Intake & Authorizations Manager

Alpaca Health•United States, NY

About The Position

Alpaca Health enables clinicians to become entrepreneurs, starting in autism care. We help clinicians launch and scale their own clinics by providing AI-powered software, payer contracting, and full back-office infrastructure. Our goal is simple: shift power in healthcare away from large consolidated entities and back to clinicians. We've raised over $14M from Core Innovation Capital, Adverb Ventures, and South Park Commons, and are growing 30% MoM while serving hundreds of families across the country. We are hiring an Intake & Authorizations Lead to own the end-to-end intake function at Alpaca Health — from first family contact through confirmed start of care. You will manage a team of 5-10 Care Navigators, drive operational excellence across the intake process, and serve as the internal expert on authorizations, documentation, and BCBA matching. This role is critical infrastructure: our commitment is that every family starts care in under 30 days, and you are responsible for making that happen.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in ABA intake, care coordination, or clinic operations — you know this world deeply
Direct experience with TRICARE authorizations, including ECHO enrollment and prior auth workflows
Proven track record managing a team in a healthcare or clinical operations setting
You are highly organized and relentless about follow-through — nothing falls through the cracks on your watch
You communicate clearly and confidently with everyone from frustrated parents to clinical staff to referring physicians
You are a problem-solver who doesn't wait for permission — you identify the issue and fix it
You are comfortable with ambiguity and can make good judgment calls in real time
You hold your team to a high bar while remaining approachable and supportive

Responsibilities

Lead and develop the Care Navigator team
Manage a team of 5-10 Care Navigators, owning their performance, development, and day-to-day prioritization
Build a high-accountability culture where follow-through is the standard, not the exception
Run team huddles, case reviews, and escalation support
Identify gaps in process or performance and address them quickly
Own the intake process
Ensure every family moves from referral to start of care in under 30 days
Maintain a clear picture of where every family stands and what's needed to move them forward
Hold the team accountable to timelines and ensure no family falls through the cracks
Serve as the escalation point for stuck or complex cases
Drive authorizations — especially TRICARE
Own the authorization process for complex cases, with deep expertise in TRICARE (including ECHO enrollment and prior auth workflows)
Support the team in chasing down documentation, resolving auth rejections, and navigating payer requirements
Partner with billing and insurance ops to resolve issues quickly and cleanly
Manage stakeholder communication
Ensure timely, clear communication across all parties: families, BCBAs, referring physicians, and internal teams
Set and manage expectations with families around timelines, documentation requirements, and next steps
Step in directly on high-stakes or escalated family situations
Lead BCBA matching
Oversee the matching process, ensuring every family is paired with the right BCBA based on availability, geography, caseload, and clinical fit
Step in manually for complex or high-touch matching situations — particularly when families have specific preferences or needs
Work closely with the clinical and provider teams to maintain a clear picture of BCBA capacity
Partner with operations to improve the process
Work with the operations team to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities across the intake workflow
Own process improvements from identification through implementation
Maintain accurate tracking and reporting across systems