Lead Behavioral Health System Navigator District 7

District 7 - Black Hawk, Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Linn, Jones, Jackson, Johnson, Cedar, Clinton, Muscatine, Scott, Louisa, Des Moines

Due to the nature of this work, candidates must live in one of the counties listed above to be considered for this role.

Company Background

The Iowa Primary Care Association (Iowa PCA) has supported Iowa’s community health centers for over 36 years to expand access to affordable, high quality, integrated care. The Iowa PCA, along with our sister companies INConcertCare (INCC) and IowaHealth (IH ), provides training, technical assistance, and shared services opportunities in quality improvement, value-based care, health information technology, and other areas. We are now expanding our services through a new partnership with Iowa Health and Human Services to serve as the new statewide Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization (BH-ASO). It’s an exciting opportunity to expand our efforts and connection to the broader behavioral health safety net.

Purpose of the Position

The Lead Behavioral Health System Navigator provides consultative supervision, training, and oversight to ensure consistency, compliance, and best practices in person-centered care. Reporting directly to the Director of System Navigation, the Lead Behavioral Health System Navigator serves a dual role as both a skilled navigator of Iowa’s behavioral health system and the direct supervisor of a team of eight to ten Behavioral Health System Navigators. This position ensures welcoming, person-centered high-quality service navigation for individuals and families accessing behavioral health and related supports through the BH-ASO, with focus on improving access and outcomes for behavioral health services across Iowa.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The following duties outline key responsibilities for the Lead Behavioral Health System Navigator position. Additional duties may be assigned as required.

1. Leadership & Supervision

• Build and lead a high-performing team of Behavioral Health System Navigators, fostering a culture of collaboration, results- and customer service-orientations, and professional growth.
• Champion, utilize, and hold team members accountable for use of organizationally sanctioned tools, systems, policies, processes, and methodologies for the BH-ASO System Navigation program, as well as communication, project management, skills-building, and other topics.
• Offers consultative oversight, including review of intake materials, documentation, and person-centered plans, ensuring alignment with BH-ASO standards and regulations.
• Facilitate team meetings, individual check-ins, and case consultations to support navigator development and problem-solving.
• Monitor team performance metrics, documentation quality, caseloads and trends in service utilization and referral outcomes, and make recommendations to improve effective service delivery and program outcomes.
• Participate in hiring and onboarding new navigators.
• Contribute to the development and updating of navigation-related policies, standard operating procedures, and workflows to align with organizational goals and regulatory requirements.
• Accountable for adhering to and modeling organizational leadership expectations.

2. Person-Centered System Navigation

• Support complex or high-need individuals and families by providing direct system navigation assistance to individuals and families, helping them understand options and make informed decisions.
• Help people and families access appropriate and timely behavioral health services (e.g., crisis stabilization, outpatient therapy, substance use treatment, Access Centers) and navigate smooth transitions between levels of care.
• Conduct intake protocols to ensure consistency and accuracy in identifying needs, with a focus on ensuring a welcoming and inviting environment for people and families accessing system navigation.
• Prioritize identified needs, such as crisis stabilization, ongoing therapy, or support services, based on severity and urgency.
• Contribute to person-centered planning process as needed ensuring transfer of information to other system partners, incorporating trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches.
• Serve as a resource to the navigation team on system-level barriers, emerging needs, and community resources.

3. Follow-Up and Ongoing Support:

• Support people and families with transitions of care from inpatient or residential settings back into the community.
• Conduct regular follow-ups after referrals to ensure successful connections to services and address any barriers encountered during the process.

4. Community and Provider Relationship-Building:

• Assist the Director of System Navigation in facilitating regular meetings with partners and stakeholders to identify systemic gaps, discuss shared clients, and strategize coordinated solutions.
• Maintain current knowledge and effective working relationships with community resources, agencies, providers, and support organizations within the service area.
• Attend community meetings or events as assigned to stay informed of resources, changes, and trends that may impact client care.

5. Training and Development:

• Lead onboarding and ongoing training of Behavioral Health System Navigators, ensuring competency in referral processes, documentation standards, and best practices for person-centered support.
• Collaborate with program leadership on continuous quality improvement efforts and staff development initiatives.

• Participate in ongoing training to maintain knowledge of behavioral health best practices, evidence-based interventions, and evolving community resources.
• Stay current on BH-ASO policies, Medicaid and non-Medicaid benefits, and statewide resource availability.

6. Compliance and Risk Management:

• Utilize required software, referral platforms and eligibility tools to document assessments, track service delivery and close loop referrals, monitor individual progress, ensure accountability in system navigation, and determine eligibility for Medicaid or other benefits.
• Ensure timely and accurate documentation and reporting in compliance with BH-ASO policies and state/federal requirements.
• Ensure data integrity within navigation case management systems and assist with audits and compliance reviews as necessary.
• Adhere strictly to privacy regulations, confidentiality standards (HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2), and other compliance requirements related to client interactions and documentation.

Expected Values and Behaviors:

The person in this position will be expected to model our workplace values which are:

• Collaborative – We are one team. Celebrate success together. Learn from failure together. Willing to embrace change and responsive to each other. We can and should depend on each other. Share your work and ask questions. Offer to help, offer to learn, and offer solutions to problems.
• Accountable – We work for health centers and we work with each other. Tell the truth, keep your word, listen, and make it better. Expect excellence from yourself and others.
• Respectful – Approach every interaction with thoughts of equity, inclusion, and humility. We are one organization, and we are many people. We understand our differences and are better for it. Welcome feedback of all kinds. We are all learning something.
• Deliberate – Always understand the problem before trying to solve it. Nothing should be done without a purpose. Unite around common goals, visions, and strategies.
• Proactive – We seek opportunities to learn and prepare for future challenges. Everyone is responsible, expected and empowered to prepare us for the future. Train and plan for what comes next and who comes after us.
• Transformative – We empower systems change with a lens of excellent healthcare, health equity and compassion. Or health centers lead the way; we will clear the way. Adapt to changing circumstances and improve through adversity.

Qualifications

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Nursing, or a related behavioral health field required; master’s degree preferred.
  • Experience providing consultative supervision is preferred.
• Experience:
  • At least 3 years of experience in behavioral health service delivery, with at least 1-2 years in a supervisory or team lead role.
  • Demonstrated expertise in Iowa’s behavioral health system, including Medicaid and non-Medicaid services and supports.
  • Demonstrated experience in person-centered care, recovery-oriented practices, and trauma-informed service delivery.
  • Experience with the behavioral health service system in Iowa is preferred but not required.
  • Experience with quality improvement, data monitoring, and outcomes-based performance management is preferred.
  • Bilingual or multilingual skills are a plus.
• Skills:
  • Strong leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills with a collaborative management style.
  • Proficiency with electronic health records and virtual communication tools.
  • Strong written and verbal communication, including experience presenting to diverse audiences.
  • Proficiency with data systems and analytics tools (e.g., Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Excel, PowerPoint).
  • Self-motivated, results-oriented, and skilled in prioritizing multiple initiatives while supporting a distributed team.

Work Environment and Travel

• On-site work required at least two days per week in location within assigned district, with travel across Iowa to support district operations and attend conferences or meetings.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position will oversee approximately eight to ten Behavioral Health System Navigators.