Chief Operating Officer | Massachusetts & Illinois

Hoffman Estates, United States | Posted on 09/24/2026

• Salary Up to $150,000 annually, commensurate with directly relevant experience
• Country United States

Forrest Behavioral Health is a growing behavioral health treatment organization serving individuals with substance use disorders, mental health conditions, andco-occurring diagnoses. The organization operates with a strong focus on delivering high-quality treatment while building environments where both patients and employees feel supported.

Asthe organization continues to grow across multiple states and locations,leadership is focused on strengthening an operating model that is already working well, identifying opportunities for improvement, and ensuring consistent execution across facilities.

Weare seeking a hands-on Chief Operating Officer to help lead the operational performance and continued growth of Forrest Behavioral Health across

Massachusetts and Illinois, with potential involvement in Rhode Island.

Thisis not a role focused on rebuilding an underperforming organization. The facilities are established and generally operate near target capacity. The opportunity is to understand an existing operating model, identify weaknesses and inefficiencies, strengthen execution, and help leadership scale that model successfully as the organization grows.

TheCOO will partner closely with ownership and facility Directors while maintaining the independence and accountability necessary to move initiatives forward. Approximately one week of travel per month is expected, depending on operational needs.

The strongest fit is a behavioral health operator who is ambitious, adaptable,accountable, and comfortable getting directly involved when necessary.

Youmay currently be a COO, VP of Operations, Regional Director, Executive Director, or similar leader who has spent several meaningful years within substance use disorder or mental health treatment and is ready to take onbroader responsibility.

Thisrole does not require decades of executive experience. It does require someone who understands how behavioral health facilities actually operate and can move comfortably between strategic leadership and practical problem-solving.

Youshould be able to walk into a facility, recognize where something is not working, collaborate with the appropriate leaders to develop a solution, andstay involved long enough to ensure that solution is executed.

• Oversee operations and performance across multiple behavioral health treatment locations
• Partner with facility Directors to identify operational shortcomings, inefficiencies,and opportunities for improvement
• Hold facility leadership accountable to organizational expectations, deliverables,performance standards, and deadlines
• Support state licensing, accreditation, regulatory compliance, and facility readiness initiatives
• Help implement new programs, operational systems, processes, and locations
• Support recruiting and hiring for key leadership positions and frontline roleswhen necessary
• Monitor operational performance and help leadership strengthen facility-level execution
• Serve as an operational resource to ownership while independently carrying initiatives through completion
• Work across admissions, clinical operations, staffing, utilization review, census,retention, and other functions that influence facility performance
• Travel between
  
  Massachusetts and Illinois facilities as operational needs require, with potential involvement in Rhode Island
• Help establish measurable performance goals and a bonus structure tied to facility and organizational success

• Direct professional experience within substance use disorder and/or mental health treatment operations
• Leadership experience within behavioral healthcare, such as COO, VP of Operations,Regional Director, Executive Director, Director of Operations, or acomparable multi-site or senior operational role
• Working knowledge of behavioral health treatment operations and levels of caresuch as PHP, IOP, OP, residential, detox, or similar programs
• Experience supporting or overseeing operational areas such as staffing, admissions,utilization review, insurance authorization, census management, patient retention, clinical operations, licensing, accreditation, or regulatory compliance
• Demonstratedability to identify operational problems, develop practical solutions, anddrive those solutions through implementation
• Experience holding facility or department leaders accountable for…