Associate Vice President (AVP) of Behavioral Health

About the role

Metropolitan Family Services (MFS) empowers families to learn, to earn, to heal, to thrive. Since 1857, MFS has been the engine of change that empowers families to reach their greatest potential and positively impact their communities.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Direct the strategic vision for a multi-site behavioral health division, balancing the distinct operational needs of value-based care (CCBHC/PPS) and volume-based care (Fee-for-Service/Rule 132).

• Lead the expansion of services across the MFS footprint, addressing unique challenges such as multi-site logistics, community safety, and equitable access for diverse, high-needs populations.

• In partnership with the COO and other MFS leadership, architect a "no wrong door" system that seamlessly connects behavioral health clients to internal MFS services addressing HRSN (e.g., housing, workforce development, legal aid, and violence prevention).

• Champion organizational change initiatives, particularly the transition from volume-based to value-based care cultures, ensuring staff buy-in and operational readiness.

• Provide guidance and input into grant applications to ensure alignment with current BH systems and practices, as well as the proposed outcomes and deliverables.

• Develop and implement strategies to grow the CCBHC footprint.

• Provide clinical and operational oversight to the CCBHC Director, Program Directors, Clinical Supervisors and Medical Director, ensuring all outpatient mental health, substance use (SUD), crisis response, and psychiatric rehabilitation programs meet "gold standard" clinical metrics.

• Manage a complex P&L comprised of Prospective Payment System (PPS) rates, Fee-for-Service Medicaid billing, and state/federal grants.

• Ensure total line of service compliance with Illinois Administrative Code Title 59 (Rule 132), SUPR licensure, DEA regulations, CCBHC certification criteria, CARF, and accreditation requirements.

• Represent the organization in state-level forums (e.g., CBHA, CCBHC Learning Collaboratives) to advocate for urban health equity, reimbursement rate adjustments, and workforce development policy.

• Cultivate formal agreements with criminal justice partners, housing authorities, schools, and other human service providers to solidify the referral network and address the broader social determinants affecting client health.

• Identify, develop and cultivate strategic partnerships, affiliations and alliances that support the mission, growth and success of the agency and its behavioral health programs and services.

• Represent the Agency at external meetings and develop relationships with key representatives of private, public, and non-profit sectors to enhance the Agency’s understanding of emerging opportunities and to generate awareness of the Agency’s work and mission.

• Champion a spirit of collaborative and open communication across all Agency departments and program operations to bridge multiple sites, ensure program alignment, program efficiencies, and cross continuum of program services.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Public Health (MPH), or Health Administration (MHA), required.

• Current clinical licensure (LCSW, LCPC, LMFT) in the State of Illinois, required.

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive leadership experience in behavioral health, with at least 3 years at a Director or Senior Director level, required.

• Demonstrated experience managing multi-site operations in a large urban setting, required.

• Proven track record managing complex budgets ($5M+) with mixed revenue streams (Medicaid FFS, Managed Care, Federal Grants), required.

• Deep knowledge of CCBHC/PPS models and Illinois Rule 132/140, required.

• Experience providing care coordination and integrating SDOH/HRSN interventions into clinical workflows, required.

• Proficiency in EHR optimization and data analytics for population health management, required.

• IM+CANS certified (or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire), required.

• Demonstrated experience applying ASAM criteria, required.

• Experience overseeing both Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder (SUPR-licensed) programs, preferred.

• Implementation experience with Alternative Payment Models (APMs) or value-based contracting, preferred.

• Executive experience in BH administration, preferred.

• CADC certification, preferred.

Benefits

Metropolitan Family Services contributes $2,000 to individual medical, dental, and vision coverage.