Senior Director, Social Work, Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital

Vanderbilt University Medical Center•Nashville, TN

25d

About The Position

Vanderbilt Health – Executive Search Team is conducting a national search for a Senior Director, Social Work, Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital. The Senior Director of Social Work provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and clinical direction for all social work services within Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital. This executive leader is responsible for advancing excellence in patient care, care coordination, discharge planning, behavioral health outcomes, regulatory compliance, staff development, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The Senior Director serves as a key member of the hospital leadership team and partners closely with physicians, nursing leadership, case management, quality, and community stakeholders to ensure the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based, patient-centered behavioral health services. The Senior Director fosters a culture of clinical excellence, innovation, workforce engagement, and continuous improvement while ensuring social work services align with the mission, values, and strategic priorities of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital (VPH) consists of a number of key areas and services, including the 106-licensed bed inpatient hospital, psychiatric emergency department, neuromodulation services, and select outpatient services. The inpatient hospital includes 6 acute inpatient units treating child, adolescent, general adult, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, addiction, and geriatric psychiatric patients. The psychiatric emergency department is attached to the hospital building and is known as PAS (Psychiatric Assessment Services). Neuromodulation services include ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) and TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation). The outpatient services include Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP). VPH also partners closely with other ambulatory outpatient services and across the VUMC system. VPH achieved Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for the fourth time in 2022. VPH is one of only three stand-alone Magnet-designated psychiatric hospitals in the US and the only in the Southeast. VPH is also the only stand-alone psychiatric hospital that has achieved Magnet designation four times.

Requirements

Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited institution.
Current Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensure or eligibility in Tennessee.
Minimum of 10 years of progressive social work leadership experience, including leadership within psychiatric, behavioral health, or hospital settings.
Demonstrated experience leading large teams and complex clinical operations.
Strong knowledge of behavioral health regulations, accreditation standards, and healthcare operations.
7 years of relevant work experience.
Bachelor's degree.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral degree or additional advanced healthcare leadership training.
Experience within an academic medical center or integrated health system.
Experience leading inpatient psychiatric services and multidisciplinary behavioral health programs.
Professional certifications related to healthcare leadership, case management, or behavioral health administration.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a comprehensive vision and strategic plan for social work services across Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital.
Align departmental goals with organizational priorities related to quality, patient experience, employee engagement, financial stewardship, and growth.
Lead initiatives that improve access to behavioral health services, care transitions, and community partnerships.
Serve as the social work subject matter expert and advisor to hospital and health system leadership.
Champion innovation and best practices in psychiatric social work and behavioral health care delivery.
Direct social work operations across inpatient psychiatric units, specialty programs, consult services, and other assigned behavioral health settings.
Ensure consistent implementation of evidence-based social work practice standards and care management processes.
Oversee psychosocial assessments, crisis intervention services, discharge planning, utilization management support, and community resource coordination.
Monitor patient throughput and transition-of-care metrics to improve clinical outcomes and operational efficiency.
Establish performance standards, operational goals, and key performance indicators for the department.
Lead, mentor, and develop managers, supervisors, and social work staff.
Create a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, professional growth, and employee engagement.
Support workforce planning, recruitment, retention, succession planning, and onboarding initiatives.
Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within the social work workforce.
Ensure ongoing competency assessment and professional development opportunities for social work staff.
Ensure compliance with The Joint Commission, CMS, Tennessee state regulations, accreditation standards, and professional social work practice requirements.
Lead quality improvement initiatives focused on patient safety, clinical effectiveness, care coordination, and patient experience.
Analyze quality and outcome data to identify opportunities for improvement and implement corrective actions.
Participate in hospital committees addressing quality, ethics, patient safety, behavioral health standards, and compliance.
Maintain readiness for regulatory surveys and audits.
Partner with Psychiatry, Nursing, Psychology, Case Management, Emergency Services, and other clinical departments to optimize patient care.
Foster strong interdisciplinary relationships that support team-based care and patient-centered treatment planning.
Collaborate with community agencies, post-acute providers, governmental organizations, and advocacy groups to strengthen continuity of care.
Represent social work leadership in executive meetings, strategic planning activities, and organizational initiatives.
Develop and manage departmental budgets, staffing plans, and resource allocation strategies.
Monitor productivity, labor utilization, and operational performance metrics.
Identify opportunities for cost-effective service delivery while maintaining exceptional patient care.
Support business planning and growth initiatives for behavioral health services.
Support Vanderbilt's academic mission through collaboration with schools of social work, residency programs, and trainees.
Promote participation in research, evidence-based practice initiatives, and clinical innovation.
Facilitate student placement programs, internships, and professional education activities.
Encourage scholarly contributions and professional engagement within regional and national organizations.