Behavioral Health Program Manager

ABOUT NWRC

Northwest Regional Council (NWRC) is a multi-service agency that covers the Washington counties of Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom, with offices in Bellingham and Mount Vernon, Washington.  NWRC’s slogan: “Human services with you at the center” encapsulates its focus on creating new solutions to navigate the challenges of aging and disability, proactive paths to behavioral health and recovery, and new partnerships between healthcare and social services. We are seeking a Behavioral Health Program Manager for a temporary appointment to assess, identify and build sustainable practices in our behavioral health program.

JOIN US

NWRC’s values are centered on the concepts of respect, inclusiveness, and striving to foster a healthy work environment for all employees. With these values in mind, we will do our part to support and further diversity, equity, and inclusion not only in our workplace, but in our communities. Toward this goal, we invite candidates from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to apply and help shape the future of NWRC. NWRC will make reasonable accommodation upon request for those individuals with disabilities.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAM

NWRC identified a need for the aging population to receive behavioral health services within the comfort of their home and responded to the need by establishing the program in 2018. The behavioral health program remains the only one of its kind among Washington State’s Area Agencies on Aging and has grown from 3 clinicians to 10. The program continues to evolve rapidly, most recently offering substance use therapy. Due to the evolving complexity and compliance measures in the behavioral health industry, NWRC’s program is seeking to strengthen the program’s infrastructure.

THE POSITION

The Behavioral Health Program Manager is a temporary role expected to last 6 months, with an anticipated start date in June 2025. This position serves as a project manager tasked with improving the program’s overall infrastructure by identifying and addressing gaps in billing, service delivery, and program sustainability. Extensive knowledge of medical billing, MCOs, and industry specific compliance and challenges will be critical to the success of this role.

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Behavioral Health Program Manager serves as a member of leadership and will oversee a team of 11 behavioral health professionals. They will collaborate with the behavioral health program supervisor to support the team and make recommendations for long-term success of the program. This position will also coordinate with local, regional, and state organizations on issues related to behavioral health.

WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON

In 2018, NWRC began our program of seeing home-bound clients for individual therapy. In 2020 and throughout the pandemic, we moved entirely to telehealth and have been carrying some amount of telehealth ever since. The Program Manager will assist in program evaluation as it exists today and assist in creating efficiencies for the clinicians who are seeing clients in their homes, as well as how to best continue telehealth where most needed and appropriate. For example, drive time and scheduling clients regionally has been a continual challenge for this program.  Additionally, this hybrid service approach has created a need for updated policies, ongoing training, and billing changes that require cross-departmental guidance and efficiencies that this position will help oversee. NWRC has also recently added a SUD specialty to the team and is expanding our operational functions in order to grow this subset. The Program Manager will help to fill a gap in service need across our region by assisting to build a successful growth path for our SUD programming. All of this requires strong interpersonal skills, knowledge of the laws, policies, and ethics of behavioral health services, and excellent organizational skills. 

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

$9,000 - $10,200 monthly

The starting wage may extend to the top of the range depending on the candidate’s experience, licensure, training, and demonstrated capabilities.

As a full-time, temporary, exempt role, this position is eligible for the following benefits: 

• 100% Employer paid Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employee & dependents
• Sick Leave, accrued at 8hrs/month
• Paid Holidays
• Compensatory time for hours worked over 40 hours per week
• Alternative work schedules
• Hybrid work environment

Note:  NWRC meets the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) definition of a public service organization.

SCHEDULE & LOCATION

NWRC strives to offer employees schedule flexibility while balancing the needs of their role within the agency with their personal lives. The Behavioral Health Program Manager will work with the Executive Director to develop a schedule that includes regular, in person time in both the Skagit and Whatcom offices as well as optional remote days. 

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

Individuals with professional, relevant behavioral health and program management knowledge and experience, including: 

• Experience working in human services dealing with complex support needs
• Knowledge of public policy impact on behavioral health services
• Experience working within Medicaid systems
  
• Medical billing via an Electronic Health Record (EHR) Software
• Substance Use Therapy
• WA State Department of Health credentialing for behavioral health professionals
  
• Program management, including financial health and sustainability
• Coordinating and managing multiple stakeholder groups to achieve a collective outcome
• Must have a valid driver's license, a vehicle available for work-related travel, and appropriate liability insurance.
  

NWRC will consider a combination of professional and lived experience, education, licensure, and training. The following credentials have been identified as relevant to the core functions of this role, but are not required:

• Master’s degree in behavioral or health sciences or related field.
• Two years of experience providing direct human services to clients, preferably in a community setting.
• Three years’ experience supervising and managing within social, health and/or human services field, preferably in the field of long-term services and supports, behavioral health, or care coordination.
• Valid, unencumbered, current credential issued by the Department of Health as a LMHC, LFMT, LICSW or equivalent.
  
• Substance Use Disorder Professional (SUDP) 

RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PROCESS

After reviewing the applications, the NWRC will contact the most qualified candidates to participate in a selection process consisting of job-related selection exercises.  NWRC will make reasonable accommodation upon request for those individuals with disabilities.