Chief Program Officer

Athena•New York, NY

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Athena is a New York State Office of Mental Health-licensed provider serving more than 8,000 individuals across our Upstate and Downstate clinics. We are seeking a Chief Program Officer to provide strategic and clinical leadership across our existing service lines while driving the thoughtful expansion of programs to address evolving community needs and increase access to high-quality behavioral healthcare. The Chief Program Officer (CPO) is Athena’s senior clinical and programmatic executive responsible for the quality, effectiveness, consistency, and continued development of the organization’s clinical programs and services across New York State. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the CPO ensures that Athena’s continued growth is supported by strong clinical infrastructure, evidence-based practice, regulatory compliance, measurable outcomes, and exceptional patient care. The CPO provides executive oversight of clinical leadership, program performance, quality improvement, workforce development, and new program implementation, working closely with the CEO, COO, CMO, and other organizational leaders.

Requirements

Master’s degree or doctorate in social work, psychology, counseling, mental health counseling, or another relevant behavioral health discipline required.
Minimum of 8 years of progressive behavioral health leadership experience, including significant responsibility for clinical programs, quality, and staff leadership.
Demonstrated experience overseeing multi-site and/or large-scale outpatient behavioral health services.
Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and scaling clinical programs.
Strong understanding of evidence-based treatment, clinical risk management, quality improvement, measurement-based care, and behavioral health outcomes.
Experience leading senior clinical leaders and multidisciplinary teams.
Demonstrated ability to use clinical and operational data to identify trends, improve performance, and drive organizational decision-making.
Exceptional communication, leadership, collaboration, and change-management skills.

Nice To Haves

Active New York State clinical licensure strongly preferred; independent clinical licensure such as LCSW, LMHC, or psychologist preferred.
Strong knowledge of New York State behavioral health regulations and OMH-licensed services strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide executive oversight of Athena’s clinical quality, clinical leaders, and standards of care across locations and service lines to support consistency in treatment outcomes
Establish consistent, evidence-based, patient-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive clinical practices.
Ensure appropriate systems for clinical supervision, high-risk case review, treatment planning, care coordination, and continuity of care.
Develop and mentor clinical and program leaders while promoting accountability, collaboration, and professional excellence.
Establish and monitor clinical quality, outcomes, access, engagement, retention, and program performance metrics.
Use clinical data to proactively identify risks, trends, and opportunities for improvement.
Ensure adherence to OMH and other applicable regulatory and clinical requirements.
Lead clinical quality-improvement initiatives and support regulatory reviews, audits, and corrective action activities.
Provide clinical leadership for the development, implementation, and stabilization of new programs, locations, and models of care.
Evaluate opportunities for program expansion based on community need, outcomes, organizational strategy, and clinical feasibility.
Lead the executive team in aligning clinical strategy with organizational growth, operations, workforce planning, and financial sustainability.
Represent Athena’s clinical programs and capabilities with regulators, health systems, payers, community organizations, and other external stakeholders.