Director, Behavioral Health

Director Of Behavioral Health

Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (MPMC), part of Sutter Health, is a nonprofit acute care hospital system serving residents across Northern California through two campuses located in Burlingame and San Mateo. Licensed for approximately 241 beds, MPMC provides a comprehensive range of services, including inpatient, outpatient, surgical, rehabilitation, and behavioral health care. The San Mateo Campus is a vital component of this system, specializing in comprehensive behavioral health services. The campus operates 39 licensed inpatient psychiatric beds, serving both adult and adolescent populations. In addition to inpatient care, the San Mateo location offers an array of hospital-based outpatient services, including Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP), ensuring a full continuum of behavioral health care. The Director of Behavioral Health provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for MPMC's behavioral health service lines across both inpatient and outpatient settings. This role is responsible for the development, coordination, and continuous improvement of psychological, social work, and therapeutic servicesensuring alignment with the hospital's mission, regulatory standards, and best operational practices. Working collaboratively with executive leadership and departmental leaders, the Director guides multidisciplinary teams in delivering evidence-based, patient-centered care while optimizing quality, safety, and performance outcomes. The position also oversees quality improvement initiatives, workforce development, and departmental budget management in alignment with organizational goals. The Director ensures that all behavioral health services are delivered with excellence, compassion, and integrity, maintaining full compliance with state, federal, and accrediting body standards (e.g., The Joint Commission). This leader fosters a culture of accountability, innovation, and collaboration, driving continuous improvement and maximizing value for patients, staff, and the broader community.

Education :

Masters degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration or related field.

Typical Experience :

10 years recent relevant experience.

Skills and Knowledge :

Knowledge of administrative and clinical areas with special emphasis on hospital and / or other healthcare settings and standards of patient care.

Excellent written and oral communications skills, along with comprehensive knowledge and understanding of regulatory requirements, including The Joint Commission (TJC), California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Title 22 specifications.

Knowledge of medical terminology to include diagnostic and operative procedures.

Knowledge of State, Federal, and Profession Industry Standards pertaining to healthcare practice.

Conceptual, analytical, and problem solving skills in a complex environment.

Strong interpersonal skills, presentation, and collaboration skills.

Analytical and financial management skills with the proven ability to achieve sustainable and significant cost efficiencies on an organization-wide basis.

Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with hospital executives, Boards, medical staffs, clinical leaders, business leaders, vendors, and other key customers to ensure effective management of complex, multi-faceted business development projects is required.

An ability to energize, mobilize, influence, and build accountability through effective communication of vision, and the fostering of productive and supportive working relationships with internal and external constituencies.

Ability to foster an interactive and collaborative environment, to influence individuals or groups with diverse opinions and to enlist cooperation without direct control / authority while building high performance teams committed to accomplishing initiatives in ecosystems that may be resistant to change.

Analytical skills to resolve complex issues, drive through obstacles, develop optimal growth opportunities, and deliver effective business solutions that meet the goals of the foundation(s), medical groups, operating unit and the enterprise.

Ability and experience working across a wide range of care delivery environments and providers and collaborating with essential business partners, with the ability to build consensus.