Texas Behavioral Health Center

Join our team and help launch the first state psychiatric hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth, where innovative caregivers will make a lasting impact on behavioral health in Texas.

The Texas Behavioral Health Center is a newly completed state-funded psychiatric hospital opening in Dallas’ Southwestern Medical District through a partnership between UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).

When fully operational, the 505,000-square-foot facility will house 292 beds – 200 for adult patients and 92 for children and adolescents. As DFW’s first state-funded behavioral health hospital, it is designed to deliver state-of-the-art, patient-centered care in a modern and healing environment. The center provides comprehensive behavioral health treatment and features private patient rooms, abundant access to natural light and nature, and thoughtfully designed spaces that promote recovery. The hospital will also provide training to all behavioral health disciplines.

As employees of UT Southwestern, team members will join a world-class academic medical center committed to patient-centered care, innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and preparing patients for successful reintegration into their families and communities. With competitive benefits and a mission-driven culture, Texas Behavioral Health Center offers an unparalleled opportunity to make a lasting impact on mental health care in North Texas. Learn more about Texas Behavioral Health Center here!

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?
With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you’ll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career! 

JOB SUMMARY
The Associate Vice President and Chief Operations Officer (COO), Texas Behavioral Health Center (TBHC) is a key senior management position and serves as a member of the UT Southwestern executive leadership team. TBHC is a state-funded psychiatric hospital in Dallas with approximately 296 licensed beds, offering comprehensive inpatient psychiatric care for adults and children, and serving as a cornerstone in expanding Texas’s mental health infrastructure. The COO is responsible for the operations of the Texas Behavioral Health Center, ensuring efficient services that are designed to provide the highest standards of quality care and service to patients and their families, while addressing the unique clinical, regulatory, and operational needs of behavioral health services. The TBHC COO ensures strategic and sound operations and provides management oversight for the development of high-quality, cost-effective, and integrated inpatient and outpatient behavioral health programs. The COO is also responsible for cost management across the operational areas of the Texas Behavioral Health Center to ensure key budgetary goals are achieved across the organization. The TBHC COO will report directly to the TBHC Chief Executive Officer with a dotted-line/matrix reporting structure to the UT Southwestern Health System Chief Operating Officer. 

BENEFITS
UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Job Duties

• Has direct leadership responsibility for all components of Texas Behavioral Health Center operations, including both clinical and non-clinical support services, supply chain activities, information technology and facility management.
• Oversees operational performance of psychiatric and behavioral health clinical programs, including inpatient psychiatry, psychiatric programs, consult-liaison psychiatry, and related specialty services.
• Create an environment that supports patient safety along withpatient, physician, and employee satisfaction.
• In partnership with the Health System AVP of Accreditation and Policy, ensures that all TBHC services are compliant with The Joint Commission, CMS, state behavioral health licensing requirements, and other applicable regulatory standards.
• Works collaboratively with the TBHC Chief Financial Officer and other executive leaders to optimize productivity, efficiency and service throughout all aspects of behavioral health operations.
• Ensures effective systems, processes and performance management arrangements are in place to deliver high standards of performance and the quality of behavioral health care and outcomes.
• Drive service development, standardization and innovation across the behavioral health programs, promoting a culture of continuous service improvement.
• Provide strong leadership, direction and assistance in setting strategy with clearly defined expectations. Leads the ongoing development of progressive physician/behavioral health center strategies and execute plans to optimize the long-term potential of the Texas Behavioral Health Center and UT Southwestern Medical Center.
• Partner with medical staff, peer leaders and multidisciplinary behavioral health teams to foster an environment focused on the quality and efficiency of care.
• Ensure Texas Behavioral Health Center departments meet their financial objectives and cost improvement targets and contribute effectively to the annual budget planning in alignment with the biennium state-provided budget.
• Provide executive oversight for behavioral health safety, risk mitigation, and regulatory readiness, including ligature risk management, restraint and seclusion reduction, and response to sentinel events.
• Lead behavioral health workforce strategy, including staffing model optimization, recruitment and retention initiatives, and alignment of interdisciplinary roles to support safe, efficient care delivery.
• Accountable for patient flow, access, and throughput across behavioral health services, including length-of-stay management, and discharge and placement coordination.
• Develop and maintains strategic partnerships with community mental health providers, state agencies, and public stakeholders to support continuity of care and access across the behavioral health continuum.
• Ensure the development and use of behavioral health–specific performance dashboards and outcome metrics to drive quality, safety, access, and operational improvement.
• Support the academic mission of UT Southwestern by ensuring operational environments that enable education, training, and research across behavioral health disciplines.
• Lead operational planning and execution for new behavioral health programs, service expansions, and facility activations, ensuring readiness, compliance, and sustainability.
• Support, develop and mentor staff members, ensuring their professional development and ability to contribute to the success and culture of the organization.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

Required

• Education
  Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Public Health or other relevant field.

• Experience
  10 years of operational leadership in a healthcare setting characterized by progressively expanding scope and responsibility in a senior operations position with an Academic Affiliated Hospital/Medical Center or large Teaching Hospital.

Preferred

• Experience
  5 years of experience in behavioral health or psychiatric services strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to act as a liaison between the administrative and medical staffs, various Boards and external stakeholders.
• Ability to lead committees, task forces and other multi-disciplinary work groups.
• An open, honest direct communicator who is able to cascade this style through his/her departments.
• An understanding of information systems as they pertain to electronic medical records, accounting, decision support, cost management and revenue enhancement, including behavioral health documentation and compliance requirements.
• Decisive leader with the ability to understand physician’s viewpoints and needs, work strategically in the best interest of patients, the behavioral health center and other key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success in leading process or performance improvement initiatives preferably using lean sigma or a similar process in a teaching or academic medical center environment.
• Proven success in balancing cost and quality issues while partnering with the medical staff to address productivity improvements.
• The ability to maximize revenue potential in a thoughtful manner, cognizant of potential compliance issues, including behavioral health–specific regulations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORKING CONDITIONS

• Working Conditions
  Office Setting

PACT STATEMENT

The following is the acronym, “PACT”, and is fundamental to all non-clinical positions at UT Southwestern Medical Center:

• P-Problem Solving: Employees take ownership in solving problems effectively, efficiently, and to the satisfaction of customers, or managers. They show initiative in addressing areas of concern before they become problems.
• A-Ability, Attitude and Accountability: Employees exhibit ability to perform their job and conduct themselves in a professional and positive manner reflecting a professional environment readily assuming obligations in a dependable and reliable manner.
• C-Communication, Contribution, and Collaboration: Who are our Customers? Anyone who requests our help, needs our work product, or receives our services. Employees focus on customer service with creative solutions while improving the customer experience through clear, courteous, and timely delivery and communication. Sharing ideas with others helps expand our contribution to department goals.
• T-Teamwork: Employees work to contribute to the department’s success by supporting co-workers, promoting excellence in work product and customer service, and in maintaining a satisfying, caring environment for each other.

Salary
Salary Negotiable

Security

This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information.

EEO Statement

UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.