Job Description

Project Specialist, Risk

Location: Remote with 90%-100% travel

Our Mission

Acadia Healthcare’s purpose is to Lead Care with Light and our mission is to be a world-class organization that sets the standard for excellence in the treatment of mental health and addiction concerns. We strive to maintain our standing as a thought leader in the behavioral healthcare industry, providing treatment that is synonymous with compassion and innovation.

About the Role

The Project Risk Specialist will support and travel extensively to Acadia facilities nationwide, primarily within an assigned division. This role provides expert leadership in risk management, patient/staff safety, and regulatory compliance. The role may act as the facility Risk Director during vacancies, provide extended onsite support to interim leaders, and ensure smooth transitions when permanent risk leaders are hired. The Project Risk Specialist role is responsible for implementing and sustaining Acadia’s enterprise risk management strategies, including incident trend analysis, mitigation planning, regulatory readiness, and compliance with federal, state, and accreditation standards. Through significant onsite presence, data monitoring, and collaboration with facility leadership, the role ensures proactive risk reduction and promotes a culture of safety and excellence.

Compensation & Benefits

We value your expertise and dedication—and we invest in your success.

• Competitive Base Salary commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) Plan with Company Match
• Paid Time Off (PTO) and recognized holidays
• Company-paid Basic Life and AD&D Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and mental wellness resources
• Opportunities for professional growth and advancement within Acadia’s nationwide network

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Serve as facility-based Risk Director when needed, ensuring continuity of risk management operations
• Monitor daily, weekly, and monthly incident volumes and trends; identify deviations from expected practice and enterprise targets
• Conduct root-cause analyses and Failure Mode and Effects Analyses for serious incidents and sentinel events
• Develop and implement multidisciplinary action plans to remediate escalating incident trends and safety risks
• Ensure proper reporting of adverse events and regulatory violations to enforcement agencies as required
• Lead investigations into complex risk-related events; ensure timely documentation and compliance with regulatory standards
• Collaborate with facility CEOs, COOs, and Risk leaders to implement sustainable best practices in risk management
• Provide education and coaching to facility leadership on risk mitigation strategies and regulatory compliance
• Analyze risk-related data to anticipate losses, reduce exposures, and prevent recurrence of incidents
• Support adoption of Acadia’s technology platforms for risk monitoring and reporting
• Maintain ongoing regulatory readiness through audits, early-issue identification, and corrective action planning
• Communicate regularly with facility and corporate leadership regarding risk trends, mitigation efforts, and performance improvement initiatives
• Serve as a technical advisor and educator on risk management principles, regulatory standards, and investigative techniques
• Collaborate with Quality, Compliance, Legal, and Human Resources teams on ethics investigations and resolution of reports

• Develop and evaluate goals aligned with Acadia’s strategic objectives for risk management
• May serve in a focused role to support facilities with overall risk and compliance monitoring

• Performs other duties as assigned

Standard Expectations

• Ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive data and proprietary information
• Build constructive relationships and foster trust among team members
• Maintain regular and predictable attendance
• Position requires flexibility for weekend coverage and off-hour support

Qualifications

Education/Experience/Skill Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in healthcare or related field OR 5 years of risk leadership experience in healthcare is REQUIRED
• Master’s degree in behavioral health/risk discipline or nursing is preferred
• Minimum 2 years in psychiatric healthcare operations and/or healthcare risk management
• Knowledge of Joint Commission, CMS, CARF, DEA, and state/local regulations
• Experience conducting complex investigations; root-cause and FMEA experience preferred
• Advanced computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite)
• Strong organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to adapt to frequent priority changes and manage multiple tasks simultaneously

Licenses/Designations/Certifications

• CPHRM preferred but not required
• CPR and de-escalation / restraint certification required (training available upon hire)
• First Aid may be required based on state or facility.

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS:

• ​​This position is an Individual Contributor​

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment regardless of an individual’s characteristics protected by applicable state, federal and local laws.

While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the requirements of the job, management reserves the right to add or remove duties from particular jobs when circumstances (e.g. emergencies, changes in workload, rush jobs or technological developments) dictate.

AHCORP

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