Chief Program Officer

Athena is a New York State Office of Mental Health-licensed provider serving more than 8,000 individuals across our Upstate and Downstate clinics. We are seeking a Chief Program Officer to provide strategic and clinical leadership across our existing service lines while driving the thoughtful expansion of programs to address evolving community needs and increase access to high-quality behavioral healthcare. The Chief Program Officer (CPO) is Athena’s senior clinical and programmatic executive responsible for the quality, effectiveness, consistency, and continued development of the organization’s clinical programs and services across New York State. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the CPO ensures that Athena’s continued growth is supported by strong clinical infrastructure, evidence-based practice, regulatory compliance, measurable outcomes, and exceptional patient care. The CPO provides executive oversight of clinical leadership, program performance, quality improvement, workforce development, and new program implementation, working closely with the CEO, COO, CMO, and other organizational leaders. Duties and Responsibilities: Provide executive oversight of Athena’s clinical quality, clinical leaders, and standards of care across locations and service lines to support consistency in treatment outcomes Establish consistent, evidence-based, patient-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive clinical practices. Ensure appropriate systems for clinical supervision, high-risk case review, treatment planning, care coordination, and continuity of care. Develop and mentor clinical and program leaders while promoting accountability, collaboration, and professional excellence. Establish and monitor clinical quality, outcomes, access, engagement, retention, and program performance metrics. Use clinical data to proactively identify risks, trends, and opportunities for improvement. Ensure adherence to OMH and other applicable regulatory and clinical requirements. Lead clinical quality-improvement initiatives and support regulatory reviews, audits, and corrective action activities. Provide clinical leadership for the development, implementation, and stabilization of new programs, locations, and models of care. Evaluate opportunities for program expansion based on community need, outcomes, organizational strategy, and clinical feasibility. Lead the executive team in aligning clinical strategy with organizational growth, operations, workforce planning, and financial sustainability. Represent Athena’s clinical programs and capabilities with regulators, health systems, payers, community organizations, and other external stakeholders. Key Performance Areas: Success in this role will be measured through demonstrated improvement and sustained performance in areas including Patient access and timely engagement in care Clinical quality and patient outcomes Patient retention and continuity of care High-risk patient management and clinical safety Clinical documentation and regulatory compliance Clinician productivity, retention, and engagement Clinical supervision and leadership effectiveness Successful implementation and stabilization of new programs Patient and referral-partner experience Consistency of clinical standards across programs and locations Ensuring financial stability of behavioral health programs Qualifications: Master’s degree or doctorate in social work, psychology, counseling, mental health counseling, or another relevant behavioral health discipline required. Active New York State clinical licensure strongly preferred; independent clinical licensure such as LCSW, LMHC, or psychologist preferred. Minimum of 8 years of progressive behavioral health leadership experience, including significant responsibility for clinical programs, quality, and staff leadership. Demonstrated experience overseeing multi-site and/or large-scale outpatient behavioral health services. Strong knowledge of New York State behavioral health regulations and OMH-licensed services strongly preferred. Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and scaling clinical programs. Strong understanding of evidence-based treatment, clinical risk management, quality improvement, measurement-based care, and behavioral health outcomes. Experience leading senior clinical leaders and multidisciplinary teams. Demonstrated ability to use clinical and operational data to identify trends, improve performance, and drive organizational decision-making. Exceptional communication, leadership, collaboration, and change-management skills. Working Conditions This position will be located at one of Athena’s licensed clinic locations, with the ability to travel between offices as needed. This is a professional work environment where a computer, desk, chair and office supplies will be provided onsite at each of our offices. Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee in order to successfully perform the essential functions of the role above. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to hear and speak on the phone or computer throughout the day, stand and sit for an extended period of time and be able to write and answer emails in addition to carrying objects no greater than 25 pounds, when needed. Direct Reports: This position has direct reports.