Director of Mental Health (Psychologist)
About The Position
The Director of Mental Health provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and clinical direction for behavioral health programs at the assigned facility. The role ensures high-quality, evidence-based behavioral health services while maintaining compliance with regulatory standards, accreditation requirements, and organizational goals. The Director collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to improve patient outcomes, program performance, staff development, and continuity of care. The position provides leadership for behavioral health operations, develops and implements strategic initiatives, monitors performance and patient outcomes, and oversees audits, quality improvement, staffing, workforce planning, and clinical workflows. It partners with Human Resources and clinical leadership on hiring, onboarding, coaching, and performance management; reviews performance indicators and reports; and manages departmental budgets and resource allocation. The Director coordinates care with medical, nursing, correctional, and administrative leaders and serves as a liaison between facility staff and regional behavioral health teams. The role includes responding to urgent operational or clinical issues and providing 24/7 on-call support, including after-hours coverage, unless alternative coverage is approved. The position is based at Mercer County Correctional Facility in Lambertville, New Jersey, and may require travel to other facilities if assigned to more than one location. The Director is expected to uphold organizational and facility policies, safety and infection-control procedures, HIPAA and PREA requirements, and maintain facility security clearance.
Requirements
- Doctoral degree in Psychology.
- Active and unrestricted Licensed Psychologist license, as required by organizational needs.
- Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive behavioral health leadership experience.
- Strong leadership and team development skills.
- Knowledge of behavioral health regulations, standards, and evidence-based practices.
- Experience with quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives.
- Ability to analyze data and make operational decisions.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
- Strong organizational and project management abilities.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Proficiency with electronic health records (EHR) and Microsoft Office applications.
- Ability to meet the physical demands of the job, including regularly standing, walking, and talking or hearing; frequently using hands, reaching, and climbing or balancing; occasionally sitting, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling; and frequently lifting or moving up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to maintain security clearance for the assigned facility.
Nice To Haves
- Minimum of 3 years managing a site, program, or regional operation is preferred.
- Experience in correctional healthcare, community mental health, hospital systems, or integrated healthcare settings is preferred.
- Experience with regulatory agencies and accreditation standards is strongly preferred.
Responsibilities
- Provide leadership and oversight for behavioral health operations at the assigned facility.
- Develop and implement strategic initiatives aligned with organizational goals to improve behavioral health services.
- Monitor program performance, quality metrics, and patient outcomes.
- Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, accreditation standards, and organizational policies.
- Lead and support site staff, clinicians, and interdisciplinary care teams.
- Conduct regular audits to evaluate operational effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Oversee staffing models, workforce planning, recruitment support, and retention strategies.
- Partner with Human Resources and clinical leadership on hiring, onboarding, coaching, and performance management.
- Review and analyze key performance indicators, productivity measures, and behavioral health reports.
- Develop and maintain policies, procedures, and clinical workflows.
- Identify and implement quality improvement initiatives and corrective action plans.
- Collaborate with medical, nursing, correctional, and administrative leadership to coordinate integrated patient care.
- Manage departmental budgets and assist with financial planning and resource allocation.
- Serve as a liaison between site-level staff and regional behavioral health teams.
- Participate in meetings, committees, and leadership initiatives as assigned.
- Provide 24/7 on-call support, including after-hours coverage, for facility mental health needs and clinical matters, unless alternative coverage arrangements are approved.
- Respond to urgent operational or clinical issues.
- Complete other duties as assigned.
- Promote a culture of safety through proper identification, reporting, documentation, and prevention.
- Maintain competency and knowledge of current standards of practice, trends, and developments relevant to the role.
- Follow infection-control, medication administration and storage, controlled-substance, facility safety, OSHA, and occurrence-protocol requirements.
- Uphold HIPAA and PREA regulations, complete required orientation, remain punctual and dependable for assigned shifts, and maintain facility security clearance.
- Travel to facilities if assigned to more than one location.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
