Job Description

Posting number: 0271-26-08

Department: Health & Human Services

Division: Behavioral Health & Recovery Services

Job classification: BHRS Program Manager

Posting type: Open

Categories: Program Management

Examples of duties

This Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) Program Manager recruitment is to establish an eligible list for all Behavioral Health Programs.

This list may be used to fill BHRS Program Manager vacancies as long as the list is active. As such, you are encouraged to apply even if a vacancy doesn’t exist in the program for which you are interested.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies for open, fixed-term, full-time or part-time positions which may occur while the list remains active.

Marin County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) is a Division of the Marin County Health and Human Services Department. At BHRS, we care for the whole person with compassion and respect for your cultural values. Our goal is to help you achieve and maintain long term health, wellness and recovery, and to foster healthy families and communities.

Current Vacancy

Crisis and Justice Involved Division

There is one (1) full-time vacancy in the Health & Human Services, Behavioral Health & Recovery Services (BHRS) Division for a Program Manager in the Crisis and Justice Involved (CJI) Division.

The BHRS Crisis and Justice-Involved Division provides a comprehensive continuum of care that bridges community-based crisis intervention, court and legal collaborative care, and in-custody behavioral health services. The Program Manager will oversee the Crisis Continuum, which includes the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU), Mobile Crisis Response Team, Crisis Aftercare Team, and critical incident response, ensuring timely, person-centered, and effective services for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises across Marin County. Reporting to the Division Director for the Crisis and Justice-Involved Division, the Program Manager plays a key leadership role in advancing an integrated crisis system that emphasizes prevention, compassionate care, and equitable access to services. Additional responsibilities include ongoing data and performance reporting to support continuous quality improvement.

The Program Manager will oversee a team of supervisors, and collaborate closely with partners across the behavioral health, criminal justice, and community systems to strengthen the County’s continuum of crisis services. Responsibilities include program planning and development, policy and procedure oversight, fiscal and contract management, and supervision of professional clinical and administrative staff. The incumbent will foster a culture of learning, accountability, and compassion, supporting staff development while advancing collective goals for service excellence and equity. This position also contributes to agency-wide initiatives and strategic planning efforts, collaborating with internal leadership and external partners such as the BHRS Adult and Children’s Systems of Care, Substance Use treatment providers, the Public Guardian, local hospitals, patients’ rights, first responders, and community-based organizations to promote a responsive, recovery-oriented, and trauma-informed system of care.

Qualifications

OUR HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATE

Our highly qualified candidates will have a strong foundation in specialty mental health services relevant to the assignment area. Proven leadership skills are essential for this role. The ideal candidate will have experience in managing and supervising behavioral health programs and staff; demonstrated skills in developing and implementing program goals, meaningful objectives and outcomes, and policies and procedures; the ability to manage complex clinical or personnel related issues; and strong verbal and written communication skills. Prior experience developing collaborative relationships with community-based organizations and having political acumen to balance competing priorities is ideal.

The ideal candidates thrive in a dynamic environment where flexibility, creativity, and accountability are essential. They should have deep knowledge of federal, state, and local policies and regulations that impact service delivery. The ideal candidate is skilled in translating data into action, mentoring leaders, and balancing operational demands with a steadfast focus on recovery-oriented care. This person values relationships and approaches partnerships with clients, families, peers, and community organizations with humility and respect. The ideal candidate will share BHRS’s commitment to equity, person-centered care, and continuous improvement, bringing curiosity, steadiness, and vision to building a behavioral health system where everyone has the opportunity to heal and thrive.

These leaders are thoughtful and confident decision-makers who value collaboration, transparency, and accountability. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong organizational and fiscal management skills, including experience overseeing contracts, budgets, MediCal and BHRS funded services, and programmatic initiatives, and will be adept at balancing strategic vision with operational execution.

The ideal candidate is a licensed behavioral health professional (e.g., LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, Psychologist) with extensive experience leading crisis and acute behavioral health programs. They are grounded in person-centered approaches, supporting recovery while understanding the complexities of delivering care at the intersection of behavioral health, public safety, and community systems. The candidate will have knowledge of crisis response operations, including mobile crisis, crisis stabilization, and critical incident support, and will be skilled in using data and outcomes to guide program improvement and system transformation. They will bring a strong understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that shape crisis services and use that knowledge to advance humane, effective, and innovative responses for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises and teams working within these services.

QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of

• Principles and practices of management, including program development, implementation and evaluation; goal setting, personnel management; budgeting and fiscal administration; grants administration; and contract negotiation and monitoring.
• Applicable laws, rules, codes and regulations.
• Comprehensive knowledge of clinical requirements for the full range of mental health and substance use services available.
• Application and effectiveness of a variety of multi-discipline mental health treatment modalities.
• Community and agency consultation methods and procedures used to define and resolve mental health problems.

Ability to

• Manage, implement and evaluate services that carry out overall program objectives and achieve appropriate outcomes.
• Determine the needs and priorities of mental health services in the community.
• Interpret, explain and apply legislation, regulations, policies and directives; develop and implement appropriate clinic/program policy; and ensure clinic/program compliance.
• Plan, organize and manage the activities of employees.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted during the performance of duties, including multi-disciplinary staff, community members and organizations, public and private agencies, and local, state and federal agencies.
• Work collaboratively to enhance service integration within the department and non-profit community partners.
• Learn program specific information systems.
• Prepare and present effective written and verbal reports, policies, procedures and other written materials.
• Effectively represent the program, department and County in meetings and presentations.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Any combination of education and experience that would provide the knowledge and skills listed. Typically, a Bachelor's degree in counseling, marriage and family therapy, nursing, psychology, social work or a related field and three years of experience appropriate to the assignment, including one year of supervisory experience.

Certificates and Licenses

The Crisis and Justice Involved Division position may clinically supervise staff and, therefore must be professionally licensed.

Positions requiring clinical supervision of staff must be professionally licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Nurse, or Clinical Psychologist in the State of California. Otherwise qualified non-California residents must obtain a California license within timelines consistent with the Business and Professions Code of California after moving from another state. Failure to obtain licensure within the specified timelines will result in termination of employment.

Supplemental information