Senior Manager of Behavioral Health

Build Inc•Chicago, IL

About The Position

BUILD is seeking an experienced, collaborative Senior Manager of Behavioral Health to lead, manage, and provide operational oversight across its behavioral health services. The role strengthens program quality, staff performance, service delivery, accountability, and coordination across School-Based Mental Health, Community Mental Health, and other assigned behavioral health initiatives. It directly supervises the managers of School-Based Mental Health Services and Community Mental Health and works closely with the Director of Mental Health & Therapeutic Services to ensure programs are appropriately staffed, meet performance expectations, respond to participant needs, and align with BUILD’s strategic priorities. A significant initial responsibility is leading the development and implementation of PYO-TREAT, a SAMHSA-funded initiative to prevent overdose and expand access to substance use prevention, treatment, recovery support, education, and behavioral health services for youth and young adults ages 10–25. During development and launch, approximately 50% of the role will focus on PYO-TREAT and 50% on managing and overseeing School-Based and Community Mental Health programs. Once PYO-TREAT is fully operational, the expected allocation shifts to approximately 20% PYO-TREAT oversight and 80% broader behavioral health program management and leadership. Allocation may change based on program needs, grant requirements, staffing, organizational priorities, and the Director’s direction. The Senior Manager serves as a bridge between program management and departmental leadership. The role supports communication, accountability, staff development, interdisciplinary coordination, compliance, quality assurance, and consistency across BUILD’s behavioral health services. Responsibilities also include overseeing performance and quality improvement, supporting budgets and grant requirements, developing partnerships, and representing Mental Health & Therapeutic Services in internal and external settings as assigned. The position performs other work-related duties assigned by the Director of Mental Health & Therapeutic Services. Employment offers are contingent on a background check that includes a review of conviction history. BUILD considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis. BUILD may revise job duties and responsibilities as organizational needs arise; the description does not constitute a written or implied employment contract. Applicants and employees must be able to perform essential job functions, with reasonable accommodation determined case by case. BUILD states that it does not discriminate on legally protected grounds across its employment practices.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, Public Health, Behavioral Health, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated experience managing or supervising behavioral health, mental health, clinical, youth-development, or community-based programs.
Demonstrated experience supervising managers, supervisors, clinicians, or multidisciplinary behavioral health teams.
Strong understanding of trauma-informed, culturally responsive, youth-centered, and community-based behavioral health practices.
Experience supporting individuals, youth, and families affected by trauma, community violence, behavioral health challenges, substance use, or systemic inequities.
Demonstrated ability to translate grant requirements and strategic priorities into program operations, workflows, staff responsibilities, and measurable deliverables.
Experience monitoring program performance, caseloads, documentation, productivity, service utilization, participant outcomes, and quality indicators.
Experience with program budgets, grant expenditures, staffing allocations, and resource planning.
Strong leadership, supervision, coaching, conflict-resolution, communication, and performance-management skills.
Ability to address complex programmatic, personnel, partnership, and service-delivery challenges with sound judgment and professionalism.
Demonstrated ability to develop productive relationships with schools, healthcare providers, community organizations, government agencies, behavioral health providers, and other external partners.
Strong organizational and project-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple programs, deadlines, priorities, and competing responsibilities.
Ability to analyze program data and use findings to support quality improvement, staffing, training, and strategic decision-making.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparation of professional reports and effective communication with staff, senior leadership, funders, and community partners.
Commitment to BUILD’s mission and to accessible, equitable, culturally responsive, high-quality behavioral health services for youth, families, and communities.

Nice To Haves

Clinical licensure or eligibility for clinical licensure in Illinois, such as LCSW, LCPC, LMFT, or another applicable behavioral health credential.
Knowledge of substance use prevention, treatment, recovery support, harm reduction, and overdose prevention practices.
Experience managing government-, foundation-, or otherwise grant-funded programs.
Experience with SAMHSA-funded programming, GPRA/SPARS, or similar federal reporting and performance requirements.
Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC), Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), or another relevant behavioral health credential.
Training in Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Informed Care, Recovery Coaching, or related evidence-based practices.

Responsibilities

Directly supervise, coach, and support the Managers of School-Based Mental Health Services and Community Mental Health through regular leadership meetings and individual supervision.
Set expectations, priorities, deliverables, and performance measures for assigned managers and programs; support managers with personnel matters, staffing challenges, service barriers, difficult cases, and escalated concerns.
Promote consistent management, supervision, and accountability practices across School-Based and Community Mental Health services.
Monitor caseloads, staffing capacity, utilization, productivity, documentation, participant engagement, outcomes, and program performance.
Provide leadership oversight for therapists, clinical interns, and other behavioral health staff through the appropriate program managers.
Ensure services are trauma-informed, culturally responsive, youth-centered, ethical, and responsive to individuals and families affected by trauma, violence, and systemic inequities.
Strengthen coordination among behavioral health services, schools, families, mentors, case managers, outreach teams, community partners, and BUILD departments.
Lead the development, implementation, and launch of PYO-TREAT, translating grant requirements into workflows, procedures, staff responsibilities, timelines, deliverables, and performance expectations.
Establish processes for PYO-TREAT outreach, referrals, screening, assessment, treatment connections, recovery support, education, care coordination, engagement, and retention.
Coordinate substance use prevention and treatment, recovery support, overdose prevention, education, and behavioral health services for youth and young adults.
Develop and maintain relationships with treatment providers, healthcare organizations, schools, behavioral health providers, community organizations, government entities, and other stakeholders.
Coordinate overdose prevention education, naloxone distribution, psychoeducation, outreach, and community engagement activities associated with PYO-TREAT.
Oversee PYO-TREAT data collection, evaluation, performance measurement, GPRA/SPARS responsibilities, compliance, and grant reporting.
Coordinate staff training and workforce development in substance use prevention and treatment, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, harm reduction, recovery-oriented practices, and related approaches.
Monitor PYO-TREAT implementation, outcomes, expenditures, barriers, and emerging needs; provide regular updates to departmental leadership and participate in sustainability planning.
Establish quality and performance expectations across assigned behavioral health programs and review dashboards, reports, documentation, service hours, caseloads, productivity, participant outcomes, and other performance data.
Use data to identify program strengths, service gaps, trends, training and staffing needs, and opportunities for continuous quality improvement.
Support internal audits, quality assurance, corrective action plans, and compliance monitoring; ensure programs meet BUILD policies, grant and contractual requirements, professional standards, and applicable regulatory expectations.
Coach managers and support their professional development in supervision, communication, conflict resolution, accountability, performance management, staff development, and team leadership.
Identify professional development needs, coordinate training, assist with employee engagement, growth, recruitment, and retention strategies, and support onboarding and development of behavioral health leaders and staff.
Promote a collaborative, ethical, supportive, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive workplace culture.
Serve as a leadership liaison between Behavioral Health and other BUILD departments and programs; participate in interdisciplinary care coordination and other relevant meetings.
Represent Mental Health & Therapeutic Services in internal and external meetings as assigned by the Director.
Support managers in monitoring budgets, grant expenditures, staffing allocations, contractual deliverables, and resources; partner with the Director, Finance, Development, and program managers to align spending with budgets, priorities, and funding requirements.
Monitor for underspending, overspending, performance risks, staffing shortages, and barriers to grant or contractual commitments; assist with proposals, renewals, reports, budgets, program development, and sustainability planning as requested.
Support strategic staffing and resource-allocation decisions based on participant demand, service capacity, program requirements, and available funding.
Maintain communication with the Director regarding staffing, program performance, accomplishments, risks, compliance concerns, and emerging needs.
Participate in strategic planning, special initiatives, community events, and fundraising activities as appropriate; assume additional oversight, project, meeting, and leadership responsibilities as organizational needs evolve.
Perform other work-related duties assigned by the Director of Mental Health & Therapeutic Services.