Autism Clinical Program Manager

Job Purpose:

The Autism Clinical Program Manager provides clinical leadership and program oversight for WCHC's Autism Services Program within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). This position is responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based, interdisciplinary autism services that are accessible, family-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and compliant with applicable federal, state, payer, and organizational regulations and standards. The Autism Clinical Program Manager promotes clinical excellence, continuous quality improvement, health equity, and effective utilization of resources to improve developmental, functional, communication, behavioral, and participation outcomes for patients and families across the lifespan.

As a licensed rehabilitation or behavioral health professional, the Autism Clinical Program Manager supports WCHC's integrated care model by collaborating with primary care providers, behavioral health, nursing, care coordination, education, community partners, and other interdisciplinary team members to address the developmental, behavioral, communication, sensory, functional, and social needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related neurodevelopmental conditions. The Autism Clinical Program Manager serves as both a clinical leader and direct service provider, promoting evidence-based intervention, family engagement, early identification and intervention, coordinated care, and whole-person, family-centered services.

Working in partnership with the Behavioral Health Administrator, the Autism Clinical Program Manager provides clinical oversight for Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services, including clinical supervision, consultation, workflow optimization, staff development, interdisciplinary collaboration, quality improvement initiatives, and regulatory compliance.

This position supports the implementation and fidelity of evidence-based practices, monitors clinical quality, productivity, and patient outcomes, and fosters a collaborative, team-based environment that advances WCHC's mission, strategic goals, and FQHC performance expectations while ensuring coordinated, high-quality autism services.

The Autism Clinical Program Manager allocates approximately 50% of work time to direct patient care and 50% to clinical leadership, supervision, program development, quality improvement, and clinical administrative responsibilities, ensuring continued patient access while supporting effective program operations and sustainable service delivery.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

· Provide clinical leadership, supervision, and performance oversight for the Mental Health Department staff, ensuring compliance with Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Waterfall Community Health Center (WCHC) policies and procedures, professional licensing board requirements, and all applicable federal and state laws and regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.

· Foster a culture of clinical excellence by mentoring and coaching staff in the delivery of evidence-based, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and patient-centered mental health services.

· Provide clinical consultation and support to mental health providers and supervisors to promote best practices, sound clinical decision-making, and consistent application of standards of care.

· Conduct routine clinical documentation audits, chart reviews, and quality assurance activities for direct reports. Review audit findings with supervisors and providers, provide constructive feedback, and implement corrective action plans as needed to ensure documentation accuracy, quality of care, compliance, and billing integrity.

· Partner with Behavior Health Administrator on provider productivity, patient panels, documentation timeliness, quality metrics, and access to care. Collaborate with leadership to identify opportunities to improve patient access, clinical efficiency, and quality outcomes.

· Partner with the Behavioral Health Administrator to ensure staff receive appropriate onboarding, orientation, ongoing education, and professional development. Monitor licensure, certification, credentialing, and continuing education requirements to maintain compliance with organizational, regulatory, and payer standards.

· Monitor referral workflows to promote timely, equitable access to mental health and psychiatric services and reduce barriers to care.

· Ensure mental health teams consistently deliver integrated, whole-person care through collaboration with primary care providers and care teams, including behavioral health screening, assessment, counseling, consultation, referrals, care coordination, and follow-up services.

· Provide or coordinate required clinical supervision for pre-licensed mental health providers in accordance with applicable licensing board requirements. Ensure supervision, documentation, billing practices, and clinical services comply with licensure regulations, OHA, HRSA, payer requirements, and WCHC policies.

· Support recruitment, onboarding, performance evaluations, employee engagement, corrective action, and staff development in collaboration with the Behavioral Health Administrator and Human Resources.

Promote a positive, collaborative, and accountable work environment that supports employee engagement, continuous quality improvement, patient safety, and WCHC's mission, vision, and values

Duties/Responsibilities:

· Provide direct patient care within professional licensure and scope of practice, including evaluations, reassessments, treatment planning, therapeutic intervention, caregiver education, consultation, and care coordination for patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities.

· Maintain a clinical caseload and documentation standards that support timely patient access while meeting organizational productivity expectations.

· Under the general direction of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), oversee the clinical delivery of evidence-based, trauma-informed, family-centered autism services and monitor quality improvement initiatives to maintain the highest standards of care.

· In partnership with the Behavioral Health Administrator, develop, implement, and maintain clinical policies, procedures, workflows, care pathways, and performance standards that support program goals, regulatory compliance, accreditation standards, and payer requirements.

· Support development and implementation of interdisciplinary clinical pathways that promote coordinated evaluation, treatment planning, communication, and continuity of care across Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, ABA, Primary Care, Behavioral Health, and Care Coordination.

· Conduct or oversee comprehensive developmental, functional, communication, sensory, behavioral, and adaptive assessments, utilizing standardized and functional assessment tools appropriate to professional discipline.

· Develop and oversee individualized, evidence-based treatment plans that reflect patient strengths, family priorities, measurable goals, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

· Provide education, coaching, and consultation to parents, caregivers, schools, and community partners to support skill generalization, functional independence, and participation across home, school, and community environments.

· Collaborate with families and interdisciplinary care teams to identify needs for additional medical, behavioral health, educational, therapeutic, or community services and facilitate appropriate referrals and care coordination.

· Ensure timely completion of clinical documentation, treatment plans, reassessments, progress reports, and other required records in accordance with WCHC policies, payer requirements, and professional standards.

· Maintain oversight of clinical authorizations, treatment utilization, and documentation supporting medical necessity in collaboration with administrative and revenue cycle staff.

· Build collaborative relationships with schools, early intervention programs, community agencies, pediatric providers, specialists, and other external partners to improve care coordination and patient outcomes.

· Promote integrated care by collaborating with Primary Care, Behavioral Health, Nursing, Social Health, Care Coordination, and other WCHC departments to address the developmental, behavioral, medical, and social determinants of health affecting patients and families.

· Monitor program quality indicators, patient outcomes, satisfaction measures, and regulatory compliance, using data to guide quality improvement initiatives and program development.

· Contribute to strategic planning, program expansion, grant initiatives, and implementation of evidence-based practices that advance WCHC's Autism Services Program.

· Support program goals to reduce cultural, linguistic, geographic, socioeconomic, and other barriers to accessing autism services.

· Build trusting relationships with patients, families, staff, community partners, schools, and regulatory agencies while representing WCHC in a professional manner.

· Perform other duties as assigned to support organizational priorities, strategic initiatives, and the mission, vision, and values of Waterfall Community Health Center