hours/Salary:

Full-time, exempt position. Anticipated hiring range is $116,160-$124,430 annually. Includes a generous individual benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, life, 403b retirement (with up to a 5% employer match) paid vacation/holiday time, paid sick time and a variety of helpful employee perks as well. (*Full Salary Schedule $116,160-$133,320)

Employee Perks/ Work Culture:

A few of our helpful employee benefits include membership discounts to various local fitness centers. We offer years of service gift cards to businesses of your choice. We offer gift cards for walking, biking, or carpooling to work as well as 20% discount for shopping at our Growing Grounds Downtown Store/Nursey/ Farm. We host two employee appreciation events for employees and their families yearly. We practice Trauma Informed Care Principles, Guidelines for Collaborative Conversations, and encourage the use of pronouns. We mindfully promote equality, respect and diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, and all the fascinating characteristics that make us different! TMHA is also a pet friendly workplace (upon approval)!

Organization Description:

Transitions – Mental Health Association is a leading non-profit agency committed to providing comprehensive mental health services and support to individuals and families by inspiring hope, growth, recovery and wellness in our communities. TMHA has decades of experience with teams of compassionate staff. TMHA is a driving force in improving mental health and wellness in our communities and a supportive and inclusive work environment that values diversity and individual contributions.

Mission Statement:

Transitions-Mental Health Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating stigma and promoting recovery and wellness for people with mental illness through work, housing, community and family support services.

Responsibilities and Duties:

1. Direct the day-to-day clinical, administrative, and operational functions of the Mobile Crisis Team, ensuring continuous 24/7/365 availability of mobile response services in accordance with contract requirements, TMHA policy, County procedures, and applicable Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis standards.

2. Develop and manage staffing schedules to assure appropriate daily coverage for the Mobile Crisis Team, including required two-person mobile response capacity, on-call coverage, relief staffing, and additional surge response when service demand exceeds scheduled capacity.

3. Supervise, select, train, evaluate, schedule, and develop assigned program staff, including Crisis Specialists, Peer Support Specialists, leads, administrative support, and interns, in accordance with TMHA employment policies.

4. Coordinate closely with the Central Coast Hotline and Crisis Dispatch Program Manager to align training and workflows, communicate response team availability and staffing changes, and support timely dispatch, clear handoffs, and consistent communication between dispatch and the Mobile Crisis Team.

5. Participate in an on-call supervisory rotation and provide after-hour clinical and operational consultation within the scope of licensure. Provide guidance regarding crisis assessment, de-escalation, safety planning, disposition, WIC sections 5150 and 5585/LPS issues, referrals, psychiatric placement, hospital coordination, staff safety, staffing issues, and other urgent program needs. Escalate complex clinical, risk, or organizational matters to the Clinical Director as appropriate.

6. Oversee the Mobile Crisis Team’s role in psychiatric placement workflows for involuntary and applicable voluntary placements, including timely completion and submission of referral packets, communication with dispatch, hospitals, and receiving facilities, and escalation of placement barriers as needed.

7. Coordinate with dispatch regarding non-emergency transportation needs arising from Mobile Crisis Team services in accordance with the County Transportation Guide and applicable documentation requirements.

8. Coordinate with dispatch and designated administrative staff regarding post-hospitalization appointments and follow-up needs arising from Mobile Crisis Team services, ensuring the team’s assigned responsibilities are completed and documented within required timelines.

9. Provide clinical oversight of Mobile Crisis Team services and ensure crisis response is delivered in accordance with program requirements, including crisis assessment, de-escalation, safety planning, appropriate use of authority under WIC sections 5150 and 5585, disposition planning, linkage to services, and required follow-up after crisis contacts.

10. Manage the WIC sections 5150 and 5585 training and designation process for eligible program staff and maintain appropriate records of designation status and renewal requirements.

11. Develop, implement, and monitor staff orientation, field training, training on coordination with dispatch, and ongoing competency development, including required Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis and M-TAC training and other annual or position-specific training requirements.

12. Maintain complete training records, including required agendas, attendance rosters, competency documentation, and annual training logs, and submit required training documentation to the County within established timelines.

13. Supervise SmartCare and clinical documentation processes for the Mobile Crisis Team to ensure records are complete, accurate, timely, and compliant with County, Medi-Cal, CalMHSA, TMHA, and other applicable documentation and claiming requirements.

14. Conduct and document quality-assurance activities, clinical and documentation reviews, case reviews, and corrective actions in partnership with TMHA Quality Assurance and the Clinical Director; identify clinical, documentation, safety, and operational trends and implement improvements as needed.

15. Collect, monitor, and submit required County and State data, service reports, training reports, cost reports, and other contract deliverables related to Mobile Crisis Team services within required timelines.

16. Monitor program performance and outcomes, including mobile response times, response capacity, psychiatric placements, transportation coordination, follow-up, documentation quality, safety events, and other required metrics; use data to guide staffing and operational improvements.

17. Develop, implement, and maintain Mobile Crisis Team policies, procedures, workflows, and decision tools for crisis assessment, field response, safety, high-acuity situations, psychiatric placement, transportation, documentation, downtime, critical incidents, and situations in which response demand exceeds available teams. Coordinate shared triage, dispatch, and response workflows with the Central Coast Hotline and Crisis Dispatch Program Manager.

18. Develop, implement, and manage program budgets and line-item expenditures in coordination with TMHA leadership, including staffing, vehicles, communications technology, equipment, training, supplies, travel, and other operating needs.

19. Maintain operational readiness of program vehicles, phones, mobile response technology, office space, safety equipment, and other program resources, directly or through delegation, and promptly address barriers that could affect 24/7 service delivery.

20. Initiate and maintain effective working relationships with San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health, law enforcement, EMS, hospitals, psychiatric facilities, FSP and youth service teams, Drug and Alcohol Services, Public Guardian, transportation vendors, and other community partners.

21. Lead program staff meetings, clinical case consultation, debriefing, training, and operational reviews that support sound clinical practice, clear communication, staff development, accountability, teamwork, and a learning environment.

22. Promote, encourage and maintain trauma-informed practices in all services and activities. Practice and promote, both individually and in team meetings, TMHA’s Guidelines for Collaborative Communication in order to facilitate clear, empathetic and person-centered communication.

23. Respond to and coordinate follow-up regarding critical incidents, safety events, partner concerns, complaints, and operational breakdowns; ensure appropriate notification, documentation, debriefing, and corrective action.

24. Assist the Clinical Director and TMHA leadership in program development, contract implementation, service expansion, continuous quality improvement.

25. Other duties as assigned.

Job Environment:

1. The program operates twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, 365 days a year. The Team Lead works a regular management schedule and participates in on-call coverage; evening, overnight, weekend, and holiday work may be required based on operational needs or critical incidents.

2. Frequent use of computers, telephones, electronic health records, dispatch technology, databases, spreadsheets, and other communication and documentation systems.

3. Work occurs in office and community settings and may include hospitals, behavioral health facilities, partner-agency locations, residences, public settings, and other environments where crisis services are delivered.

4. Frequent driving and local travel may be required to support field operations, partner coordination, training, and program oversight.

5. Moderate, physical activity, and frequent driving. May include moving or lifting up to 50 lbs.

6. Involves moderate risks that require safety precautions and the risk of exposure to potentially intense situations.

7. Involves contact with individuals experiencing acute psychiatric, substance use, behavioral, or safety crises.

8. Requires flexibility, sound judgment, and the ability to shift priorities quickly while maintaining oversight of simultaneous operational, staffing, and clinical needs.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

1. Current, active California license in good standing as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), or Licensed Psychologist. Licensure must remain active and in good standing throughout employment.

2. Minimum of two years of professional behavioral health experience working with individuals experiencing serious mental illness, behavioral health crisis, co-occurring substance use disorders, and/or other high-acuity behavioral health needs. At least one year of experience in crisis intervention, mobile crisis, emergency psychiatric services, crisis stabilization, or a comparable high-acuity setting is required.

3. Minimum of one year of leadership or supervisory experience, including staff supervision and program operations. Experience with budget management, quality assurance, contract compliance, and/or management of 24/7 services is strongly preferred.

4. Demonstrated working knowledge of crisis assessment, de-escalation, safety planning, WIC section 5150/LPS processes, psychiatric placement, and community behavioral health crisis systems.

5. Must meet the qualifications of an eligible Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis provider under DHCS BHIN 23-025 and successfully complete all required Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis, M-TAC, County, TMHA, and program-specific training.

6. Must be eligible and willing to complete County WIC section 5150 designation training and maintain designation required for the position.

7. Ability to manage complex 24/7 staffing and scheduling needs, including on-call coverage, relief, surge staffing, vacancies, training coverage, and concurrent service demands.

8. Experience with program development, implementation, policies and procedures, quality assurance, data collection/reporting, contract monitoring, and continuous quality improvement.

9. Strong supervisory and leadership skills, including the ability to coach, support, evaluate, and hold staff accountable while maintaining a collaborative and trauma-informed work environment.

10. Strong interpersonal skills, collaborative work style, and strong oral and written communication skills.

11. Well defined organizational and time management skills.

12. Prioritization and problem-solving skills; ability to manage multiple urgent and long-range priorities simultaneously.

13. Ability to work independently and flexibly

14. Ability to respond to urgent operational needs outside regular business hours when serving in the on-call role.

15. Ability to handle intense situations, display good judgment and decision-making skills, and remain calm and clearheaded under pressure.

16. Strong computer skills and ability to learn and effectively use SmartCare, dispatch software, call systems, databases, spreadsheets, and other technology required for program operations and reporting.

17. Able to work effectively with a variety of people and personality types regardless of age, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or socio-economic level

18. Ability to possess and maintain good physical and mental health.

19. Ability to work well within a team and maintain a professional, respectful attitude in the workplace.

20. Ability to be willing to work with supervisor oversight and direction.

21. Attendance is an essential function of this job that requires face-to-face interaction with clients and/or other employees.

22. Ability to mindfully promote equality and respect diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all of the other fascinating characteristics that make us different.

23. Demonstrate the ability to successfully deliver culturally responsive services

24. Ability to support linguistically responsive services.

25. Knowledge of the various dimensions of diversity, including mental health, gender, race and ethnicity.

26. Must use reasonable precaution in the performance of one’s duties and adhere to all applicable safety rules and practices while acting in such a manner as to assure at all times, maximum safety to one’s self, fellow employees, clients, and other persons contacted through TMHA business

27. If providing clinical supervision toward BBS licensure, must meet all applicable California Board of Behavioral Sciences supervisor qualifications, training, and documentation requirements.

28. Must participate in the program’s on-call supervisory rotation and support the operational requirements of a 24/7 crisis service.

29. Conditions of employment include:

• Must be at least 18 years of age; possess a valid CA Driver’s License, at least 2 years driving experience and DMV driving record that meets TMHA’s current vehicle insurance requirements. May be required to utilize reliable personal vehicle and auto insurance.

• Must comply with a TB assessment (possibly a TB test if needed to confirm a negative tuberculosis result) and receipt of a criminal record clearance through fingerprinting.

• Must be able to successfully complete First Aid and CPR training.

• Maintain other certifications or clearances required for the position.

Physical Demands:

1. Seeing

2. Hearing

3. Speaking

4. Stooping/Bending

5. Moving around office

6. Moving between offices/clients

7. Driving

8. Climbing

9. Lifting/carrying heavy items

10. Computer use

11. Pushing/pulling/dragging items

12. Standing for long periods

13. Working outside

14. Using hands/fingers