Program Manager of Community-Based Services

Friend Family Health Center•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The Program Manager of Community-Based Services provides clinical and operational leadership for Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Community Support Team (CST), and FDDP programs. This position ensures community-based services are clinically appropriate, recovery-oriented, responsive to client needs, and compliant with CCBHC, IDHS/DMH, Medicaid, contractual, and organizational requirements. The Program Manager is responsible for program fidelity, IM+CANS and documentation compliance, high-risk client oversight, referral management, census, staff productivity, community-based service delivery, program outcomes, outreach, and financial sustainability.

Requirements

Master's degree in Social Work from a CSWE-accredited program required.
Current, unrestricted Illinois Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) license required.
Knowledge of IM+CANS, IDHS/DMH, CCBHC, Medicaid, medical necessity, clinical documentation, crisis intervention, and community-based services required.
Demonstrated ability to oversee clinical quality, staff performance, productivity, census, outcomes, and regulatory compliance.
Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and community partners.

Nice To Haves

Five years of behavioral health/community mental health experience preferred.
Three years of supervisory, program management, or clinical leadership experience preferred.
Experience working with individuals with serious mental illness and intensive community-based behavioral health services strongly preferred.
ACT, CST, FDDP, or comparable community-based program experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide clinical, administrative, and operational oversight of ACT, CST, and FDDP programs.
Supervise the ACT Supervisor, CST Supervisor, and FDDP Supervisor and hold program leadership accountable for clinical quality, staff performance, productivity, documentation, census, and outcomes.
Ensure services are delivered at the appropriate frequency, intensity, and location based on client clinical needs and program requirements.
Monitor program eligibility, caseloads, community contacts, difficult-to-engage clients, and transitions between levels of care.
Review IM+CANS assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, community support documentation, and other required clinical records.
Ensure documentation supports medical necessity, billed services, and IDHS/DMH, Medicaid, and CCBHC requirements.
Provide oversight and clinical consultation for high-risk and high-acuity clients, including individuals experiencing frequent hospitalization, crisis utilization, housing instability, or disengagement.
Ensure timely follow-up and re-engagement following psychiatric hospitalization or behavioral health crises.
Oversee the referral process from receipt and eligibility determination through enrollment, first community contact, and ongoing engagement.
Monitor referral conversion, census, admissions, discharges, available capacity, and clients lost to follow-up.
Develop referral partnerships with hospitals, crisis programs, housing providers, substance use programs, justice-system partners, and other community organizations.
Participate in outreach and marketing activities to increase appropriate referrals and program census.
Monitor staff productivity, billable services, field-based service delivery, and utilization of available program capacity.
Collaborate with Intake, Quality, Billing, Finance, and organizational leadership to improve operational and financial performance.
Use program data to monitor hospitalization, crisis utilization, engagement, documentation, productivity, and other performance indicators.
Support staff recruitment, training, performance management, retention, and field-based safety practices.