Chief Executive, Behavioral Health

Chief Executive, Behavioral Health
Northern Light Health

Bangor, ME

Northern Light Health seeks an accomplished behavioral health executive to provide systemwide leadership for behavioral health strategies and services across Maine while serving as Chief Executive of Behavioral Health, which includes operational leadership for Northern Light Acadia Hospital. This is a distinctive opportunity to shape a more integrated, accessible, and coordinated continuum of behavioral healthcare throughout Northern Light Health’s statewide network while leading one of Maine’s two inpatient behavioral health hospitals.

The Chief Executive will be accountable for the overall leadership, operations, and performance of Northern Light Acadia Hospital while establishing and advancing a clear strategic vision for behavioral health across Northern Light Health. The role extends beyond the hospital walls and encompasses inpatient, outpatient, community-based and school-based programs, along with behavioral health services embedded throughout the statewide network.

Working collaboratively with system, hospital, nursing, and physician leaders, the Chief Executive will strengthen clinical and administrative operations, improve access and care coordination, and develop services that respond to the behavioral health needs of communities across Maine. The executive will help address the needs of behavioral health patients presenting in hospital emergency departments, identify opportunities for integration with primary care, and cultivate partnerships with state government, community organizations, and other stakeholders.

An immediate priority will be strengthening Acadia’s pediatric inpatient program. Northern Light Health has begun resetting the program’s leadership, staffing, care planning, and operating processes, supported by experienced interim leadership. The Chief Executive will build upon this work by establishing greater structure, accountability, and consistency while improving clinical quality, patient safety, workforce stability, and the patient and family experience.

The successful candidate will be a collaborative, visible, and relationship-centered leader who understands behavioral health operations and the complexities of leading within an integrated health system. Grounded in Acadia Hospital’s Unified Philosophy of Care—that people are doing the best they can with the skills they have and are not choosing to struggle—the Chief Executive must balance responsibility for Acadia’s operational and financial performance with broader accountability for advancing behavioral health across Northern Light Health.

The position reports to Dean Kindler, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Northern Light Health.

• A master’s degree in healthcare administration, business administration, public health, nursing, social work, psychology, or another relevant healthcare or behavioral health discipline is required.
• Candidates possessing an MD, DO, MSN or similar advanced clinical degree are encouraged to obtain an MHA or MBA within 18 months of hire.
• The Chief Executive is not required to be a physician or other licensed clinician.
• Candidates whose professional background requires clinical licensure must possess, or be eligible to obtain, the appropriate licensure in the State of Maine.
• A minimum of eight years of progressive senior management experience within a hospital, health system or complex behavioral healthcare organization is required.
• Significant leadership experience in behavioral health is required, including responsibility for clinical programs, operations, strategy or service-line performance.
• Demonstrated experience leading a complex healthcare…