Clinical Director

Clinical Director (LCSW, LAC, LPC) – Job Posting

Youth Zone serves more than 1,500 youth and families each year across Colorado’s Western Slope through a continuum of evidence-informed, trauma-responsive services. Our work spans youth assessment and screening, individual and family counseling, parental guidance and support, restorative justice, court-involved programming, educational workshops, and coordinated community interventions. Founded in 1976, Youth Zone has grown into a stable, systems-driven organization with clearly defined roles, strong internal structure, and a deep commitment to family-first, youth-centered care.

Over the past several years, Youth Zone has intentionally strengthened its clinical infrastructure. We are a Medicaid and Behavioral Health Administration (BHA)-qualified provider, with established clinical policies, documentation standards, supervision structures, and cross-program coordination. Our clinical team works within clear frameworks while maintaining flexibility and responsiveness to the complex realities facing youth and families. This role is well-supported by experienced leadership, operational systems, and an organization that values clarity, collaboration, and professional integrity.

We are seeking an experienced Clinical Director (LCSW, LPC, or LAC) who is both deeply committed to this work and confident in their clinical practice. The ideal candidate brings demonstrated experience working with youth and families, strong clinical judgment, and comfort supervising, assessing, diagnosing, and supporting treatment planning across varying levels of need. This is a role for a clinician who values thoughtful systems, ethical practice, and steady leadership—and who wants to contribute meaningfully to a mission-driven organization that is past the start-up phase and continuing to refine and mature.

Youth Zone offers a reasonable and sustainable four-day hybrid work week, with one day per week eligible for remote work, reflecting our belief that strong clinical work is supported by balance, trust, and clear expectations.

Essential Functions, Responsibilities and Abilities of the Clinical Director at Youth Zone

• Provide clinical leadership and strategic direction for all behavioral health and clinical programming across the organization, ensuring alignment with Youth Zone’s mission, values, and long-term goals.

• Oversee and support of clinical staff, establishing clear supervision structures, performance expectations, and professional development pathways.

• Serve as the organization’s primary authority on clinical practice standards, ethical decision-making, and clinical risk management.

• Ensure organizational compliance with Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) requirements, Medicaid regulations, licensing standards, and applicable state and federal laws, including HIPAA and Colorado Revised Statutes 27-10.

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of clinical policies, procedures, and documentation standards to support quality care, audit readiness, and sustainable operations.

• Partner with executive and operational leadership to integrate clinical services with court programs, diversion services, restorative justice, and community-based interventions.

• Provide oversight of clinical quality assurance, including chart audits, utilization review, outcome tracking, and corrective action planning when needed.

• Guide program design and clinical service delivery to ensure services are evidence-informed, trauma-responsive, culturally responsive, and appropriate to the risk levels and needs of youth and families served.

• Support high-level clinical consultation on complex cases, critical incidents, mandated reporting, and systems-level decision-making, while avoiding routine case management responsibilities.

• Collaborate with finance and operations staff to support Medicaid billing integrity, service authorization, and appropriate use of clinical resources.

• Represent Youth Zone in high-level partnerships with community providers, healthcare systems, courts, county agencies, and regulatory bodies.

• Contribute to organizational planning, grant development, and program expansion by providing clinical insight, data-informed recommendations, and workforce planning support.

• Foster a strong, ethical, and sustainable clinical culture that values accountability, collaboration, supervision, and staff well-being.

• Demonstrate the ability to lead through complexity, manage competing priorities, and support organizational change with clarity and steadiness.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Passion for our vision and mission 

• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills 

• Experience in designing and leading learning objectives for adults

• Persistence and assertiveness in advocating for youth 

• Ability to type for purposes of crafting reports and correspondence, and for data entry 

• Ability to adapt and learn new technical systems for grant & data reporting

• Willingness to share in office maintenance and upkeep, as directed 

• Commitment to the success of the organization and its programs 

• Reliability, friendliness, and conscientiousness 

• Self-starter with the ability to work independently 

• Ability to quickly grasp issues and formulate approaches to problem resolution 

• Detail-oriented with strong organization skills 

• Ability to adhere to deadlines 

• Strong work ethic 

• Willingness to occasionally show up to events or opportunities beyond the scope of the normal work week

Qualifications & Competencies

• Master's degree in counseling, Social Work, Psychology, or another human services field.

• Licensed in the State of Colorado as a LCSW, LPC/LSW, or LAC, or willingness to acquire Colorado Licensure in a reasonable timeframe. (Will consider licensure from another state if it can qualify for a Colorado state license.)

• We will consider providing support for qualified applicants who need supervision hours and/or CE credits relating to Colorado Licensure.

• 4 or more years of experience in the behavioral health field

• Demonstrated ability to present in front of diverse groups of people. 

Preferred Qualifications & Competences

• Leadership experience

• Bilingual in Spanish and English; Strong verbal and written communication skills in English, and ability to understand and to make oneself understood in Spanish. 

• Knowledge of Trauma Informed Care and Motivational Interviewing principles.

Physical Demands & Working Environment

• Working conditions are generally indoors in environmentally controlled conditions. Travel will be required. 

• Sitting- up to 85% 

• Walking- up to 20% 

• Standing- up to 20% 

• Reaching- up to 10% 

• Lifting and/or bending- up to 10% 

• Able to lift up 20 pounds 

Employment Classification & Wage Range

• Full-time hourly non-exempt. $90,000-110,000 DOE

Benefits of Working at Youth Zone

• Youth Zone is a great place to work! 

• We offer a healthy, supportive work culture; three hours of weekly exercise time; employee retirement plan; health insurance/wellness stipend; All-in-One mental health sessions; life insurance a positive working environment, and; the opportunity to be part of a wonderful team consisting of committed and passionate professional optimists. 

• We also employ a hybrid work policy that allows for 1/3 remote work, 1/3 flex space work (we work in three counties and do our best to reduce barriers for our clients by meeting them in their communities), and 1/3 office. 

How to Apply:

• If you’re interested in applying, please submit a resume and cover letter to careers@youthzone.com

Youth Zone is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Youth Zone is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Youth Zone are based on organizational needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, religion or belief, family or parental status, or any other status protected by Federal and State law. Youth Zone does not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

Salary/Compensation: $90,000 - $110,000 per year

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