Chief Operating Officer | Massachusetts & Illinois

Chief Operating Officer | Massachusetts & Illinois

About the Organization

ForrestBehavioral Health is a growing behavioral health treatment organization servingindividuals with substance use disorders, mental health conditions, andco-occurring diagnoses. The organization operates with a strong focus ondelivering high-quality treatment while building environments where bothpatients and employees feel supported.

Asthe organization continues to grow across multiple states and locations,leadership is focused on strengthening an operating model that is alreadyworking well, identifying opportunities for improvement, and ensuringconsistent execution across facilities.

The Opportunity

Weare seeking a hands-on Chief Operating Officer to help lead the operationalperformance and continued growth of Forrest Behavioral Health acrossMassachusetts and Illinois, with potential involvement in Rhode Island.

Thisis not a role focused on rebuilding an underperforming organization. Thefacilities are established and generally operate near target capacity. Theopportunity is to understand an existing operating model, identify weaknessesand inefficiencies, strengthen execution, and help leadership scale that modelsuccessfully as the organization grows.

TheCOO will partner closely with ownership and facility Directors whilemaintaining the independence and accountability necessary to move initiativesforward. Approximately one week of travel per month is expected, depending onoperational needs.

Who Thrives Here

Thestrongest fit is a behavioral health operator who is ambitious, adaptable,accountable, and comfortable getting directly involved when necessary.

Youmay currently be a COO, VP of Operations, Regional Director, ExecutiveDirector, or similar leader who has spent several meaningful years withinsubstance use disorder or mental health treatment and is ready to take onbroader responsibility.

Thisrole does not require decades of executive experience. It does require someonewho understands how behavioral health facilities actually operate and can movecomfortably between strategic leadership and practical problem-solving.

Youshould be able to walk into a facility, recognize where something is notworking, collaborate with the appropriate leaders to develop a solution, andstay involved long enough to ensure that solution is executed.

What You'll Do

• Oversee operations and performance across multiple behavioral health treatment locations
  
• Partner with facility Directors to identify operational shortcomings, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement
  
• Hold facility leadership accountable to organizational expectations, deliverables, performance standards, and deadlines
  
• Support state licensing, accreditation, regulatory compliance, and facility readiness initiatives
  
• Help implement new programs, operational systems, processes, and locations
  
• Support recruiting and hiring for key leadership positions and frontline roles when necessary
  
• Monitor operational performance and help leadership strengthen facility-level execution
  
• Serve as an operational resource to ownership while independently carrying initiatives through completion
  
• Work across admissions, clinical operations, staffing, utilization review, census, retention, and other functions that influence facility performance
  
• Travel between Massachusetts and Illinois facilities as operational needs require, with potential involvement in Rhode Island
  
• Help establish measurable performance goals and a bonus structure tied to facility and organizational success
  

Requirements

Required:

• Direct professional experience within substance use disorder and/or mental health treatment operations
  
• Leadership experience within behavioral healthcare, such as COO, VP of Operations, Regional Director, Executive Director, Director of Operations, or a comparable multi-site or senior operational role
  
• Working knowledge of behavioral health treatment operations and levels of care such as PHP, IOP, OP, residential, detox, or similar programs
  
• Experience supporting or overseeing operational areas such as staffing, admissions, utilization review, insurance authorization, census management, patient retention, clinical operations, licensing, accreditation, or regulatory compliance
  
• Demonstrated ability to identify operational problems, develop practical solutions, and drive those solutions through implementation
  
• Experience holding facility or department leaders accountable for expectations, deliverables, and deadlines
  
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately one week per month, with flexibility to travel more or less depending on operational needs
  
• Ability to maintain a home base in Massachusetts or Illinois
  
• Strong communication, leadership, problem-solving, and organizational skills
  

Preferred:

• Multi-site behavioral health leadership experience
  
• Experience supporting facility launches, expansion initiatives, new programs, or licensing and accreditation processes
  
• Experience recruiting and developing behavioral health leadership teams
  
• Familiarity with both substance use disorder and mental health treatment operations
  
• Experience operating across multiple states or regulatory environments
  

Benefits

Compensation and Schedule

• Salary: Up to $150,000 annually, commensurate with directly relevant experience
  
• Performance-based bonus structure
  
• Home Base: Ideally Massachusetts or Illinois
  
• Hybrid/work-from-home flexibility when appropriate
  
• Travel: Approximately one week per month, based on operational needs
  

Additional Benefits

• Employer contribution of 60% toward health insurance
  
• Performance-based incentive opportunity
  
• Significant opportunity to influence operational strategy and organizational growth
  
• Direct partnership with ownership and facility leadership
  
• Opportunity to help strengthen and scale an established behavioral health operating model
  

Thisopportunity is posted by Atlantic Health Strategies on behalf of ForrestBehavioral Health.