Director of Access and Therapy Clinical Services

Position Summary

The Director of Access and Therapy Services provides strategic, operational, and people leadership for Beacon Mental Health's Access, Intake, Front Desk, and Therapy services. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, this position improves how quickly, efficiently, safely, and equitably clients move from initial contact to appropriate care; strengthens client communication and service continuity; and ensures assigned departments meet quality, compliance, workforce, and performance expectations. The Director leads coordinated workflows, staffing and capacity planning, scheduling, performance measurement, and continuous improvement while partnering with qualified clinical and medical leadership on matters requiring licensed clinical judgment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

- Provide strategic and operational leadership for Access, Intake, Front Desk, and Therapy services; establish clear priorities, decision rights, performance standards, and coordinated workflows that support Beacon's mission and organizational goals.

- Evaluate and improve the full access pathway from initial contact through screening, intake, assessment, service determination, scheduling, assignment, and connection to ongoing care; remove barriers and reduce unnecessary delays.

- Ensure clinically appropriate triage, risk identification, crisis response, referral, escalation, and communication processes are consistently applied, including coordination of urgent and routine access needs.

- Direct Front Desk operations and client-experience standards for registration, check-in, check-out, scheduling, communication, privacy, urgent-concern identification, and coordination with clinical and administrative departments.

- Provide operational oversight of Therapy services, including provider assignment, appointment availability, caseloads, capacity, productivity, documentation timeliness, service continuity, and coordination with psychiatry, nursing, case management, and other programs.

- Establish standardized organization-wide processes for identifying, documenting, prioritizing, reviewing, and managing clinical waitlists; define ownership, review frequency, required actions, and criteria for placement and removal.

- Ensure clients on waitlists receive timely status updates, available alternatives, appropriate support, ongoing reassessment when indicated, and clinical escalation when risk, symptoms, functioning, or service needs change.

- Establish and oversee processes for clients Beacon cannot serve, including accurate resource directories, appropriate referrals, clear instructions, warm handoffs or care coordination when indicated, crisis or higher-level-of-care connections, and documentation of outcomes.

- Establish follow-up and outreach standards for delayed services, missed appointments, unsuccessful referrals, and client disengagement; assign accountability, monitor completion, require documentation, and escalate safety or continuity concerns.

- Use operational data, client and employee feedback, audits, and workflow observations to identify bottlenecks, duplication, gaps, and inequities; lead sustainable improvements involving processes, staffing, scheduling, electronic health records, technology, and automation.

- Establish and monitor key performance indicators for access time, intake completion, waitlist volume and aging, appointment availability, client engagement, no-shows, referrals, follow-up, productivity, documentation, quality, and client experience; report results and risks to the CEO.

- Lead, coach, and hold accountable assigned directors, managers, supervisors, and employees; oversee staffing assessment, recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, leadership development, corrective action, succession, engagement, and retention with Human Resources.

- Partner with the Chief Clinical Officer, medical and nursing leadership, Finance, Human Resources, Compliance, Quality Improvement, Information Technology, and other departments to align clinical and operational goals, budgets, staffing, systems, risk controls, and improvement plans.

- Ensure assigned operations comply with applicable laws, regulations, licensure and professional-practice standards, payer and contract requirements, client rights, privacy, documentation, safety, quality, and Beacon policies; participate in audits, incident reviews, and corrective action.

- Communicate decisions and changes clearly, reduce departmental silos, represent Beacon professionally with clients and external stakeholders, participate in executive planning, maintain required credentials and technology proficiency, and perform related duties assigned by the CEO.

Qualifications and Requirements

- Master's degree in behavioral health, social work, counseling, psychology, healthcare administration, public administration, or a closely related field is preferred; an equivalent combination of advanced education and significant relevant leadership experience may be considered.

- Current clinical licensure in a behavioral health profession is preferred and must be maintained in good standing when held; required role-related credentials, training, and continuing education must be maintained throughout employment.

- Strong knowledge of and ability to maintain compliance with applicable federal and Missouri requirements, professional-practice standards, payer and contract obligations, HIPAA, client rights, documentation, quality, safety, and Beacon policies governing behavioral health access and therapy operations.

- Ability to lead directors, managers, supervisors, clinicians, and administrative teams; establish clear priorities and decision rights; delegate effectively; manage performance; develop leaders; and maintain accountability across multiple departments and workflows.

- Strategic and systems-thinking leadership with sound executive judgment, ethical decision-making, change-management skill, and the ability to balance access, client safety, clinical quality, workforce capacity, operational performance, budget considerations, and organizational priorities.

- Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and collaboration skills, including the ability to reduce departmental silos, resolve complex issues, guide difficult conversations, present data and recommendations to executive leadership, and represent Beacon professionally with internal and external stakeholders.

- Significant progressive leadership experience in behavioral health, community mental health, healthcare, or a related service environment, including responsibility for multiple departments, leaders, or complex service-delivery systems.

- Demonstrated experience with access, intake, scheduling, front desk or client-service operations, therapy services, triage and escalation workflows, waitlist management, referral coordination, client outreach, and continuity-of-care processes.

- Demonstrated experience using key performance indicators, electronic health records, scheduling systems, audits, client and employee feedback, workflow analysis, and process-improvement methods to improve access, capacity, productivity, documentation, quality, equity, and client experience.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

This position involves office-, clinical-, and community-based work, including regular interaction with clients, employees, department leaders, executive leadership, and external partners. The employee regularly communicates, sits, uses hands and fingers, operates office equipment, and views computer or mobile-device screens; frequently stands or walks within Beacon facilities; and occasionally reaches, bends, travels between Beacon locations or community settings, and lifts or moves up to 10 pounds. Occasional evening or weekend availability may be required based on organizational needs. Work locations, noise levels, and potential exposure to urgent behavioral health situations may vary. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Beacon Mental Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer and maintains an ADA/ADAA-compliant, drug-free workplace.