Director of School-Based Services & Operations

The role

The Director of School-Based Services & Operations will oversee the end-to-end operations of school-based behavioral health programming. This role involves managing school partnerships, grant-funded initiatives, staffing, and program evaluation.

What you will do

• Oversee daily operations of all school-based behavioral health programs.
• Develop, implement, and monitor operational procedures, performance metrics, and KPIs.
• Manage school-based program budgets in partnership with Finance.
• Build and maintain relationships with school district partners.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, and workforce planning for clinicians and support staff.
• Monitor caseloads, staffing ratios, and coverage across school partnerships.
• Serve as the primary operational contact for grant funders and ensure timely reporting.
• Track grant deliverables, milestones, and compliance requirements.
• Lead and coordinate research and evaluation efforts to assess program effectiveness.
• Provide direct leadership, guidance, and operational oversight to school-based program staff and coordinators.

Required qualifications

• Demonstrated experience managing grant-funded programs, including funder reporting, deliverables, and compliance requirements.
• Experience overseeing staffing, workforce planning, and operational functions across multiple sites.
• Working knowledge of HIPAA, FERPA, and state regulations governing school-based behavioral health services.
• Familiarity with grant reporting platforms, outcome measurement tools, and workforce scheduling systems.
• Strong financial and budget management skills.
• Ability to interpret program data, establish measurable outcomes, and communicate results to stakeholders.
• Excellent relationship management, communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on operational execution in a fast-paced environment.

Nice to have

• Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Public Health, or a related field
• Active clinical licensure (LCSW, LPC, LMHC, or equivalent)
• Minimum of 4 years of experience in behavioral health program operations, with at least 3 years in school-based services or comparable community-based programming
• Previous leadership experience within a school-based mental health program, grant-funded nonprofit organization, or multi-site behavioral health operation
• Experience working directly with school districts, community partners, and external funding organizations

About the company

Backpack Healthcare is a clinician-led, Medicaid-first behavioral health organization dedicated to making high-quality mental health services accessible to children, adolescents, young adults, and families.