Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Behavioral Health Hospital | Healthcare Leadership | MI / MO

Chief Executive Officer – Behavioral Health Hospital

📍 Location: Multiple U.S. Locations (Onsite) – West Bloomfield, MI or Springfield, MO
💼 Employment Type: Full-Time
🎓 Education: Bachelor’s Degree required (MBA/MHA preferred)
📈 Seniority Level: Executive
🕒 Experience Required: 5–10+ years leadership experience
✈️ Travel: Occasional
🌎 Visa Sponsorship: Not available
🚚 Relocation Assistance: Available

Role Overview

We are seeking a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead the overall operations, strategy, and performance of a behavioral health hospital.

This role carries full accountability for clinical quality, financial performance, regulatory compliance, talent development, and strategic growth, ensuring the facility delivers outstanding patient outcomes while achieving business objectives.

The CEO will act as the executive leader of the facility, working closely with the governing board, medical leadership, and community stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and execute the hospital’s strategic and operational plans

• Partner with the governing body to define annual budgets and long-term growth strategy

• Lead the organisation with a focus on quality care, operational excellence, and financial performance

Operational Management

• Oversee day-to-day hospital operations, ensuring performance across:

• Patient care outcomes

• Financial management

• Regulatory compliance

• Staff performance and development

• Establish organisational structure and accountability across departments

Financial & Business Performance

• Drive achievement of census, revenue, and EBITDA targets

• Lead payer contract negotiations and performance management

• Identify opportunities for growth, service expansion, and operational efficiency

Clinical Quality & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with:

• Licensure and accreditation standards

• Regulatory bodies and healthcare frameworks

• Lead quality improvement initiatives (QAPI)

• Maintain continuous survey readiness and audit compliance

• Oversee patient safety initiatives and issue resolution

Talent & Culture

• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing leadership and clinical teams

• Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement

• Lead performance management, coaching, and succession planning

Community & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain relationships with:

• Healthcare providers

• Government agencies

• Community organisations

• Drive referral growth and market presence

• Represent the organisation within the local healthcare ecosystem

Program Development & Growth

• Expand and enhance continuum of care, including outpatient and community-based services

• Support innovation in treatment programs and service offerings

• Lead initiatives to improve access to care and patient outcomes

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required (Business, Healthcare Administration, Public Health, or related field)

• MBA/MHA or equivalent preferred

• 5+ years of senior leadership experience (CEO or equivalent) within:

• Behavioral health

• Acute care

• Managed care environments

• Strong experience with:

• Hospital operations and administration

• Financial management and P&L ownership

• Regulatory compliance and accreditation

Key Skills & Expertise

• Behavioral health hospital leadership experience

• Strong financial and operational acumen

• Experience with regulatory surveys and accreditation processes (e.g., Joint Commission)

• Talent recruitment, retention, and leadership development

• Marketing and community engagement

• Quality improvement and patient safety leadership

• Experience with hospital startup, turnaround, or expansion initiatives (preferred)

Leadership Competencies

• High emotional intelligence and people leadership capability

• Ability to drive results across financial, quality, and operational metrics

• Strong strategic thinking and decision-making skills

• Proven ability to influence stakeholders and lead through change

• Hands-on, visible leadership style with strong team engagement

• Ability to balance short-term execution with long-term strategy

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will:

• Have extensive experience leading behavioral health facilities

• Demonstrate success in improving clinical quality and financial performance

• Be a hands-on leader with strong presence across operations

• Have experience managing multiple service lines

• Bring a track record of:

• Building high-performing teams

• Achieving regulatory excellence

• Driving sustainable growth

Key Success Metrics

• Financial performance (census, revenue, EBITDA)

• Talent retention and leadership development

• Regulatory compliance and audit outcomes

• Patient satisfaction and quality scores

• Market growth and referral performance

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package

• Performance-based bonus structure

• Relocation support available

• Executive-level compensation and incentives

CEO - Billings, MT - $145,000 - $170,000

CEO

Billings, MT

$145,000 - $170,000

Job Description

Through a respectful, constructive and energetic style the CEO provides the leadership to effectively grow the hospital by ensuring clinical excellence, operating efficiency and financial strength. This includes CEO leadership in developing strong senior team and partnership with Medical Director and medical staff to ensure the clinical excellence and operational performance of the rehabilitation hospital. The CEO is also responsible for designing, developing and implementing a strategic plan to ensure the success of the hospital’s clinical, financial and overall operating performance and successful growth of the hospital as a whole. The CEO directs, administers and coordinates the overall operations of the hospital, including the goals and objectives established by the Chief Operating Officer for the IRF Division in collaboration with the Managing Partner and Board of Managers.

·        Provide day-to-day leadership within the organization, including advice, guidance, direction and authorization to achieve the clinical and financial goals and objectives of the organization

·        Design, develop and implement a strategic plan that focuses on clinical excellence, financial performance and market and business development in collaboration with the Board of Managers and manages and directs the organization toward the goals of the plan

·        Create and maintain proper operational controls, administrative and reporting procedures and systems to meet and exceed the clinical and financial goals of the organization included in the strategic plan

·        Oversee the adequacy and soundness of the organization’s financial structure, including reviews of operating results of the organization, comparing them to established objectives and takes steps to ensure appropriate measures are taken to correct unsatisfactory results

·        Motivate and lead a high performance management team; attract and recruit and retain required members of the team, including physicians, not currently in place and providing mentoring as needed

·        Cultivate a positive relationships with and maintain an environment of collaboration and cooperation at all levels of the organization, including the Medical Staff and the Board of Managers

·        Recruit and retain a professional and highly qualified medical director and medical staff

·        Positively and professionally represent the organization with major customers, shareholders, the financial community, and the public

·        Ensures adequate provision of services through referral, consultation or contractual agreement and negotiates, enter into, administers and modifies and/or terminates contracts (including contracts with Practitioners for the rendering of services at or to the Hospital) for the Hospital as may be necessary, subject to the rights of the Board of Managers

·        Ensure that all activities and operations are carried out in compliance with local, state, and federal regulation, Joint Commission standards, CARF and other rehab specialty accreditations, the Hospital Compliance Plan and all laws governing healthcare operations

·        Supports the Hospital’s Continuous Quality Improvement Plan and measures effectiveness on that plan to demonstrate clinical excellence

·        Ensures the implementation of the Hospital-wide policy and patients’ rights and responsibilities subject to the approval of the Medical Staff and Board of Managers

·        Responsible for establishing and implementing a safe working environment that meets all licensure, regulatory, and accreditation requirements

·        Provides timely, accurate and complete reports on the operations of the Hospital, including, but not limited to, measures and effectiveness of achieving operational performance as defined in the strategic plan