Director of Operations | Naperville, Illinois
About the Organization
Forrest Behavioral Health is a growing behavioral health treatment
organization serving individuals with substance use disorders, mental health
conditions, and co-occurring diagnoses.
As the organization continues to expand, Forrest Behavioral Health is
preparing to open its newest Illinois location in Naperville. The organization
is focused on creating treatment environments where strong clinical care,
thoughtful operations, accountability, and a positive patient and employee
experience work together.
The Opportunity
We are seeking a hands-on Director of Operations to lead the day-to-day
operations of Forrest Behavioral Health Illinois South, our newest location in
Naperville, Illinois.
This is a highly involved facility leadership position for someone who
understands the operational realities of behavioral healthcare and is
comfortable stepping into different areas of the program as needs arise.
The Director of Operations will have direct responsibility for several
functions central to the patient experience and facility performance, including
intakes, staffing and scheduling, utilization review coordination, admissions,
discharges, and AMA situations.
As part of a new location, this individual will also play an important
role in establishing strong operational practices, supporting the team, and
helping ensure Forrest's existing operating model is implemented consistently
from the start.
This is not a behind-the-desk management role. The person in this
position will be expected to understand what is happening throughout the
facility, identify problems early, support the team, and step in when necessary
to keep operations moving.
Who Thrives Here
The strongest fit is someone who genuinely cares about recovery and
behavioral healthcare and brings energy, accountability, and a willingness to
work alongside the team.
You understand that strong facility operations require attention to both
people and performance. You can hold employees accountable while maintaining a
positive culture, communicate effectively across admissions and clinical teams,
and recognize operational problems before they become larger issues.
You are also comfortable getting into the details. Whether the need
involves an intake, staffing challenge, utilization review issue, difficult
discharge, referral relationship, or patient experience concern, you are
willing to get involved and help find a solution.
This is an opportunity for someone with directly relevant behavioral
health experience who wants meaningful ownership of a facility's day-to-day
success and the opportunity to help establish and grow a new location.
What You'll Do
- Lead the day-to-day operational
functions of the Naperville facility
- Conduct the majority of patient
intakes and help ensure a smooth transition into treatment
- Maintain direct responsibility
for facility staffing and scheduling
- Manage and coordinate utilization
review activities
- Maintain operational oversight of
admissions, discharges, and AMA situations
- Communicate closely with
admissions, clinical, and other facility team members
- Develop and maintain productive
relationships with referral sources and facility partners
- Identify operational problems
early and implement practical solutions
- Step into different areas of
facility operations when additional support is needed
- Establish clear expectations and
help hold staff accountable while contributing to a positive workplace
culture
- Support census, patient
retention, and the overall patient experience
- Help ensure consistent execution
of organizational policies, workflows, and operational expectations
- Partner with organizational
leadership on facility performance and improvement initiatives
- Support the successful
establishment and continued growth of Forrest Behavioral Health Illinois
South
Requirements
Required:
- Direct professional experience
within substance use disorder and/or mental health treatment
- Operational or leadership
experience within a behavioral health treatment environment
- Working knowledge of behavioral
health facility operations and levels of care such as PHP, IOP, OP,
residential, detox, or similar treatment settings
- Experience with one or more core
operational functions such as patient intake, admissions, utilization
review, staffing, scheduling, discharges, census management, or patient
retention
- Ability and willingness to
maintain an active, visible presence in day-to-day facility operations
- Strong organizational,
communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills
- Ability to work effectively
across admissions, clinical, and operational teams
- Ability to hold team members
accountable while contributing to a collaborative and positive workplace
culture
- Commitment to behavioral
healthcare, recovery, and a strong patient experience
Preferred:
- Previous Director of Operations,
Executive Director, Program Director, or comparable behavioral health
leadership experience
- Experience supporting the
opening, launch, or growth of a behavioral health treatment program
- Experience coordinating
utilization review and insurance authorization processes
- Experience managing patient
admissions, discharges, and AMA situations
- Experience managing behavioral
health staffing and scheduling
- Experience supporting census
growth and patient retention
- Established understanding of
referral relationships within behavioral healthcare
Benefits
Compensation and Schedule
- Salary: $90,000–$100,000
annually, commensurate with directly relevant experience
- Schedule: Monday through Friday,
approximately 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
- Location: Naperville, Illinois
- Travel: None required
Additional Benefits
- Employer contribution toward
health insurance premium
- Performance incentive
opportunities available after 90 days
- Hands-on leadership role with
meaningful ownership of facility operations
- Opportunity to help establish and grow Forrest Behavioral
Health's newest Illinois location
- Opportunity to work closely with
organizational leadership
- Mission-driven environment
focused on both patient care and employee experience
This opportunity is posted by Atlantic Health Strategies on behalf of
Forrest Behavioral Health.
Skills Required
- Direct professional experience within substance use disorder and/or mental health treatment
- Operational or leadership experience within a behavioral health treatment environment
- Working knowledge of behavioral health facility operations and levels of care such as PHP, IOP, OP, residential, or detox
- Experience with patient intake, admissions, utilization review, staffing, scheduling, discharges, census management, or patient retention
- Ability and willingness to maintain an active, visible presence in day-to-day facility operations
- Strong organizational, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills
- Ability to work effectively across admissions, clinical, and operational teams
- Ability to hold team members accountable while contributing to a collaborative and positive workplace culture
- Commitment to behavioral healthcare, recovery, and a strong patient experience
- Previous Director of Operations, Executive Director, Program Director, or comparable behavioral health leadership experience
- Experience supporting the opening, launch, or growth of a behavioral health treatment program
- Experience coordinating utilization review and insurance authorization processes
- Experience managing patient admissions, discharges, and AMA situations
- Experience managing behavioral health staffing and scheduling
- Experience supporting census growth and patient retention
- Established understanding of referral relationships within behavioral healthcare
What We Do
Atlantic Health Strategies is a full-service operations and compliance partner for behavioral health, mental health, eating disorder, freestanding psychiatric, and addiction treatment providers nationwide, offering full-spectrum operational support.
