Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)

Job Description

Job DescriptionSalary: 80000-100000

Organizational Overview

Confluence Behavioral Health, Arete Transitions, and Arete Counseling Services together provide a continuum of care for young adults and families, ranging from intensive residential treatment, to supported residential living, to outpatient and intensive outpatient therapy. Rooted in Vermont, our programs share a commitment to clinical excellence, compassionate care, and empowering young adults and families to thrive.

The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) will serve as a key member of the executive leadership team across all three entities. This individual will integrate and oversee administrative operations, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and strategic alignment across programs and locations.

Position Summary

The CAO is responsible for leading and managing the administrative, financial, HR, IT, facilities, and compliance functions across the three organizations. Working closely with the Leadership Team, the CAO ensures that operational systems support the delivery of high-quality, client-centered behavioral health services.

This role requires both strategic vision and hands-on management, with a strong ability to harmonize policies, processes, and resources across multiple, interrelated organizations.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Organizational Leadership

• Partner with the CEO and leadership team to align operational systems with the mission of each organization.
• Lead long-term operational planning, including staffing models, facilities, and technology needs.
• Serve as a bridge across Confluence, Arete Transitions, and Arete Counseling to ensure continuity of care and consistency of operations.

Human Resources & Talent

• Lead HR functions: recruitment, hiring, onboarding, compensation, benefits administration, employee relations, and training.
• Develop and maintain performance management systems aligned with clinical and organizational goals.
• Champion a culture of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging across programs.
• Ensure adherence to state/federal labor laws and best practices.

Compliance, Risk & Governance

• Ensure compliance with state licensing, Joint Commission/CARF standards, and HIPAA.
• Oversee organizational policies and procedures across the continuum of care.
• Manage insurance, contracts, and risk mitigation processes.

Operations & Infrastructure

• Oversee IT systems, security, and data management to support secure communication and documentation.
• Supervise facilities and property management across residential and office sites.
• Lead vendor relations, purchasing, and contract management.
• Implement systems that streamline coordination between residential treatment, transitional living, and outpatient services.

Cross-Organizational Integration

• Build structures to share administrative resources (finance, HR, IT, compliance) across all three organizations while respecting programmatic distinctions.
• Foster effective communication among leadership teams to ensure smooth participant transitions across the continuum of care.
• Align reporting, evaluation, and outcomes tracking to support organizational effectiveness and funder/regulator requirements.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelors degree required; Masters in Business Administration (MBA), Healthcare Administration (MHA), Social Work (MSW), Public Administration (MPA), or related field strongly preferred.

Experience: Minimum 810 years of progressive leadership in nonprofit administration, behavioral health, healthcare, or education. Experience managing multi-site or multi-program organizations is highly valued.

Skills & Competencies:

• Strong financial management and budgeting expertise.
• Knowledge of healthcare compliance (HIPAA, state licensing, insurance billing).
• Proven leadership in HR, operations, and systems management.
• Excellent communication and change-management skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with clinical and program leadership.
• Commitment to the mission of serving emerging adults and families with compassion, integrity, and excellence.

Reports To

Leadership Team

Location

Based in Vermont with regular presence across Confluence (Thetford), Arete Transitions (Burlington), and Arete Counseling Services (Burlington).