What are the responsibilities and job description for the Intake Specialist III position at Headlight?
Join a team that’s transforming mental healthcare. Founded by psychiatrists, Headlight is more than a company: it’s a movement. A movement that exists on the front lines of the mental health crisis, transforming the way people access care and the way clinicians deliver it. In order to help people in their time of need and ensure that every person who comes to us has options, we are transparent about our capabilities, treatments, and coverage, we champion innovation, and we leverage our rich data to continuously implement better ways of delivering care. Our mission is simple but powerful: Improving lives, one session at a time.
Our highly skilled and principled clinical team enjoys autonomy and institutional support so they can put their focus where it should be: on improving patient outcomes. Our clinicians want to do more than help individual clients, so they work to affect the system as a whole, elevating standards of care so that their efforts reverberate far beyond what they could do in private practice.
As the most trusted behavioral health partner in the Western U.S., we’ve established deep relationships that give us unparalleled access, interoperability, and first-priority referrals. This exclusivity, combined with our best-in-class coordinated care and feedback loops, results in superior outcomes and cost savings.
Our services are convenient, accessible, and expert, combining personalized client engagement with advanced technology to enhance, not replace, human connection. Indeed, we hold that human-to-human relationships are indispensable, so from the match to the session to the time between sessions, we provide whole person care so nobody falls through the cracks and there is a brighter path forward for all.
The Intake Team’s objective is to engage with prospective clients who have a need or desire to improve their mental health. Clients learn about Headlight’s offerings through a variety of sources including direct website traffic, provider referrals, insurance referrals, online clinical directories, targeted online ads, and through partners who help promote mental healthcare.
As an Intake Specialist III, your job is to work onsite to help potential clients understand Headlight's services. You'll assess their mental health needs, provide information on our outpatient services, determine if they're eligible, and match them with an appropriate Headlight Clinician. Additionally, you’re responsible for organizing the scheduling and handling all intake procedures within the partner’s clinic. This role is 100% on site.
As the On-Site Intake Specialist, you are physically stationed within the clinic and serve as the immediate bridge between a physician's referral and a patient's first Headlight appointment.
You are not fielding inbound calls. You are in the clinic - intercepting patients at the moment of referral, removing every administrative barrier on the spot, and closing the handover before the patient leaves the building. The goal is to eliminate the \"referral black hole\" that causes patients to disengage after leaving their PCP.
This role is full time and onsite 5 days per week in San Diego, CA 92121. Your hours will be between the hours of 8 am – 6 pm Monday through Friday.
Business Casual dress required.
\n- Make things easier.
- Forge genuine connections.
- Elevate the standard.
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Initial Point of Contact & Receive the Handover: When a PCP identifies a mental health need, they signal you in real time. You’ll meet the patient on-site in an adjacent consult space in or near the office, wherever it is established as part of the pilot workflow.
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Open the Conversation: Within 3 minutes of PCP introduction, you establish rapport, orient the patient to Headlight's services, and assess their needs — mirroring the language the PCP used to avoid re-alarming the patient.
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Matching with Clinicians: Connect clients with appropriate Headlight Clinicians based on their specific needs and preferences.
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Generating Intakes: You verify insurance, match the patient to an appropriate Headlight clinician, and schedule their first appointment before they leave the clinic. No follow-up call is required as you’ll complete the scheduling process onsite. During this process, you’ll identify & surface exceptions (acuity issues, no insurance match, no available provider) with a clear response protocol. We do not leave patients without a defined next step.
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Close the Provider Loop: You send the referring physician a same-day "Handover Confirmed" notification with appointment details. This replaces the silent void that currently follows most behavioral health referrals.
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Intake Process Management: Oversee the entire intake process, including scheduling initial appointments and coordinating the collection of required intake paperwork, insurance information, and required payment methods.
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Client Satisfaction: Ensure new clients are comfortable and informed throughout the intake process, addressing any concerns or questions they may have.
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Data Entry and Record Keeping: Accurately input client information into the system and maintain up-to-date records of client interactions and appointments.
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Collaboration with Team: Work closely with other team members and departments to streamline the intake process and improve client experience.
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Compliance with Policies: Adhere to all organizational policies and procedures, ensuring a high standard of care and legal compliance.
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Participate in Pilot Discovery: You'll be asked for candid feedback on workflow friction, patient responses, and gaps in the protocol. Your input shapes how this program scales.
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Build Familiarity with Clinical Team and Staff: You will work closely with clinical staff and administrative staff (front desk, triage, and office management) to optimize processes and reduce operational friction over time.
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Excellent verbal and written communication skills
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Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills
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Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
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Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines
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Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
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Ability to act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality
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Spanish language skills are preferred
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You've done intake at Headlight (or equivalent) and you know the clinical matching and insurance verification process
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You're comfortable operating with ambiguity - this is a pilot. Workflows will evolve. You'll help build them
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You read a room. You can mirror a PCP's tone with a patient and transition from clinical to warm without jarring the patient
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You don't need a script for every scenario. You know how to handle objections, exceptions, and no-match situations professionally and without escalating patient anxiety
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You can track your own work accurately without a system babysitting you
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W2 role with competitive hourly rate and an additional incentive-based pay structure
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Medical, Dental and Vision on the first of the month after employment (based on FT hours)
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Paid Vacation, Sick, and Holiday time
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Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides confidential counseling services, resources, and support to help you navigate personal or professional challenges.
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401(k) plan with company contribution
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Hybrid work schedule
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Opportunity to work in a cutting-edge healthcare technology environment
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Professional development opportunities and training
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Collaborative and supportive work culture
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Impactful role contributing to the enhancement of patient care and healthcare processes
If you need any accommodations for your interview please email HR@headlight.health prior to scheduling.
Not meeting all the requirements? Research indicates that women, communities of color, and historically underrepresented individuals are often hesitant to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification. We are committed to cultivating a diverse, inclusive, and genuine workplace. If you're enthusiastic about this position but your previous experience doesn't precisely match every qualification listed, we enthusiastically encourage you to submit your application. You could be the ideal candidate for this role or others!
Headlight is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness and seeks to create a working environment reflective of this commitment. We seek to provide a diverse clinician base to support the diversity of our clients. Headlight supports and respects diversity of people, culture, and ideas throughout our organization. Headlight thrives to be a welcoming, diverse and discrimination- and harassment-free workplace.
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Salary : $30