Job Description
Job Description
A Director of Behavioral Health is needed in Fort Walton Beach, FL, to lead inpatient behavioral health operations at a 267-bed hospital offering an Advanced Primary Stroke Center, a Cancer Care Center, open-heart surgery, and emergency services that include a dedicated pediatric ER and two freestanding ER locations.
The role. Reporting into hospital administration, the Director holds full accountability for the operational and clinical performance of the behavioral health unit, including staffing, budgeting, and regulatory compliance. Day-to-day responsibilities center on advancing evidence-based nursing practice to strengthen patient safety and quality outcomes, managing clinical practice variation to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and ensuring the unit meets all applicable legal and accreditation standards. The Director drives patient throughput through proactive volume forecasting, flow coordination, and admission and discharge planning, while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across departments to match clinical competencies to patient care needs. The role also carries responsibility for talent development — coaching individual staff, building engagement, and partnering with the administrative and physician teams to sustain and expand behavioral health service offerings.
What we're looking for.
- Bachelor's degree required
- Active RN license required
- 5 years of recent acute care inpatient behavioral health experience at the Manager or Assistant Nurse Manager level, within the last year
- Basic Cardiac Life Support must be obtained within 30 days of employment start date
- Nonviolent Crisis Intervention must be obtained within 90 days of employment start date
- Fingerprint clearance required
Schedule. This is a full-time day-shift position.
Compensation. $110,000 - $130,000 per year plus Sign on: No Sign on Relocation Assistance: Case by Case