Chief Operating Officer Texas Behavioral Health Center

UT Southwestern Medical Center • Dallas, TX

40d • Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Vice President and Chief Operations Officer (COO), Texas Behavioral Health Center (TBHC) is a key senior management position and serves as a member of the UT Southwestern executive leadership team. TBHC is a state-funded psychiatric hospital in Dallas with approximately 296 licensed beds, offering comprehensive inpatient psychiatric care for adults and children, and serving as a cornerstone in expanding Texas's mental health infrastructure. The COO is responsible for the operations of the Texas Behavioral Health Center, ensuring efficient services that are designed to provide the highest standards of quality care and service to patients and their families, while addressing the unique clinical, regulatory, and operational needs of behavioral health services. The TBHC COO ensures strategic and sound operations and provides management oversight for the development of high-quality, cost-effective, and integrated inpatient and outpatient behavioral health programs. The COO is also responsible for cost management across the operational areas of the Texas Behavioral Health Center to ensure key budgetary goals are achieved across the organization. The TBHC COO will report directly to the TBHC Chief Executive Officer with a dotted-line/matrix reporting structure to the UT Southwestern Health System Chief Operating Officer.

Requirements

• Master's Degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Public Health or other relevant field.
• 10 years of operational leadership in a healthcare setting characterized by progressively expanding scope and responsibility in a senior operations position with an Academic Affiliated Hospital/Medical Center or large Teaching Hospital.
• Ability to act as a liaison between the administrative and medical staffs, various Boards and external stakeholders.
• Ability to lead committees, task forces and other multi-disciplinary work groups.
• An open, honest direct communicator who is able to cascade this style through his/her departments.
• An understanding of information systems as they pertain to electronic medical records, accounting, decision support, cost management and revenue enhancement, including behavioral health documentation and compliance requirements.
• Decisive leader with the ability to understand physician's viewpoints and needs, work strategically in the best interest of patients, the behavioral health center and other key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success in leading process or performance improvement initiatives preferably using lean sigma or a similar process in a teaching or academic medical center environment.
• Proven success in balancing cost and quality issues while partnering with the medical staff to address productivity improvements.
• The ability to maximize revenue potential in a thoughtful manner, cognizant of potential compliance issues, including behavioral health–specific regulations.

Nice To Haves

• 5 years of experience in behavioral health or psychiatric services strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Has direct leadership responsibility for all components of Texas Behavioral Health Center operations, including both clinical and non-clinical support services, supply chain activities, information technology and facility management.
• Oversees operational performance of psychiatric and behavioral health clinical programs, including inpatient psychiatry, psychiatric programs, consult-liaison psychiatry, and related specialty services.
• Create an environment that supports patient safety along withpatient, physician, and employee satisfaction.
• In partnership with the Health System AVP of Accreditation and Policy, ensures that all TBHC services are compliant with The Joint Commission, CMS, state behavioral health licensing requirements, and other applicable regulatory standards.
• Works collaboratively with the TBHC Chief Financial Officer and other executive leaders to optimize productivity, efficiency and service throughout all aspects of behavioral health operations.
• Ensures effective systems, processes and performance management arrangements are in place to deliver high standards of performance and the quality of behavioral health care and outcomes.
• Drive service development, standardization and innovation across the behavioral health programs, promoting a culture of continuous service improvement.
• Provide strong leadership, direction and assistance in setting strategy with clearly defined expectations. Leads the ongoing development of progressive physician/behavioral health center strategies and execute plans to optimize the long-term potential of the Texas Behavioral Health Center and UT Southwestern Medical Center.
• Partner with medical staff, peer leaders and multidisciplinary behavioral health teams to foster an environment focused on the quality and efficiency of care.
• Ensure Texas Behavioral Health Center departments meet their financial objectives and cost improvement targets and contribute effectively to the annual budget planning in alignment with the biennium state-provided budget.
• Provide executive oversight for behavioral health safety, risk mitigation, and regulatory readiness, including ligature risk management, restraint and seclusion reduction, and response to sentinel events.
• Lead behavioral health workforce strategy, including staffing model optimization, recruitment and retention initiatives, and alignment of interdisciplinary roles to support safe, efficient care delivery.
• Accountable for patient flow, access, and throughput across behavioral health services, including length-of-stay management, and discharge and placement coordination.
• Develop and maintains strategic partnerships with community mental health providers, state agencies, and public stakeholders to support continuity of care and access across the behavioral health continuum.
• Ensure the development and use of behavioral health–specific performance dashboards and outcome metrics to drive quality, safety, access, and operational improvement.
• Support the academic mission of UT Southwestern by ensuring operational environments that enable education, training, and research across behavioral health disciplines.
• Lead operational planning and execution for new behavioral health programs, service expansions, and facility activations, ensuring readiness, compliance, and sustainability.
• Support, develop and mentor staff members, ensuring their professional development and ability to contribute to the success and culture of the organization.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100%25 coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees