Executive Director | Brookfield, WI | Full-Time | On-Site

About Wisconsin Behavioral Health

As Executive Director, you will lead our new PHP/IOP program from the ground up, with full operational accountability for opening day and the months that follow. You will guide the program from empty building to fully licensed, staffed, and admitting, then continue to lead the team as we stabilize and grow.

This is an on-site role based in Brookfield. You will serve as the senior leader on the floor, working closely with our outsourced HR, compliance, and IT partners while owning operational performance end to end.

We are looking for a clinically informed, hands-on leader who has spent meaningful time inside behavioral health programs and understands how PHP/IOP works at the patient, schedule, and staffing level. Clinical licensure is welcome but not required. The role itself is operational and does not include direct clinical responsibilities.

•      Lead operational readiness for the new PHP/IOP program, including facility setup, workflow design, staffing ramp, and launch sequencing.

•      Serve as the on-site operational lead through state licensure and payer credentialing, partnering with internal and outsourced teams to keep timelines on track.

•      Hire, onboard, and manage non-clinical and program staff in alignment with licensure milestones and census projections.

•      Build and execute a referral development and community outreach strategy before opening and through early operations.

•      Own census management, staffing efficiency, scheduling, and core operational KPIs once the program is live.

•      Partner with outsourced HR, compliance, and IT teams while retaining accountability for execution and issue resolution.

•      Maintain budget discipline and resource stewardship through start-up and into stabilization.

•      Act as the primary on-site point of contact for ownership, regulators, vendors, and referral partners.

•      A high-impact opportunity to build and lead a program from launch through stabilization with real operational ownership.

•      A visible leadership role with direct influence on program success and future growth.

•      A start-up environment designed for leaders who like to build.

•      Mission-driven work expanding access to quality behavioral healthcare in your own community.

Requirements

What You Bring

•      At least 5 years of behavioral health experience at the program or facility level, including direct, hands-on time inside PHP, IOP, or other outpatient behavioral health programs. We are open to clinical leaders, program managers, and operations leaders whose work has taken them inside the day-to-day of behavioral health programming.

•      Firsthand familiarity with behavioral health workflows, including clinical team structures, treatment schedules, group programming logistics, and patient flow.

•      Experience leading or co-leading the launch, scale-up, or stabilization of a behavioral health program, service line, or new site. If you have not done a full launch, please tell us where you have owned a comparable operational build.

•      Demonstrated ability to build a team and make things run when the infrastructure is still being put in place.

•      Working knowledge of behavioral health staffing models, census-driven economics, payer expectations, and state regulatory requirements.

•      Comfort partnering with outsourced HR, compliance, and IT teams while staying accountable for the outcomes.

•      Solid financial and operational management instincts. You can read a budget, manage to it, and know what to escalate.

•      Strong organizational, leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.

•      Full-time, on-site availability in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

•      Bachelor's degree required.

Preferred

•      Master's degree in Social Work, Healthcare Administration, Business, Counseling, or a related field.

•      Clinical licensure in Wisconsin (LCSW, LPC, LMFT, or similar). Not required, and not used in this role, but welcome as part of your background.

•      Prior experience opening a PHP, IOP, or other licensed behavioral health program in Wisconsin.

•      Existing referral relationships across the greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County behavioral health community.

Who This Role Is Not For

This is a hands-on, on-site, build-it-yourself role. Candidates whose experience has been primarily corporate, multi-site, or strategic oversight without direct involvement inside a program are unlikely to be the right fit. We are looking for someone who has been close to the work.

Benefits

$85,000 to $115,000 annually, commensurate with experience and start-up leadership scope. Performance-based incentives may be available tied to launch milestones and operational outcomes.

This is a direct hire with Wisconsin Behavioral Health. Atlantic Health Strategies is recruiting on their behalf.