Clinical Director, Youth Autism Services

The League For People with Disabilities•Baltimore, MD

20h•Onsite

About The Position

The Clinical Director of Youth Autism Services is a strategic clinical leader responsible for clinical quality, program effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and day-to-day clinical operations for The League for People with Disabilities' Youth Autism Services department. The role provides leadership, supervision, and clinical guidance to multidisciplinary teams serving children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and related developmental disabilities. It ensures services are individualized, evidence-informed, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and centered on participants' strengths, needs, preferences, communication styles, and developmental goals. The director collaborates with families, caregivers, direct support professionals, educators, clinicians, program leadership, and external providers to promote participant progress, independence, safety, and quality of life. The role balances clinical leadership with operational management, employee development, regulatory accountability, and continuous quality improvement, while fostering accountability, mutual respect, participant focus, and quality. Responsibilities include clinical and program oversight; DDA and other regulatory compliance; person-centered planning and outcome monitoring; behavioral support and clinical risk management; staff supervision, training, and development; family engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration; operational and administrative management; quality assurance; and protection of participant rights, safety, and ethical practice. The position requires maintaining applicable professional credentials and may require after-hours on-call crisis support. The role is full-time and exempt, based in Baltimore, Maryland, with a salary range of $80,000–$85,000 annually. The schedule should support departmental operations and may require occasional flexibility for program priorities and urgent situations.

Requirements

Master's or doctorate degree in special education or a related field.
At least five years of experience providing training or consultation in autism spectrum disorder, developmental disabilities, behavioral health, special education, human services, or a related field.
At least three years of leadership, supervisory, or program management experience as stated in the qualifications section.
Demonstrated knowledge of Autism Waiver regulations and programmatic procedures, including Maryland Autism Waiver regulations and procedures.
Demonstrated experience with compliance, quality assurance, program development, community partnerships, and/or strategic growth.
Must possess and maintain professional licenses, certifications, or registrations required for assigned clinical responsibilities.
Active Maryland professional licensure or certification when required by the position's scope of practice or applicable regulations.
Ability to maintain required continuing education, credentials, and professional standing.
Excellent written, oral, presentation, networking, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to analyze data, identify risk, develop solutions, and lead quality improvement.
Clean driving record with no more than three points and a reliable personal vehicle.
Strong knowledge of autism spectrum disorder, developmental disabilities, evidence-informed interventions, and person-centered support.
Understanding of applicable DDA requirements, participant rights, incident management, documentation standards, and quality assurance.
Strong leadership, coaching, communication, organization, and decision-making skills.
Ability to interpret clinical information, identify trends, and develop measurable improvement strategies.
Strong written communication and documentation skills.
Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining quality, confidentiality, and regulatory accountability.
Proficiency in electronic documentation systems, Microsoft Office, and related clinical or administrative software.
Ability to collaborate effectively with families, staff, executive leadership, and external professionals.
Commitment to The League's mission, values, and service philosophy.

Nice To Haves

BCBA, LCPC, LCSW-C, RN, or another relevant professional credential.
BCBA certification for a position emphasizing applied behavior analysis and behavioral intervention oversight.
Current CPR/First Aid certification, or the ability to obtain it within the required timeframe; program needs may determine whether it is preferred or required.
At least five years of progressively responsible experience in autism services, developmental disabilities, behavioral health, special education, or a related clinical setting.
At least two years of supervisory, clinical leadership, or program management experience.
Experience overseeing individualized plans, clinical documentation, behavioral interventions, staff training, and participant outcome monitoring.
Experience working with children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and co-occurring developmental, behavioral, or communication needs.
Experience with DDA-regulated services, Maryland health regulations, Medicaid-funded programs, or comparable disability-service systems.
Demonstrated ability to manage regulatory requirements, clinical risk, interdisciplinary collaboration, and quality improvement.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic direction and clinical oversight for Youth Autism Services programs, ensuring services align with approved program models, participant needs, applicable regulations, and organizational policies.
Establish clinical standards and procedures for safe, effective, ethical, and person-centered service delivery.
Oversee the development, implementation, review, and monitoring of individualized treatment plans, behavioral support plans, educational objectives, developmental goals, and participant documentation.
Monitor clinical outcomes, identify service-delivery concerns, and implement corrective action and performance improvement plans.
Maintain working knowledge of applicable Maryland DDA, Maryland Department of Health, licensing, certification, Medicaid, and other governing requirements.
Ensure compliance with applicable service definitions, participant rights requirements, documentation standards, privacy requirements, and organizational procedures.
Oversee timely and accurate clinical records, assessments, service plans, progress notes, incident documentation, and required reviews.
Prepare the department for reviews, inspections, audits, and compliance monitoring; address gaps through corrective action plans.
Champion person-centered planning and ensure participants and families or authorized representatives are meaningfully involved in planning and evaluating services.
Monitor participant progress and ensure recommendations and interventions are adjusted in response to documented outcomes and changing needs.
Promote positive behavior support, dignity, self-determination, community participation, and least restrictive appropriate approaches.
Provide clinical oversight of behavioral assessment and intervention processes within professional qualifications and authorized scope.
Monitor behavioral, injury, safety, and crisis trends; review incidents; and coordinate follow-up, root-cause analysis, and corrective action as appropriate.
Ensure crisis response and de-escalation procedures follow approved training, participant plans, and organizational protocols.
Supervise, coach, and manage the performance of assigned clinical personnel and designated staff.
Ensure staff receive orientation, role-specific training, competency assessments, and ongoing professional development.
Conduct performance evaluations, provide feedback, address deficiencies, and support recruitment, retention, succession planning, and staff development.
Build collaborative relationships with families and communicate progress, recommendations, and significant concerns appropriately and confidentially.
Coordinate with schools, healthcare providers, therapists, behavioral specialists, case managers, and community partners when authorized and appropriate.
Oversee clinical workflows, documentation timelines, service quality, staffing levels, service capacity, scheduling, and departmental priorities.
Collaborate with executive leadership on goals, program objectives, performance indicators, improvement initiatives, budgeting, and resource allocation as assigned.
Maintain departmental reports, clinical tracking tools, and performance dashboards; identify opportunities to improve processes and efficiency.
Establish and monitor measurable indicators for participant outcomes, documentation compliance, staff competency, incident trends, and service quality.
Conduct clinical record and service implementation reviews, develop corrective action plans, and use data and feedback to improve programs.
Report significant clinical risks, regulatory concerns, and quality issues to executive leadership promptly.
Protect participant dignity, privacy, confidentiality, autonomy, and freedom from abuse, neglect, exploitation, discrimination, and unnecessary restrictions.
Support reasonable accommodations and accessible communication, and ensure rights and safety concerns are addressed and reported as required.
Attend leadership meetings, compliance reviews, and departmental planning sessions as required.
Be available on call after business working hours to provide crisis support when necessary.