Director, Clinical AI

Pelago • New York, NY

6h • Hybrid

About The Position

Pelago is the world’s leading virtual clinic for Substance Use Management, providing guidance, support, and treatment for members seeking to overcome tobacco, alcohol, and opioid use. Their program offers personalized solutions based on individual health, habits, genetics, and goals, delivering care across the substance use spectrum. Pelago's virtual services include education, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and comprehensive medication-assisted treatment (MAT), enabling employers and health plans to provide accessible, affordable, and effective treatment. The company has helped over 750,000 members and recently closed its Series C, raising over $151m. The Director, Clinical AI role is crucial as Pelago expands its AI arm within clinical operations. This position serves as the clinical backbone, bridging care delivery, product development, and strategic partnership company-wide. It is a director-level role for a clinician comfortable with strategy, compliance, and communicating with clinical, technical, and executive audiences. This individual contributor role has a clear path to building and leading a team as the function grows, sitting at the intersection of clinical excellence and AI-driven product innovation.

Requirements

• Master's or Doctoral degree in a clinical field (LCSW, LPC, PsyD, PhD, or equivalent); active licensure required.
• 8+ years of clinical experience in mental or behavioral health, with at least 3 years in a leadership or manager-level role.
• Experience working at the intersection of clinical care and technology or digital health.
• Hands-on AI fluency: has integrated AI tools into their own clinical or operational workflows, can critically evaluate model outputs, and understands both the capabilities and failure modes of AI in a clinical context.
• Strong technical collaboration: able to work closely with product and engineering counterparts, iterate alongside technical teams, and contribute meaningfully to how AI tools are shaped and improved.
• Experience managing external partnerships and engaging with health agencies or vendors.
• Strong communication and influencing skills across clinical, technical, and executive audiences.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior clinical decision-maker overseeing Pelago's AI-driven mental and behavioral health care programs.
• Own the day-to-day clinical operations of the AI arm, ensuring that AI-assisted care meets Pelago's standards for quality, compliance, regulatory requirements, and documentation.
• Manage clinical escalations and serve as the senior point of accountability for clinical decisions within the AI care program.
• Work closely with product, design, and engineering teams to provide clinical annotation, structured feedback, and ongoing quality review of AI products.
• Serve as the clinical voice in product design discussions, contributing insight that keeps AI tools grounded in evidence-based care delivery.
• Represent clinical priorities in cross-functional strategy discussions, standing in for the VP of Care Delivery when needed.
• Partner with the Chief Scientific Officer on clinical standards, research alignment, and innovation.
• Help shape the long-term vision for AI-assisted care at Pelago.
• Build and manage relationships with mental health agencies, clinical vendors, and external partners.
• Act as Pelago's clinical representative in external settings, upholding our standards and values.
• Facilitate alignment between Clinical and Product teams, ensuring consistent communication and coordinated execution.
• Work hand-in-hand with the Care Manager team to ensure continuity between AI-assisted and human-delivered care.

Benefits

• Generous and meaningful equity package
• Full Medical, Dental, & Vision coverage
• 401k Plan
• Unlimited PTO Policy, 10 paid holidays, & company wide “Me Time” Days
• Paid maternity, paternity & new parent leave
• Flexible working environment
• Annual Learning and Development stipend to support continued learning and career development
• Wellness Reimbursement Program
• Access to Reproductive & Family Planning Care
• Substance Use Support for employees and family members

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree