Program Manager, Child First

CLIFFORD BEERS COMMUNITY CARE CENTER•New Haven, CT

1d•$65,000 - $95,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Child First Program Manager provides clinical, administrative, and operational leadership for the Child First program. This position directs and coordinates the day-to-day operations of the program and implements programmatic, clinical, and administrative policies and procedures to achieve program goals and ensure the delivery of high-quality services to children and families. The Program Manager provides reflective clinical supervision to Child First Clinical Teams, each consisting of a Care Coordinator and a Mental Health and Developmental Clinician, who deliver the Child First home-based therapeutic intervention. The Program Manager is responsible for supporting Child First model fidelity, staff development, clinical quality, productivity, documentation compliance, billing and reimbursement processes, and overall program performance.

Requirements

Licensed mental health clinician with Masters degree in social work, psychology, APRN-child psychiatry, marriage and family therapy, or related field.
Minimum of five (5) years of post-licensure clinical experience providing evidence-based behavioral health services to infants, young children ages 0–5, and their families utilizing relationship-based and attachment-focused treatment models.
Demonstrated experience providing dyadic parent-child psychotherapy, including Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) or comparable evidence-based, relationship-based interventions, is strongly preferred.
Experience providing reflective supervision, clinical consultation, coaching, and professional development to multidisciplinary clinical teams.
Experience supervising clinicians, Care Coordinators, or other behavioral health professionals in a community-based, outpatient, or home-based setting is preferred.
Experience overseeing program operations, staff performance, caseload management, clinical productivity, documentation compliance, and service delivery expectations.
Experience monitoring billing-related documentation, service authorization requirements, productivity, and reimbursement processes within a behavioral health setting.
Experience leading quality improvement initiatives, utilizing clinical and operational outcome data, and implementing evidence-based practices to improve program performance and client outcomes.
Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, early childhood providers, healthcare professionals, child welfare agencies, and community partners to coordinate comprehensive care for children and families.
Experience managing and supervising high-acuity clinical cases involving trauma, abuse, neglect, caregiver mental health concerns, substance use disorders, domestic violence, developmental concerns, and other complex psychosocial needs.
Demonstrated experience conducting and reviewing comprehensive clinical assessments, diagnostic formulations, and individualized treatment plans for young children and their caregivers.
Experience conducting clinical chart reviews or audits and maintaining compliance with clinical documentation standards, regulatory requirements, accreditation standards, payer requirements, and billing expectations.
Experience implementing trauma-informed, culturally responsive, family-centered, and relationship-based interventions within diverse communities.
Experience utilizing Electronic Health Record or Electronic Medical Record systems for clinical documentation, reporting, compliance monitoring, productivity oversight, and program management.
Current, unrestricted Connecticut independent clinical license required, including one of the following: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Licensed Psychologist (Ph.D. or Psy.D.).
Licensure must remain active and in good standing throughout employment.
Candidates must be willing to complete all required Child First training and maintain fidelity to the Child First model.
Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to effectively supervise, mentor, coach, and develop multidisciplinary clinical teams.
Strong clinical judgment and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage complex situations while ensuring high-quality, family-centered care.
Strong knowledge of reflective supervision principles and the ability to provide individual and group reflective supervision to multidisciplinary Child First teams.
Proficiency in Electronic Health Record and Electronic Medical Record systems, including clinical documentation, reporting, data management, chart review, productivity monitoring, and compliance oversight.
Strong understanding of behavioral health billing and reimbursement processes, including the relationship between service delivery, documentation, authorizations, medical necessity, billing accuracy, and reimbursement.
Ability to monitor and analyze clinical productivity, service utilization, documentation timeliness, billing trends, program outcomes, and other key performance indicators.
Excellent organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and oversee competing clinical and operational demands.
Knowledge of recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, staff development, performance management, and employee engagement best practices.
Strong understanding of quality improvement principles, clinical compliance, payer requirements, and program fidelity, with the ability to analyze data and implement meaningful process improvements.
Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to build collaborative relationships with staff, families, community partners, Changent representatives, and organizational leadership.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams through organizational and programmatic change while fostering a positive, collaborative, accountable, and supportive work environment.
Strong problem-solving, conflict-resolution, and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to make sound and timely decisions.
Commitment to trauma-informed, culturally responsive, relationship-based, and family-centered care.
Exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to ensure accuracy, regulatory compliance, billing integrity, and accountability across all aspects of program operations.
Demonstrated ability to proactively oversee program operations, anticipate challenges, remove barriers, and ensure staff have the resources, supervision, and support needed to provide high-quality services.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive clinical, personnel, financial, and organizational information.
Ability to participate in and apply information from required Child First training, consultation, fidelity activities, and Clinical Supervisors’ meetings with Changent.

Nice To Haves

Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) training or certification is preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide leadership and oversight for the Child First program, ensuring program operations, clinical services, billing practices, and outcomes align with organizational goals, strategic priorities, payer requirements, and Child First model fidelity.
Supervise, mentor, and support Child First Clinicians, Care Coordinators, and Clinical Team members through weekly individual reflective supervision, coaching, case consultation, and professional development.
Facilitate weekly Child First group reflective supervision and case conference meetings, incorporating video review when appropriate to enhance clinical practice and reflective learning.
Monitor staff performance, clinical productivity, caseloads, service delivery, documentation completion, and billing activity to ensure high-quality, family-centered care and compliance with organizational, regulatory, payer, and Child First requirements.
Ensure program staffing and scheduling practices support the needs and availability of children and families, including the delivery of services during required evening hours.
Utilize the Child First Fidelity Framework to monitor implementation of the model, provide coaching and corrective guidance when necessary, and ensure ongoing fidelity across Clinical Teams.
Review monthly process, productivity, billing, and performance data with staff; identify trends, barriers, and opportunities for improvement; and develop targeted training, coaching, and quality improvement initiatives.
Review quarterly clinical outcome data with staff, evaluate program effectiveness, and implement strategies to improve client outcomes, service quality, engagement, and program performance.
Lead site-based quality improvement and quality enhancement activities in collaboration with the Connecticut Clinical Director, organizational leadership, and Changent.
Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, supervise, and develop Child First staff in accordance with organizational policies and Child First hiring and model requirements established by Changent.
Ensure all staff successfully complete required Child First training, including the Child First Learning Collaborative, distance-learning curriculum, specialty trainings, ongoing fidelity activities, and other professional development requirements established by Changent.
Promote staff competency and adherence to evidence-based, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, relationship-based, and family-centered practices consistent with the Child First model.
Participate in required Clinical Supervisors’ meetings with Changent, as well as other required leadership, clinical, administrative, and program meetings.
Oversee the accuracy, quality, and timeliness of clinical documentation, service entry, data entry, and program reporting to ensure compliance with organizational, regulatory, payer, billing, reimbursement, and Child First requirements.
Conduct regular clinical chart audits to ensure assessments, clinical formulations, treatment plans, progress notes, consents, service documentation, and other required records meet regulatory, accreditation, payer, organizational, and Child First standards.
Monitor documentation and billing workflows to identify incomplete documentation, authorization concerns, coding issues, service discrepancies, or other barriers that may delay or prevent reimbursement.
Collaborate with clinicians, Care Coordinators, administrative staff, billing staff, and organizational leadership to address documentation and billing issues and support timely and accurate reimbursement for eligible services.
Monitor staff productivity and utilization expectations and provide coaching, support, and performance management when established expectations are not being met.
Ensure services are delivered and documented in accordance with applicable authorizations, payer requirements, medical necessity standards, and program expectations.
Collaborate with organizational leadership, community partners, referral sources, and interdisciplinary teams to strengthen service delivery, support program growth, maintain referral relationships, and address the evolving needs of children and families.
Support staff in managing complex and high-acuity clinical situations, including risk assessment, crisis response, safety planning, and referrals to appropriate levels of care.
Ensure compliance with organizational policies and procedures, Child First model requirements, Changent expectations, applicable licensing standards, payer requirements, and state and federal regulations.
Perform additional leadership, clinical, administrative, billing-related, quality improvement, and program management responsibilities as assigned.