Director, Children’s System of Care Strategy

SUMMARY: The Director of Children’s System of Care Strategy is a senior leadership position within the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA). Reporting to the Senior Director, Cross-County Contracts and Partnerships, the Director serves as CalMHSA’s organizational lead for initiatives at the intersection of child welfare, children’s behavioral health, and the broader children’s system of care, providing strategic and operational leadership.

The current anchor program is the Wraparound Immediate Needs (WIN) Third-Party Administrator (TPA) function; the Director is expected to grow this portfolio to encompass additional children’s system of care initiatives over time. This position works closely with county placing agencies, Behavioral Health Plans (BHPs), providers, CalMHSA staff, and state partners, including CDSS and DHCS, to translate children’s system of care policy into operational program design, data and information systems strategy, and technology-enabled service delivery.

Given the portfolio’s anchor in child welfare-involved youth, the role requires extensive leadership experience in California’s child welfare and/or children’s behavioral health systems, along with knowledge of Medi-Cal behavioral health and the intersections of child-serving systems more broadly. It combines policy translation, operational and systems leadership, data and technology fluency, and comfort with ambiguity to advance CalMHSA’s mission of supporting a coordinated, effective system of care for children and youth.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include but are not limited to:

• Develop and execute strategy for CalMHSA's children's system of care portfolio, building relationships with CDSS, DHCS, counties, and county placing agencies to advance coordinated, effective service delivery for children and families.
• Serve as CalMHSA's primary liaison to state and county partners on children's system of care policy and program matters, leading engagement, governance participation, and collaborative planning.
• Oversee the design, performance, and expansion of the children's system of care portfolio, currently anchored by the WIN program, ensuring the portfolio's strategy, staffing, and systems can grow to support future initiatives.
• Translate complex or evolving state and county policy into clear, workable business rules, workflows, and operational processes that CalMHSA teams can implement.
• Direct how data received from external child welfare and behavioral health systems is brought into and used within CalMHSA's systems to inform program design, eligibility, payment processes, and reporting.
• Lead requirements-definition and operational planning work with state and county partners, ensuring policy intent survives translation into day-to-day program operations.
• Identify where policy or program direction is unresolved, and move initiatives forward through phased, adaptable approaches rather than waiting for full clarity, escalating issues that require leadership decision or cross-agency resolution.
• Serve as an escalation point for high-impact program issues, bringing together the right internal and external partners to resolve them.
• Support the design and piloting of new program models and approaches, evaluating outcomes and scaling what works.
• Monitor program and partner performance and develop recommendations to improve service delivery and operational efficiency.
• Ensure accurate documentation of program activities, partnership agreements, governance decisions, and implementation progress.
• Promote continuous improvement, automation, and data-driven decision making.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and strategic direction to assigned staff, project teams, and cross-functional partners, building the team as the portfolio grows.
• Perform other duties as assigned, demonstrating flexibility and commitment to organizational success.

BACKGROUND CHECK ELIGIBLE DUTIES
This position has access to confidential information related to county partnerships, statewide initiatives, strategic planning efforts, contracts, operational data, stakeholder communications, and other sensitive organizational information. The Director regularly participates in executive-level discussions involving public agencies, Behavioral Health Plans, providers, and strategic partners that may include confidential operational, financial, policy, or programmatic information. This position may also access confidential, client-level child welfare and behavioral health information pertaining to minors, including protected health information.

Additionally, this position supports governance activities, partnership negotiations, implementation planning, and statewide initiatives that require a high degree of trust, discretion, and professional judgment. A background check helps ensure the individual demonstrates the integrity, professionalism, and trustworthiness necessary to protect sensitive information, maintain stakeholder confidence, and effectively represent CalMHSA's mission and interests.

QUALIFICATIONS

An acceptable equivalent combination of education, experience, and skill may be considered.

Education:

Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, Public Policy, Public Administration or a related field, required; Master's degree (MPP, MPA, MA/MFT, MSW, or equivalent) and clinical licensure preferred.

Experience:

Required

• Minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in child welfare and/or children’s behavioral health in California, including at least four (4) years in a senior leadership role (e.g., deputy director, division chief, program director, or equivalent). This may be within a county agency, state department, Behavioral Health Plan, or organization serving system-involved children and youth.
• Demonstrated leadership of a program, division, or major initiative serving children and youth, including supervision of managers and professional staff, fiscal and budget accountability, and responsibility for program outcomes.
• In-depth knowledge of California child welfare and/or children’s behavioral health policy and service delivery, with working knowledge of the other system and of Medi-Cal specialty behavioral health.
• Experience leading work with county agencies, county placing agencies, Behavioral Health Plans, and/or state departments (e.g., CDSS, DHCS) on program implementation, funding, or data-sharing matters.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, ambiguous, multi-stakeholder initiatives from concept through implementation.

Strongly preferred

• Leadership experience spanning both child welfare and children’s behavioral health, or at their intersection.
• Direct experience with foster care placement systems, High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW), or comparable therapeutic placement and service frameworks.
• Working familiarity with child welfare data systems (e.g., CWS/CMS, CARES) and/or behavioral health data systems (e.g., county EHR/claims systems).
• Experience building or scaling a new program or function, including standing up staffing, governance, and operational infrastructure.

Preferred

• Experience with fiscal intermediary, third-party administrator, or claims processing operations, including familiarity with 837/835 claims data.
• Experience partnering with IT/data teams on system configuration, integrations, or reporting (e.g., Power BI, Salesforce, or comparable platforms).

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Comfortable operating with ambiguity; able to make sound decisions and move work forward before every policy question is resolved, while recognizing what still needs to be escalated.
• Fluent in both the language of policy/regulation and the language of workflows, data, and systems; able to bridge policy intent and operational implementation.
• Working knowledge of child welfare and/or behavioral health data systems and how they inform program operations.
• Ability to design innovative solutions and challenge established approaches while remaining grounded in operational and organizational feasibility.
• Credible and effective with county staff, state officials, and internal technical teams alike.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop clear policy guidance, requirements documentation, and executive-level reporting.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills across counties, county placing agencies, providers, and state partners.
• Ability to analyze program, financial, and performance data to identify risks, trends, and improvement opportunities.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple complex projects, deadlines, and stakeholder expectations concurrently.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and communicate sensitive or unresolved issues professionally.

COMPUTER SKILLS: Demonstrate the ability to use a computer and applicable computer software effectively. Intermediate knowledge of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Adobe, and Outlook required. Familiarity with child welfare data and information systems (e.g., CWS/CMS, CARES), behavioral health data systems (e.g., Electronic Health Records), and reporting/analytics platforms (e.g., Power BI, Compass) strongly preferred.

LANGUAGE SKILLS AND MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Demonstrate the ability to read, comprehend, and respond appropriately through written or verbal form; demonstrate tactfulness when communicating with internal staff, counties, providers, state partners, and other stakeholders. Ability to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences. Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all measure units, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

REASONING: Demonstrate the ability to effectively apply policy analysis, regulatory requirements, and sound judgment to daily tasks; demonstrate the ability to work independently with limited supervision and to lead through ambiguity; demonstrate excellent analytical and critical thinking skills; demonstrate the ability to conduct research, ask appropriate probing questions, identify risks, and develop practical, operationally feasible solutions.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and stand; use phone and headset; use hands, arms, fingers to type; answer phones; write; use calculator; demonstrate strength to lift and carry materials weighing up to 10 pounds; demonstrate clear vision to read printed materials and a computer screen; hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone; and drive a motor vehicle on public roads and highways.

SENSORY DEMANDS: The incumbent must spend long hours in intense concentration. The incumbent must also spend long hours on the computer reviewing data, reports, and documentation, which requires attention to detail and high levels of accuracy.

MENTAL DEMANDS: There are a number of deadlines associated with this position, which may cause significant pressure. The incumbent must also attend to a wide variety of individuals regarding various topics/challenges, including unresolved or evolving policy questions across multiple state and county partners.

REGULAR WORK SCHEDULE: Varies depending on business needs; however, company normal business hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday – Friday

TRAVEL: Occasional travel within California is required, including to Sacramento and to county, state, and partner meetings, trainings, and convenings. Travel may occasionally include overnight stays.