Chief Program Officer - INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY

A&I Avenues

About The Position

The Chief Program Officer (CPO) provides executive leadership for all programs, services, and operational functions supporting individuals qualifying delays and/or disabilities specifically in the designated service area (DSA) 8, as defined by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF), serving Boulder, Broomfield and Gilpin counties. This role also oversees the contracts issued by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) designating this agency as an Early Invention Broker (EIB), County of Boulder, County of Broomfield and the State Housing Authority. The CPO ensures that services are high-quality, person-centered, compliant with Medicaid, state and federal rules and regulations governing the contractual requirements, and disability rights regulations, and delivered with a commitment to dignity, autonomy, and community inclusion. This role is responsible for operational excellence across direct-support, case management, care coordination, clinical services, and administrative functions, and partners with the CEO to advance strategic goals and long-term sustainability.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in social work, disability services, public administration, health administration, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
8–12+ years of progressive leadership experience within disability services, Medicaid-funded programs, or human services.
Demonstrated expertise in Colorado-specific Medicaid regulations, HCBS requirements, waiver programs, or related managed care environments.
Experience overseeing programs and managing complex compliance requirements.
Deep understanding of disability services, person-centered care, and Colorado-specific Medicaid systems.
Strong operational leadership, analytical skills, and strategic decision-making ability.
Ability to lead teams through crisis, regulatory change, or organizational growth.
Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills with internal and external stakeholders.
Financial literacy specific to Medicaid reimbursement, billing oversight, and cost management.
High emotional intelligence, commitment to accessibility, and alignment with disability rights principles.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree

Responsibilities

Lead day-to-day operations for programs serving individuals with qualifying delays and disabilities, including Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS), state general funded services, county funded programs and Early Invention (EI) services.
Ensure services adhere to person-centered planning principles, trauma-informed practices, and the preferences and rights of individuals supported.
Oversee program directors, assistant directors, and managers responsible for providing high quality and compliant case management and care coordination.
Strengthen systems and processes that ensure high quality, compliance with federal and state regulations, and address client and family needs for access to the services for which they are eligible.
Ensure full compliance with all relevant federal and state Medicaid regulations, including HCBS Settings Rule, Person-Centered Service Planning requirements, documentation standards and billing integrity, incident reporting and critical incident response, HIPAA and confidentiality requirements.
Ensure full compliance with all relevant state and county funding and program regulations to maintain readiness for audits, licensing reviews, and quality assurance visits.
Develop and enforce policies and procedures that safeguard vulnerable populations and ensure the health, safety, and rights of clients.
Enforce standards of professional development across the agency’s personnel and ensure agency engagement with the sector’s best practices and emerging standards.
Oversee completion of CMA contract deliverables, with individual responsibility for deliverables related to data and services integrity.
Lead implementation of quality improvement systems that track client outcomes and customer service, service utilization, timeliness and accuracy of documentation, and regulatory compliance metrics.
Use data to drive decision-making, enhance service quality, and support communication with funders and oversight agencies.
Ensure services reflect disability justice, self-determination, cultural responsiveness, and accessibility principles.
Translate organizational strategy into operational plans that support sustainable expansion of Medicaid services, state or county funded programs and EI services.
Evaluate emerging community needs and identify opportunities for engaging community members to serve on committees mandated by the various state contracts.
Strengthen organizational infrastructure to support growth, including staffing, technology systems, and professional oversight.
Partner with the Controller and CEO to create and manage budgets, cost structures, and reimbursement processes specific to Medicaid programs, state funded programs, EI services and county funded services.
Ensure billing accuracy, documentation compliance, and alignment between operational processes and reimbursement requirements.
Support requests for growth in staffing by providing program data, cost modeling, and impact metrics.
Monitor trends in Medicaid, state, county and local policy, reimbursement, and managed care to anticipate organizational impacts.
Lead HR and workforce development strategies for business support, case managers, service coordinators, therapists, program supervisors, and managers.
Promote a healthy, inclusive work culture that emphasizes respect, accountability, and professional growth.
Implement retention initiatives and staff wellness strategies to address burnout and turnover common in disability services.
Ensure staff receive robust training in areas such as HIPAA and HCBS compliance, person-centered practices, trauma-informed care, and crisis management.
Build strong relationships with clients, families, guardians, other case management agencies serving Colorado, managed care organizations, state Medicaid departments and other identified and relevant partners.
Represent the organization in advocacy and disability-service networks, coalitions, and policy discussions.
Collaborate with community partners to expand relevant knowledge to ensure high quality access to eligible services for clients.