BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINICAL MANAGER

Sparrow•Lansing, MI

About The Position

The Behavioral Health Clinical Manager is responsible for providing clinical and operational leadership for Behavioral Health Social Work, Case Management, and related therapeutic services across the continuum of care. This role provides direct oversight of inpatient Behavioral Health Social Work and Case Management teams and indirect clinical oversight to Social Workers and Case Managers in Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) and Intake/Access services. In addition, the Behavioral Health Clinical Manager provides oversight and direction to Activity Therapists and Behavioral Health clinical programming, ensuring services are clinically appropriate, coordinated, and aligned with regulatory and organizational standards. This position serves as a key clinical leader for Behavioral Health services, ensuring quality of care, compliance with Michigan licensure and regulatory requirements, consistency of clinical practice, and professional development of staff. The Behavioral Health Clinical Manager collaborates closely with interdisciplinary leadership to support patient-centered care across inpatient and outpatient settings.

Requirements

Current, valid State of Michigan licensure (LMSW, LCSW, LPC, LMFT, or equivalent as applicable to role responsibilities)
Minimum 5–7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in Behavioral Health or Social Work
Prior clinical supervision and/or program management experience required
Master’s Degree in Social Work or related behavioral health field
Demonstrated leadership and clinical supervision skills across multidisciplinary teams
Strong knowledge of Behavioral Health standards of practice, regulatory compliance, and licensure requirements
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with staff, physicians, leadership, partner agencies, and the public
Ability to work independently and collaboratively with strong problem-solving, organizational, and time-management skills
Commitment to quality improvement, staff development, and patient-centered care.

Nice To Haves

Experience in inpatient behavioral health settings strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Serve as an effective leader within scope of authority by fostering accountability, engagement, and high performance among staff.
Promote shared decision-making by delegating clear responsibilities, authority, and accountability to team members.
Oversee and manage activities of case managers, social workers, and activity therapists.
Lead recruitment, selection, onboarding, retention, and overall workforce planning.
Monitor staff performance through coaching, recognition, counseling, and performance improvement processes.
Build and sustain a positive work environment that encourages teamwork, engagement, customer service excellence, and continuous improvement.
Communicate and reinforce the organization’s mission, vision, and values to align team efforts with strategic and operational goals.
Oversee daily operations to ensure efficient, effective, and patient-centered care delivery.
Manage staffing and scheduling to ensure appropriate coverage and optimal utilization of personnel and clinical programming.
Develop, implement, and monitor departmental budgets; analyze performance and address variances.
Establish and maintain policies, procedures, and workflows to support efficient operations and long-term goals.
Ensure systems are in place to meet provider, patient, and operational needs.
Collaborate with billing and administrative functions to ensure accurate data collection and adherence to processes.
Ensure compliance with all applicable state, federal, OSHA, and accreditation standards related to patient care and the physical environment.
Promote a culture of safety by implementing best practices that protect patients, families, and staff.
Monitor and improve key performance indicators, including patient satisfaction, employee engagement, clinical outcomes, and regulatory measures.
Partner with quality and operational leadership to develop, implement, and evaluate quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives.
Develop and execute corrective action plans to address performance gaps and improve outcomes.
Foster strong interdisciplinary collaboration with healthcare providers, leadership, patients, and families.
Collaborates with all BH departments to effectively schedule programming and other related client operations.
Maintain consistent, transparent, two-way communication with staff and key stakeholders.
Partner with physicians and leadership to define, monitor, and achieve operational and clinical goals.
Create and sustain a respectful learning environment that promotes evidence-based practice and continuous improvement.
Ensure proper orientation, training, credentialing, and ongoing professional development for all staff.
Support career growth and skill development to enhance individual and team performance.
Develop, track, and report key performance indicators; recommend and implement improvement strategies.
Align departmental goals with organizational strategy and ensure progress toward achieving objectives.
Continuously evaluate systems and processes to improve efficiency, quality, and patient experience.