Job Summary
The Children’s Mental Health Program Manager provides leadership, oversight, and coordination for children’s behavioral health services and programs. This position is responsible for program development, staff supervision, regulatory compliance, quality improvement, and ensuring delivery of trauma-informed, culturally responsive, family-centered mental health services for children, youth, and families.
The Program Manager supports clinical and operational excellence while promoting positive outcomes for clients, families, staff, and community partners. This role collaborates closely with schools, healthcare providers, tribal organizations, child welfare agencies, juvenile justice programs, and other community stakeholders.
Job Duties & Responsibilities
Program Leadership and Operations
- Provide day-to-day oversight of children’s mental health programs and services.
- Ensure programs operate in compliance with state, federal, Medicaid, grant, and accreditation standards including CARF requirements.
- Develop, implement, and monitor program policies, procedures, workflows, and service delivery models.
- Support program expansion, strategic planning, and continuous quality improvement initiatives.
- Monitor productivity, staffing levels, service utilization, and program outcomes.
- Assist with budget development and oversight of program expenditures.
- Ensure appropriate documentation, billing compliance, and timely submission of required reports.
Staff Supervision and Development
- Supervise clinical and support staff within the children’s mental health program.
- Conduct hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, and performance evaluations.
- Promote a positive, collaborative, trauma-informed work environment.
- Support staff professional development, licensure requirements, and ongoing training needs.
- Provide guidance related to crisis intervention, clinical coordination, and case consultation.
Clinical and Service Coordination
- Ensure delivery of high-quality, client-centered, evidence-based behavioral health services.
- Support coordination of care among providers, schools, families, and community agencies.
- Promote family engagement and strengths-based treatment approaches.
- Monitor caseload distribution and service accessibility.
- Assist with management of high-risk cases, crisis response, and service barriers.
Compliance and Quality Improvement
- Maintain compliance with HIPAA, CARF, AAAHC, confidentiality standards, Medicaid regulations, and state behavioral health requirements.
- Participate in audits, accreditation activities, and utilization reviews.
- Track quality indicators, incident reporting, client satisfaction, and program performance measures.
- Implement corrective action plans and quality improvement initiatives as needed.
Community Collaboration
- Develop and maintain partnerships within KIC, and with other community organizations, schools, healthcare providers, and tribal entities.
- Represent the organization at meetings, coalitions, and community events.
- Assist with outreach, education, and advocacy related to children’s behavioral health services.
- Other related duties as assigned.
Necessary Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Strong understanding and sensitivity to American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal culture and lifestyle, working effectively with AI/AN populations.
- Knowledge of program development, management, and evaluation.
- Knowledge of child and adolescent behavioral health principles, practices, and evidence-based interventions
- Knowledge of child development, trauma-informed care, adverse childhood experiences, and family systems.
- Knowledge of mental health and substance use disorders affecting children and adolescents.
- Knowledge of staff supervision, training, coaching and professional development principles.
- Strong leadership, program management, and organizational skills.
- Strong assessment, problem solving, decision making, and critical thinking skills.
- Skilled in conflict resolution, de-escalation and addressing workplace or service-related concerns.
- Ability to adapt programs and services to meet changing community needs.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain composure in high-stress situations.
- Ability to provide responsible oversight and management of budgets.
- Effective oral and written communication skills with sensitivity to the lifestyles of targeted participants.
- Skills in operating personal computers using a variety of computer software.
- Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with management, coworkers, and outside contacts.
- Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and comply with applicable federal and tribal privacy laws and KIC policy (HIPAA, HITECH, etc.).
- Ability to learn and apply program/agency operating policies and procedures.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and tasks concurrently and meet deadlines.
- Ability to work independently as well as with teams.
Working Conditions
The physical demands described here are representative of those that an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.
While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and/or sit. The employee is occasionally required to walk, sit, climb, or balance. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception. The noise level in the work environment is usually average.
KIC Core Competencies
Cultural Competency: To be respectful and responsive to the health beliefs, practices, and cultural and linguistic needs of KIC Tribal Members. Developing cultural competence is an evolving, dynamic process that takes time and occurs along a continuum.
Uphold KIC Values: To make decisions and behave in a manner consistent with KIC Workplace Values of Trust, Teamwork, Respect, and Accountability, as well as Southeast Traditional Tribal Values “Our Way of Life”.
Commitment: To serve Tribal Members and set a high standard for yourself in your performance; strive for results and success; convey a sense of urgency and bring issues to closure; and stay persistent despite obstacles and opposition.
Customer Service: Meet/exceed the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; identify, understand, and monitor the needs of both internal and external customers; always talk and act with customers in mind; and recognize working colleagues as customers.
Effective Communication: Ensure important information is passed to those who need to know; convey necessary information with respect, clearly and effectively orally or in writing.
Responsiveness and Accountability: Demonstrate a high level of conscientiousness; hold oneself personally responsible for one's own work; and do the required fair share of work.