Director, Community Operations
Fairfax, VA / Richmond, VA
Community – Leadership /
Full Time /
On-site
firsthand supports individuals living with SMI (serious mental illness). Our holistic approach includes a team of peer recovery specialists, benefits specialists and clinicians, which focuses on meeting each individual where they are and walking with them side by side as a trusted guide, partner, and first call on their journey to wellness.
firsthand's team members use their lived experience to build trust with these individuals and support them in obtaining socio-economic assistance and in reconnecting to primary and behavioral care. Support like this creates substantial savings for managed care organizations (Medicaid providers) and taxpayers by decreasing inappropriate healthcare utilization. This enables us to build solutions that scale and, as a result, change the way our society supports those most impacted by SMI.
We are cultivating a team of deeply passionate problem-solvers to tackle significant and complex healthcare challenges with us. This is more than a job—it's a calling. Every day, you will engage in work that resonates with purpose, gain wisdom from motivated colleagues, and thrive in an environment that celebrates continuous learning, creativity, and fun.
The Director, Community Operations (DCO) is responsible for the management and development of the firsthand model across Virginia and ensuring a consistent, scalable, person-centric approach to care is being embraced by our community teams in their respective markets. The DCO will ensure firsthand’s Virginia’s firsthand teams are effective in their outreach, trust-building, engagement, benefits navigation, and clinical review of individuals identified by their MCO as needing comprehensive community care. Furthermore, the DCO will support firsthand’s leadership team in the expansion of operations across Virginia and in doing so ensure best practices are adopted and implemented across all teams. We are looking for a candidate motivated to further grow an already successful healthcare business, and who has a passion for serving - and preferred personal experience with - those living with serious mental illness.
As DCO, you will:
- Oversee market-level leadership teams
- Ensure the seamless execution of firsthand’s operational and strategic plans, including adapting practices as the business evolves
- Partner with Clinical Operations leadership to lead, motivate, and inspire community teams of peers, social workers, and clinicians deeply dedicated to firsthand’s mission; regular visits to existing teams expected to provide in-person guidance
- Develop state-level partnerships with community partners, providers, and health plan clients
- Manage and track performance to OKRs, effectively coaching market leadership and community-based staff in close collaboration with the state Director, Clinical Operations
- Lead recruitment of community-based staff in collaboration with the People team
- Work with the People team and local leadership to address any personnel issues
- Report directly to the COO and collaborate with VP, Operations, other state DCOs, and clinical operations leadership to share and implement best practices
You will be a good fit if you have:
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, especially in working collaboratively with market leaders, community-based staff, local providers, and strategic partners
- Ability to communicate a “win-win” value proposition to community partners
- Excellent organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills, with a team-focused and continuous improvement orientation
- Strong management and supervisory skills, including organizing and leading initiatives across multiple teams
- Ability to be flexible and adaptable to changing strategies and needs for firsthand, its staff, and its members
- Openness in sharing best practices and challenges with operational leadership team, including additional DCOs
- Proficiency with Google suite, Slack and Client Relationship Management (CRM) programs
The experience you bring to this role includes:
- Prior multi-site operational leadership experience in a healthcare-focused business (preferably leading community-based teams or operations)
- Direct community experience working with individuals living with SMI
- Preferred experience in an early-stage or growth company
$140,000 - $150,000 a year
This is a full-time, exempt, salaried position reporting to firsthand's Vice President, Operations. firsthand cares deeply about ensuring pay equity with every team member who joins. Commensurate on candidate experience, the expected compensation for this role’s base salary is $140,000 - 150,000.
Benefits
For full-time employees, our compensation package includes base, equity and a bonus potential.Our benefits include physical and mental health, dental, vision, 401(k) with a match, 16 weeks parental leave for either parent, flexible vacation, and a supportive and inclusive culture.
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer sponsorship at this time.
Vaccination Policy
Employment with firsthand is contingent upon attesting to medical clearance requirements, which include, but may not be limited to: evidence of vaccination for/immunity to COVID-19, Hepatitis B, Influenza, MMR, Chickenpox, Tetanus and Diphtheria. All employees of firsthand are required to receive these vaccinations on a cadence/frequency as advised by the CDC, whereas not otherwise prohibited by state law.
New hires may submit for consideration a request to be exempted from these requirements (based on a valid religious or medical reason) via forms provided by firsthand. Such requests will be subject to review and approval by the Company, and exemptions will be granted only if the Company can provide a reasonable accommodation in relation to the requested exemption. Note that approvals for reasonable accommodations are reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis and availability of a reasonable accommodation is not guaranteed.
