Clinical Director, Outpatient Behavioral Health

About the role

Thrive Now Recovery Centers, in partnership with Ascension Recovery Services, is opening a new outpatient behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment program in Des Moines in late 2026. It is looking for an experienced, mission-driven Clinical Director to build and lead the clinical program from the ground up, shaping its culture, team, programming and workflows.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation and oversight of outpatient clinical programming before opening and beyond.
• Build workflows, schedules, programming structure, documentation expectations and clinical processes.
• Recruit, onboard, develop and retain therapists, counselors, case managers, peer recovery professionals and other clinical staff.
• Provide clinical supervision, coaching and professional development; ensure treatments are individualized, evidence-based and trauma-informed.
• Oversee individual, group and family programming, assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, discharge planning and documentation quality.
• Partner with medical providers, nursing, admissions, case management, peer recovery, operations and utilization review, and take part in multidisciplinary team meetings.
• Monitor outcomes, engagement, completion and attendance, run quality improvement and QAPI activities, and prepare for regulatory, licensing, payer and accreditation reviews.
• Ensure compliance with Iowa requirements, payer expectations, accreditation standards, HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2, and help build referral relationships with community partners.

Required profile

• Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology or another related behavioral health field.
• Current Iowa behavioral health license or ability to obtain it before employment; independent licensure strongly preferred.
• Experience providing behavioral health and/or substance use disorder treatment.
• Previous clinical leadership, supervision or program-management experience strongly preferred; experience supervising clinicians also preferred.
• Experience in outpatient, IOP, PHP, SUD, co-occurring disorder or behavioral health programming preferred.

Required skills

• Strong knowledge of clinical documentation, treatment planning, utilization management, medical necessity and discharge planning.
• Understanding of ASAM criteria and level-of-care decision making preferred.
• Knowledge of HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 confidentiality requirements.
• Experience with accreditation, regulatory compliance, quality improvement or Joint Commission standards preferred.

What we offer

• Competitive compensation and benefits package.
• Medical, dental and vision insurance, paid time off and paid holidays.
• Company-paid and supplemental life insurance options.
• Professional development and leadership growth opportunities.