Tides Family Services is a nonprofit organization that is committed to providing comprehensive support and resources to children, adolescents, and families facing various challenges. The overall mission of Tides is to provide services and supports that allow youth to live in a community-based setting. An "Agency Without Walls" our services are delivered in homes, communities, schools...wherever our youth are. 

Position Summary: Tides Family Services seeks an experienced executive leader, Vice President of Behavioral Health Strategy, to guide the strategic development and long-term sustainability of core programs for youth and families across Rhode Island. Working with the leadership team, this role will strengthen and expand high-quality, mission-driven, and financially sustainable behavioral health and educational programming for youth involved in child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and behavioral health systems. This role requires a strategic leader who understands the intersection of clinical service delivery, Medicaid and commercial reimbursement, and operational sustainability. The Vice President will help ensure programs are structured to succeed within evolving Medicaid, managed care, and commercial insurance environments, while maintaining fidelity to evidence-based and community-based models of care.

The ideal candidate brings strong business acumen in behavioral health financing, including experience with Medicaid-funded services, commercial billing practices, value-based payment models, and payer contracting. 

Essential Functions: 

• Provide executive leadership for assigned behavioral health and educational programs, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and community needs.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen program sustainability, develop new service lines, and expand funding opportunities that support long-term program impact.
• Partner with executive leadership to modernize service models and improve operational workflows in response to evolving behavioral health, education, and Medicaid funding environments.
• Support organizational strategy through the development of innovative approaches that improve outcomes for youth and families.
• Promote integration between clinical services and educational or skill-building programs that support youth stability and long-term success.
• Ensure programs maintain high standards of quality while meeting regulatory, licensing, and accreditation requirements.
• Use data, CQI processes, and stakeholder feedback to guide program improvements and strategic decision-making.
• Evaluate program sustainability through payer mix, reimbursement rates, service utilization, and cost structure, identifying opportunities to strengthen financial performance while maintaining clinical integrity. 
• Support the development of rate models, service utilization assumptions, and program budgets that align with Medicaid and commercial reimbursement methodologies.
• Ensure programs are structured to succeed within Medicaid, managed care, and commercial insurance reimbursement environments, including alignment with billing requirements, payer documentation standards, and service utilization expectations. 
• Collaborate with the finance team to monitor revenue performance, payer mix, reimbursement rates, and cost structures, identifying opportunities to strengthen program sustainability.
• Translate changes in Medicaid policy, payer contracting, and regulatory requirements into an operational strategy that supports both mission impact and financial viability. 
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with state agencies, managed care organizations, schools, courts, healthcare providers, and community partners.
• Represent Tides in cross-system initiatives aimed at improving behavioral health access and outcomes for youth and families.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration that strengthen both organizational impact and the broader system of care.
• Supervise and mentor assigned program directors, fostering strong leadership, accountability, and professional growth.
• Promote cross-program collaboration and alignment across Tides’ service continuum.
• Help build organizational capacity to respond to emerging behavioral health challenges and opportunities.

• Demonstrated experience navigating complex behavioral health systems and collaborating with state agencies, healthcare systems, managed care organizations, or education systems.
• Experience overseeing multi-program service portfolios or complex service systems serving youth and families.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience developing or expanding behavioral health programs, including identifying sustainable funding models, securing new funding streams, or redesigning services to align with payer and regulatory requirements.
• Strong understanding of Medicaid-funded behavioral health services, regulatory environments, and evidence-based interventions for youth and families.
• Bilingual candidates (Spanish, Portuguese, or Creole) are strongly encouraged to apply.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities  

• Strategic and systems-level thinking
• Ability to navigate complex regulatory and funding environments
• Experience developing innovative service models or improving program sustainability.
• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Excellent relationship-building skills with public sector partners and community organizations. 
• Commitment to trauma-informed, family-driven, and culturally responsive care 

Salary Range: $125,000-$145,000

Compensation will be determined based on the candidate’s experience, education, language capacity, skills, and other qualifications relevant to the role, in alignment with organizational parity guidelines and market conditions.   

Tides Family Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values our diverse workforce and encourages all mission-driven candidates to apply. We are a Recovery Friendly Employer, a BCBS Safe Zone Certified worksite, a Veteran Friendly workplace, and have been a multiple-year recipient of RI Monthly’s Best Places to Work. Join us!