Behavioral Health Division Director
to lead their Behavioral Health Division.
Starting Salary Up To $191,158/Year*
The Benefits of County Employment
Sonoma County offers a total compensation package that is both attractive and competitive, including:
- An annual Staff Development/Wellness Benefit allowance up to $1,700 and ongoing education/training opportunities
- Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
- Significant portion of health care premiums paid by the County and access to several health plan options
- County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
- Retirement fully integrated with Social Security
- May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment
- Eligibility for a salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
The Behavioral Health Division Director
The Behavioral Health Division Director has overall responsibility for all functions of the Department of Health Services' (DHS) Behavioral Health Division. This position plans, organizes, coordinates, and directs the activities, programs, and functions of the Division. Developing, interpreting, implementing, and evaluating workflow, policies, and procedures are key responsibilities.
The Behavioral Health Division Director has oversight of a $120 million dollar budget, consisting of multiple, complex and programmatic, funding streams. The budget supports 45 programs, a staff of 13 direct reports, and approximately 275 employees. This position reviews and evaluates programs in order to prioritize resources based on the greatest need, return on investment, and anticipated future needs, in adherence with all fiscal and legal responsibilities as well as federal and state mandates. To view the color brochure, please click here.
The Ideal Candidate
The Behavioral Health Division Director must possess a big picture understanding of behavioral health and substance use treatment programs, and have the ability to work across systems of care in order to promote collaboration and coordination. Our ideal Behavioral Health Division Director will be a creative visionary, and strategic thinker who:
- Understands the roles and strengths of the Behavioral Health care community, and will foster relationships between the County and its community partners in order to advance a shared vision
- Possesses the drive and leadership abilities needed to advance County goals and effectively, efficiently manage and grow the Division
- Has a passion for public service and a desire to serve the most vulnerable population, with a dedication to supporting the social, ethical, and cultural values of the community
- Is a diplomatic communicator, with excellent oral and written communication skills, including persuasive report writing and presentation abilities that move audiences to engagement and action
- Looks at new methods of delivering services in the most efficient and effective way possible for the health of the organization as a whole and community it serves
The Civil Service Title for this position is Health Services Division Director.
The Behavioral Health Division
The mission of the Behavioral Health Division is to promote the recovery and wellness of Sonoma County residents by providing high quality, culturally responsive services in all languages. The Division accomplishes this mission by embracing a recovery philosophy focused on building and strengthening the capabilities of people with mental illnesses and/or substance use disorders, in order to achieve their full potential and live meaningful lives in the community of their choosing. The building blocks of this philosophy include an emphasis on: self-direction, individualized and person-centered care, empowerment and shared decision-making techniques, and a holistic approach that encompasses mind, body, spirit, and community.
The Division is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services across the service spectrum: prevention, early intervention, treatment, and aftercare and recovery. Services are provided departmentally and through partnerships with community based agencies. Through partnering with clients, family members, and the community, and focusing on respect, responsibility, and hope, the Behavioral Health Division fosters a collaborative approach to wellness.
The Behavioral Health Division is also responsible for directly administering specialty mental health treatment services to County residents whose mental health needs are determined to be medically necessary, as defined by CCR Title 9 and W&I Code 5600.
For additional information about the Behavioral Health Division, please visit their website.
The Department of Health Services (DHS)
DHS is one of the County's largest and most complex departments, consisting of the Administration, Behavioral Health, and Public Health Divisions. Reporting to the Director, the Executive Management Team (EMT) includes: two Assistant Directors, Health Officer, Behavioral Health Division Director, Public Health Division Director, and Compliance Officer. The EMT works together to ensure collaboration across Divisions, thus embodying the vision of "OneDHS".
DHS is driven by its mission to promote, protect, and ensure access to services that support the health, recovery, and well-being of all in Sonoma County. These ideas form the basis for how the department operates and delivers services:
- Excellence - DHS strives to create a culture of learning, innovation, and data-driven practices in order to guide internal operations, improve performance, and build staff expertise
- Collaboration - DHS engages and works collaboratively with partners, communities, and staff to maximize its impact across the County
- Equity - DHS works to reduce disparities and ensure fairness, compassion, and social justice
The DHS FY 21-22 budget of approximately $280 million supports over 582 full-time equivalent positions. Revenue sources include State and Federal funds, fees and reimbursements for services, and the County General Fund. For further information regarding the department, its programs, services, and partnerships, please visit the DHS website.
Sonoma County
Sonoma County offers a rare and compelling array of scenic, recreational, and geographic characteristics – including over 200 award-winning wineries, inspiring coastline and beaches, the Russian River, and majestic redwoods. The County encompasses over one million acres of land and water, rich with agriculture, parks, campsites, lakes, and open space.
Sonoma County is home to almost 500,000 residents and offers a wide variety of art and music festivals, farmers' markets, and concert venues. Local schools continually rank high on California's Academic Performance Index, and the Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University offer higher education opportunities.
Sonoma is a general law county, governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. The Board is fully committed to a mission and vision that values high quality services to support and enrich the community, strong leadership, engaged citizen participation, transparency and accuracy in information, and efficient and fiscally sustainable government. The County Administrator leads a team of dedicated department heads who work collaboratively to address and strategically prepare for County initiatives and challenges. The County has 29 departments, agencies, and special districts and employs over 4,100 regular employees with an annual budget of approximately $1.98 billion for fiscal year 2021-2022.
Please visit www.sonomacountyconnections.org for more information about Sonoma County as a place to live, work, and build your career legacy.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.
Minimum Qualifications
Any combination of education, experience, and training that would likely provide the knowledge and abilities listed herein. (Note: some assignments may have legally mandated requirements.)
Education and Experience: Normally, a master's degree in health care administration, public health, psychiatric nursing, psychology, sociology, counseling, public administration, business administration or a related field from an accredited college or university, and four years administrative or management experience at the level of division director, program manager, and/or center or facility manager in a mental health or substance abuse services program, or closely related health or human service program requiring large expenditures of funds.
License: In accordance with California Administrative Code, Title IX, Section 620, either:
A physician and surgeon listed in the State of California showing evidence of having completed three years of graduate training in psychiatry to be supplemented by an additional period of two years of training or practice limited to the field of psychiatry, one year of which shall have been administrative experience; or
A psychologist who shall be licensed in the State of California and shall possess a doctorate degree in Psychology from an institute of higher education and, in addition, have at least five years mental health experience, two years of which shall have been administrative experience; or
A clinical social worker who shall possess a master's degree in social work and be a licensed clinical social worker under provisions of the California Business and Professional Code, and shall have had at least five years mental health experience, two years of which shall have been administrative experience; or
An administrator who shall have a master's degree in hospital administration, public health administration, or public administration from an accredited college or university, and who shall have at least three years experience in hospital or health care administration, two of which shall have been in the mental health field (additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a two year-for-year basis with the approval of the Department of Mental Health); or
A marriage, family and child counselor who shall have a master's degree in an approved behavioral science course of study and who shall be a licensed marriage, family and child counselor, and shall have had at least five years of mental health experience, two years of which shall have been administrative experience; or
A registered nurse licensed in the State of California who shall possess a master's degree in psychiatric or public health nursing and shall have at least five years mental health experience.
Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required, depending upon assignment, to perform the essential job functions of the position.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Thorough knowledge of: the principles, methods and protocols of the assigned division's functional area such as public health or behavioral health; legislation and laws that regulate the assigned division and that regulate health services departments in general; principles of public policy, planning, and health services administration; health services department operations; principles and practices of providing community health services; community social, economic, and health related issues that call for the use of public and private county services.
Considerable knowledge of: modern personnel, financial administration and management practices and procedures.
Ability to: develop, organize, and coordinate health services, programs, and activities; understand interpret, and apply procedures, laws, rules and regulations as they apply to the assigned area; ensure proper compliances with federal, state and local guidelines, policies, goals, rules and regulations; plan, organize, direct, and supervise professional and other personnel engaged in providing health; exercise responsibility, initiative, ingenuity, independent analysis, and judgment in solving highly specialized health, administrative and managerial problems; establish and maintain effective working relationships; work closely with community groups, advisory boards and advocacy organizations; develop and update divisional rules, regulations and policies; direct the establishment and maintenance of a variety of records and reports pertaining to medical and non-medical services and personnel; effectively assemble, organize and present in written and/or oral form, reports containing alternative solutions and recommendations regarding plans, policies and programs; understand and appreciate differing views on the responsibility of the assigned division in the management of sensitive health issues.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying
- Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
- You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application and should be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
- You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
- Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.
Please visit Getting-a-Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.
Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses which state "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.
The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:
An Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.
Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer are contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: As the largest employer in Sonoma County, the Board of Supervisors has adopted a vaccination and testing policy to help mitigate transmission of COVID-19. All County employees will be required to either have documented proof of full COVID-19 vaccination on file or consent to weekly COVID-19 testing.