National Council for Mental Wellbeing Senior Director, Practice Improvement
About The Position
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is seeking a Senior Director, Practice Improvement to lead the administrative and people operations of the Practice Improvement (PI) department. This is a newly designed position that will shape how the department operates, grows, and supports its people. As our Senior Director, you will set department-wide frameworks, structures, and standards that enable consistent supervision, effective staffing, and efficient operations across a growing, grant-funded portfolio. You will directly supervise people managers, drive organizational health and workforce stability, oversee budget and resource decisions for funded projects, and mitigate operational risk. This role operates with significant autonomy and requires expert-level judgment in management, organizational design, and matrix supervision. You are the right fit for this role if you bring deep expertise in building and optimizing operational systems within complex, matrixed environments. You thrive in roles where you can design new ways of working rather than maintain the status quo. You have a track record of leading people managers, standardizing practices, and aligning teams to strategic priorities. You bring both the strategic mindset and the hands-on leadership to build something new. This is a people manager role with direct reports at the Director (M4) level. While this position can be done remotely from anywhere in the U.S., you must primarily work our Washington, D.C. business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.
Requirements
- Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience, with significant experience in the behavioral health, public health, or nonprofit sector preferred.
- Minimum of 6 years of progressive supervisory experience, including at least 3 years supervising managers or supervisors.
- Master's Degree in Business Administration, Social Work, Public Administration, Organizational Development, Human Resources, Public Health, Public Policy, or a related field.
- Demonstrated expertise in organizational design, including experience structuring or restructuring teams, defining reporting relationships, and aligning roles to strategic priorities.
- Proven track record in standardizing supervisory, onboarding, and operational practices across a department or division.
- Experience collaborating closely with Human Resources on the full employee lifecycle, including hiring, performance management, employee relations, and organizational planning.
- Demonstrated ability to function as a decisive, autonomous leader in complex, matrixed organizational environments.
- Experience in the development and management of departmental budgets and human resource allocations.
- Exceptional written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills; high emotional intelligence with a demonstrated ability to navigate conflict.
- Demonstrated leadership competencies including strategic thinking, delegation, coaching, cascading communication, and a future-focused orientation.
Nice To Haves
- Knowledge of mental health, addiction treatment, or behavioral health service delivery and financing.
- SHRM-CP/SCP, SPHR, or similar HR-adjacent certification.
- Formal training or certification in organizational design, change management, or leadership development.
- Experience with federal or state grant-funded programs and multi-project workforce management.
- Prior experience in a national membership association or policy-oriented nonprofit environment.
Responsibilities
- Supervisory Leadership & People Management
- Workforce Planning, Staffing & Talent Lifecycle
- Organizational Design & Structural Leadership
- Standardization of Departmental Practices & Procedures
- Administrative Oversight & Operational Efficiency
- Human Resources Partnership
- People Leadership
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
- 403(b) retirement plan with employer contributions after 1 year of service
- Paid time off, including vacation, sick, personal, floating holiday, bereavement and observed federal holidays
- Parental support benefits, including adoption, fertility and surrogacy reimbursement and two weeks paid parental leave
- Free unlimited Relias professional development courses
- Annual professional development and tuition reimbursement funds
- Calm Premium access
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Number of Employees
1-10 employees
