Job Description

Posting number: 2026-02881

Department: DHS - CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES

Job classification: Unclassified

Posting type: Open Competitive

Categories: Administration, Mental Health, Professional

Summary

The Nevada Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) is seeking a highly skilled and experienced healthcare executive to serve as the Hospital Administrator for Desert Willow Treatment Center (DWTC), Nevada's only state-operated psychiatric hospital dedicated to serving children and adolescents. This unclassified executive position provides an exceptional opportunity to lead critical hospital operations and play a key role in transforming DWTC into Nevada's gold standard for quality inpatient behavioral healthcare.

Desert Willow Treatment Center:

Desert Willow Treatment Center serves as a vital component of Nevada's behavioral health system and functions as a safety-net hospital for children and adolescents with significant mental health treatment needs.

Desert Willow Treatment Center is a licensed 54-bed psychiatric hospital. The facility consists of one pediatric residential treatment unit (8 beds) serving children 6-11 years of age (which is slated to close later this year and convert to an acute unit), and two residential treatment units (12 beds each) serving children 12-17 years of age. There is also a 10-bed Competency Restoration Unit for court-ordered youth. The fifth unit is currently under construction with a goal of opening a unit for treatment of youth with sexual behavioral issues. These programs provide psychiatric care to the most severely emotionally disturbed youth and play an essential role in supporting Nevada's most vulnerable youth and families.

Examples of duties

Five (5) years of professional experience in an operational leadership role within a healthcare delivery organization. A bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business administration, or related field, or preferred equivalent experience is preferred.

Qualifications

• Direct and oversee the daily administrative operations of the hospital.
• Provide leadership for facility operations, environmental safety, emergency preparedness, and security functions.
• Manage operational activities including workforce planning, employee relations, staffing strategies, recruitment, retention, and labor management issues.
• Monitor staffing expenditures and overtime utilization while implementing strategies to improve operational efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with federal and state laws, regulations, licensing requirements, and healthcare standards.
• Coordinate with DCFS’ policy and evaluation unit to support hospital accreditation and continuous quality improvement efforts.

Supplemental information

The ideal candidate will possess:

• Significant leadership experience in hospital administration, healthcare operations, behavioral health services, or a related healthcare environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in healthcare finance, budgeting, regulatory compliance, accreditation, and operational management.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams within complex and highly regulated organizations.
• Strong knowledge of healthcare regulations, accreditation standards, risk management, and quality improvement principles.
• Proven ability to manage organizational change and drive performance improvement initiatives.
• A commitment to advancing high-quality care and improving outcomes for children, adolescents, and families in our community.