Medical Director, Substance Use Programs

Texas Health & Human Services Commission•Austin, TX

68d•$12,030 - $20,346•Remote

About The Position

The Substance Use Medical Director serves as a senior clinical advisor within Behavioral Health Services, applying addiction medicine expertise to issues affecting Substance Use services and reports to the Associate Commissioner of Substance Use Programs. Areas of focus include clinical standards, service design, provider expectations, program operations, quality and utilization considerations, policy implementation, and related regulatory matters. The work is collaborative, and the position supports organizational decision-making rather than serving as the owner of a single program or portfolio. The Substance Use Medical Director provides clinical interpretation and practical guidance on matters that affect service design, standards of care, provider expectations, program operations, and cross-system coordination. The position requires interaction with internal and external stakeholders, including program staff, formal workgroups, standing committees, leadership teams, contractors, and external partners. Activities include direct clinical input, participation in ongoing projects, review of materials and proposals, and engagement in committees, workgroups, and leadership activities. The position operates within Behavioral Health Services - Substance Use Programs and requires ongoing collaboration with the Community Mental Health Medical Director on shared Behavioral Health priorities, cross-system initiatives, and matters that benefit from coordinated medical leadership. The Substance Use Medical Director uses addiction medicine expertise, institutional knowledge, and leadership experience to promote consistent interpretation and application of clinical standards, policy requirements, program expectations, and operational practices. The position's scope extends beyond SU services when addiction medicine, behavioral health, or broader medical expertise is relevant. Examples include participation in, and support for, bodies such as the e-Health Advisory Committee, Institutional Review Board, Psychiatric Executive Formulary Committee, cross-agency medical director collaborations, policy and rulemaking discussions, and other related initiatives.

Requirements

Current unrestricted license to practice medicine in the State of Texas.
Board certification in at least one medical specialty relevant to the duties of the position, or ability to obtain board certification within a specified period after hire as determined by the hiring manager is required.
Clinical practice experience in addiction medicine, substance use disorder treatment, behavioral health, primary care, emergency or acute care, public health, preventive medicine, or another relevant medical practice setting required.
Experience providing direct substance use disorder services and/or programmatic oversight in an addiction treatment, behavioral health, or related service delivery setting preferred.
Experience in healthcare administration, health policy, medical leadership, or related clinical and programmatic environments involving advisory support, program support, systems-level healthcare activities, quality or service standards, or organizational decision-making required.
Experience working in government, Medicaid, publicly funded behavioral health, managed care, or other systems responsible for substance use or behavioral health policy preferred.
Knowledge of publicly funded behavioral health and healthcare systems, including how substance use services intersect with mental health, Medicaid, quality, policy, regulatory, contract, and operational functions.
Knowledge of addiction medicine principles and evidence-based approaches across the substance use prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery continuum.
Knowledge of clinical standards, service design, quality management, utilization standards, clinical workflows, assessment, screening, placement practices, and related service-delivery expectations.
Knowledge of medications for substance use disorders, withdrawal management, overdose prevention, emerging substances and trends, special populations, and recovery supports.
Knowledge of co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions, behavioral health integration, and primary care and behavioral health interfaces.
Knowledge of federal and state laws, regulations, policies, confidentiality requirements, and program requirements affecting substance use and behavioral health services.
Skill in analyzing complex clinical, programmatic, operational, policy, regulatory, and system issues and developing practical recommendations.
Skill in interpreting and applying clinical standards, service delivery expectations, laws, regulations, policies, and program requirements.
Skill in providing expert addiction medicine analysis, clinical standards interpretation, and subject-matter support on complex substance use and behavioral health matters.
Skill in developing, reviewing, and presenting training materials, presentations, guidance documents, and related educational or technical assistance materials.
Skill in facilitating collaboration, consensus-building, and issue resolution among multidisciplinary stakeholders.
Skill in communicating complex medical, clinical standards, program, and policy information to executive leadership, staff, providers, contractors, legislative or governmental entities, outside organizations, and external stakeholders.
Ability to apply physician credentials, addiction medicine expertise, and leadership experience to establish credibility and provide informed recommendations on substance use and behavioral health matters.
Ability to synthesize complex clinical, operational, programmatic, and policy information and identify practical implications for programs, providers, and stakeholders.
Ability to support strategic planning, policy development, program implementation, clinical standards interpretation, and organizational decision-making.
Ability to work effectively across program, policy, operational, clinical, administrative, legislative, governmental, provider, contractor, and external stakeholder environments.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with leadership, staff, providers, contractors, governmental entities, outside organizations, and external partners.
Ability to communicate with clarity, credibility, and professional judgment in written materials, presentations, technical assistance, briefings, meetings, legislative or governmental inquiries, and stakeholder discussions.

Nice To Haves

Board certification in Addiction Medicine through the American Board of Preventive Medicine, legacy certification through the American Board of Addiction Medicine, or board certification in Addiction Psychiatry is preferred.

Responsibilities

Provides systems-level input on SUD-related matters, initiatives, and projects, including clinical standards, service design, provider expectations, implementation challenges, and broader program or leadership considerations. Reviews documents, training materials, presentations, policies, proposals, and related materials when clinical interpretation, addiction medicine expertise, or programmatic perspective is needed. Responds to discrete clinical, programmatic, or standards-related questions from staff, leadership, program areas, and partners, and helps clarify options, risks, and practical implications. (30%)
Provides clinical interpretation of policies, rules, standards, program requirements, and regulatory matters affecting SUD services. Collaborates with policy, program, quality, regulatory, Medicaid, and operational staff to support the development, revision, implementation, and consistent application of SUD-related guidance. Contributes to policy, program, and operational guidance involving areas such as SUD rules, confidentiality requirements, telehealth, medication-related services, assessment and placement standards, provider guidance, and service delivery. (20%)
Participates in committees, workgroups, and cross-system activities that require substance use clinical expertise, addiction medicine perspective, or broader behavioral health medical input related to prevention, intervention, treatment, recovery, and related system priorities. Contributes to these activities through discussion, review, interpretation, coordination, and collaboration with Substance Use Programs and other Behavioral Health Services areas, including Mental Health Programs, Behavioral Health Medicaid Programs, quality, policy, information technology, research, and related domains. Examples include participation in or support for the e-Health Advisory Committee, Institutional Review Board, Psychiatric Executive Formulary Committee, cross-agency medical director discussions, behavioral health integration efforts, and substance use or other behavioral health-related workgroups. (20%)
Participates in Substance Use Programs leadership activities and broader Behavioral Health Services or cross-program discussions when addiction medicine, substance use, or behavioral health medical perspective is relevant. Provides addiction medicine, clinical standards, programmatic, and operational perspective to support planning, prioritization, issue resolution, and decision-making. Uses institutional knowledge and prior leadership experience to help identify practical considerations, historical context, potential unintended consequences, and areas requiring coordination across programs. Supports responses to legislative, governmental relations, other government entities, providers, stakeholders, and external inquiries, including briefings, advisory support to executive leadership, and testimony-related preparation or participation when appropriate and when addiction medicine expertise or Substance Use Programs perspective is needed. (15%)
Maintains current knowledge of addiction medicine and related behavioral health and medical developments affecting Substance Use services across prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery, including evidence-based practices, clinical standards, service-delivery models, emerging substances and trends, and issues involving co-occurring conditions or primary care interfaces. Supports education, technical assistance, presentation development, training material review, and knowledge sharing for staff, leadership, workgroups, providers, contractors, and other stakeholders when addiction medicine expertise, clinical standards interpretation, clinical workflow perspective, or Substance Use Programs perspective is needed. Provides input on clinical workflows and related subject areas such as screening, assessment, referral and engagement pathways, ASAM-related standards and placement considerations, medications for substance use disorders, withdrawal management, overdose prevention, co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions, behavioral health integration, primary care and behavioral health interfaces, special populations, recovery supports, and emerging substances or trends. (15%)