Director of Mental Health

State of Maryland • Howard, MD

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) is seeking dedicated candidates to fill important roles within our department. We are one of the largest departments in Maryland with nearly 12,000 employees and a budget of more than $1 billion. In order to fulfill our mission of promoting safety, we have increased security at our institutions while leading the way in innovative restorative justice projects that will help offenders reintegrate into society upon release. As a member of the DPSCS team, you can have a fulfilling career, while also enjoying a wide range of benefits such as medical and dental coverage, paid time off (i.e. vacation, sick leave), becoming vested in the State pension, supplemental retirement options, and even joining the Maryland State Employees Credit Union. This Is an Executive Service Position. The Incumbent Will Work at The Pleasure of The Appointing Authority.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Psychology, Psychiatry, Behavioral Health, Public Administration, Criminal Justice, or a closely related field.
• Eight (8) years of progressively responsible management experience in correctional administration, behavioral health, psychology, psychiatry, criminal justice, public administration, or a closely related field, including at least four (4) years supervising professional or managerial staff.
• Management experience must include directing complex organizational operations, managing budgets, developing policies, leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Additional experience must include working with behavioral health, correctional treatment programs, or institutional operations.
• Maryland licensure as a psychologist or eligibility for licensure.
• The ideal candidate must be fluent in spoken and written English.
• The ideal candidate must effectively and respectfully communicate with diverse populations, providing services to individuals with different beliefs, behaviors, and interpersonal styles in confinement or community settings.

Nice To Haves

• Executive-level leadership experience within a correctional, forensic, behavioral health, or public safety environment.
• Experience presenting before executive leadership, legislators, oversight bodies, or public stakeholders.
• Professional working fluency in Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, or any other language is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the Director of Patuxent Institution and is responsible for the executive leadership, strategic direction, administration, and overall operation of Maryland's only treatment-oriented correctional institution.
• Provides leadership for the delivery of legislatively mandated treatment programs, behavioral health services, custody operations, fiscal management, policy implementation, and organizational planning while ensuring compliance with State and federal laws, Department directives, and Correctional Services Article §4-203.
• Responsible for advancing Patuxent Institution's mission of enhancing public safety through evidence-based assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, and successful community reintegration of incarcerated individuals.
• Provides executive leadership and overall administrative direction for Patuxent Institution, exercising authority over all institutional operations, including custody, behavioral sciences, psychiatry, treatment services, business administration, fiscal management, maintenance, human resources, and support operations.
• Develops strategic goals and institutional priorities that align with DPSCS initiatives while ensuring operational efficiency, accountability, regulatory compliance, and continuous organizational improvement.
• Directs executive staff in implementing policies and procedures that support public safety, institutional security, offender rehabilitation, and employee engagement.
• Serves as the senior executive responsible for organizational planning, succession planning, workforce development, performance management, and executive decision-making affecting all institutional operations.
• Provides executive oversight for all clinical operations and specialized treatment programs administered by Patuxent Institution, including the legislatively mandated Eligible Person (EP) Program, Patuxent Youth (PY) Program, Correctional Mental Health Center–Jessup, Mental Health Transition Unit, Mental Health Step-Down Unit, psychological services, psychiatric services, social work services, crisis intervention, behavioral health programming, risk assessment services, and community reintegration initiatives.
• Ensures treatment programs are evidence-based, clinically appropriate, legally compliant, and consistent with nationally recognized correctional behavioral health standards.
• Promotes multidisciplinary collaboration among custody, psychology, psychiatry, social work, medical, educational, and administrative personnel to provide integrated treatment services that reduce institutional violence, improve offender outcomes, and enhance public safety.
• Executes statutory responsibilities assigned to the Director under Maryland Correctional Services Article §4-203.
• Prepares and submits the institution's Annual Report to the Secretary and Governor detailing institutional operations, expenditures, offender demographics, treatment outcomes, educational programming, institutional progress, and recommendations for improving the effectiveness of Patuxent Institution.
• Serves as a voting member of the Institutional Board of Review (IBOR), participating in decisions regarding offender eligibility, treatment continuation, conditional release, parole recommendations, and discharge determinations while ensuring decisions comply with statutory requirements and prioritize public safety.
• Represents Patuxent Institution before the Secretary of DPSCS, Governor's Office, Maryland General Assembly, Judiciary, Office of the Attorney General, institutional oversight organizations, victim advocacy groups, law enforcement agencies, community organizations, educational institutions, professional organizations, and other local, State, and federal stakeholders.
• Develop collaborative partnerships that enhance correctional programming, promote innovative treatment initiatives, expand educational opportunities, and improve institutional effectiveness.
• Provides executive briefings, policy recommendations, legislative testimony, and organizational updates regarding institutional operations, strategic initiatives, public safety concerns, and correctional treatment outcomes.
• Provides executive leadership and administrative supervision to associate directors, wardens, executive managers, clinical leadership, and administrative management responsible for all institutional functions.
• Establishes performance expectations, evaluates executive staff performance, approves organizational changes, recommends staffing allocations, oversees recruitment and succession planning, resolves complex personnel matters, and fosters a culture of accountability, professionalism, diversity, and continuous improvement.
• Directs development and administration of the institution's operating budget, capital improvement projects, staffing plans, procurement activities, contracts, grants, and resource allocation.
• Ensures effective stewardship of State resources through sound fiscal management, operational efficiencies, strategic planning, and compliance with State procurement, budgetary, and financial management requirements.

Benefits

• health insurance
• dental
• vision plans
• six (6) personnel days annually (prorated based on start date)
• ten (10) days of accumulated annual leave per year
• fifteen (15) days of accumulated sick leave per year
• up to sixty (60) days of paid parental leave upon the birth or adoption of a child
• at least twelve (12) holidays per year
• State pension

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive