Team Lead

Position Title: Team Lead

Program/Location: Mobile Crisis Team – San Luis Obispo

Position Summary:

The Mobile Crisis Team provides 24/7 crisis triage, dispatch, psychiatric placement and transportation coordination, and community-based mobile crisis response for people of all ages experiencing behavioral health crises in San Luis Obispo County. The program works across the behavioral health crisis system to identify the most appropriate response, coordinate timely crisis services and resources, and provide trauma-informed, culturally responsive care in the least restrictive setting.

Under the direction of the Clinical Director and in collaboration with San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health and Central Coast Hotline leadership, the Mobile Crisis Team Lead serves as the day-to-day clinical and operational leader for Crisis Dispatch and Mobile Crisis Team services. The Team Lead is responsible for the overall administration, clinical oversight, operation, integration, and continuous improvement of the program, including 24/7 staffing and coverage, supervision, training, quality assurance, documentation, WIC section 5150/5585 designation processes, contract compliance, data and reporting, budgets, partner relationships, and critical incident response. The Team Lead provides clinical consultation within the scope of licensure, supports sound crisis assessment and disposition decisions, and ensures strong coordination between dispatch and field response. This is a licensed clinical leadership position; the Team Lead may also provide direct crisis services when operationally necessary and within the scope of licensure and designation.

Hours/Salary:

Full-time, exempt position. Anticipated hiring range is $116,160-$124,430 annually. Includes a generous individual benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, life, 403b retirement (with up to a 5% employer match) paid vacation/holiday time, paid sick time and a variety of helpful employee perks as well. (*Full Salary Schedule $116,160-$133,320)

Employee Perks/ Work Culture:

A few of our helpful employee benefits include membership discounts to various local fitness centers. We offer years of service gift cards to businesses of your choice. We offer gift cards for walking, biking, or carpooling to work as well as 20% discount for shopping at our Growing Grounds Downtown Store/Nursey/ Farm. We host two employee appreciation events for employees and their families yearly. We practice Trauma Informed Care Principles, Guidelines for Collaborative Conversations, and encourage the use of pronouns. We mindfully promote equality, respect and diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, and all the fascinating characteristics that make us different! TMHA is also a pet friendly workplace (upon approval)!

Organization Description:

Transitions – Mental Health Association is a leading non-profit agency committed to providing comprehensive mental health services and support to individuals and families by inspiring hope, growth, recovery and wellness in our communities. TMHA has decades of experience with teams of compassionate staff. TMHA is a driving force in improving mental health and wellness in our communities and a supportive and inclusive work environment that values diversity and individual contributions.

Mission Statement:

Transitions-Mental Health Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating stigma and promoting recovery and wellness for people with mental illness through work, housing, community and family support services.

Responsibilities and Duties:

1. Direct the day-to-day clinical, administrative, and operational functions of the Mobile Crisis Team, ensuring continuous 24/7/365 availability of mobile response services in accordance with contract requirements, TMHA policy, County procedures, and applicable Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis standards.

2. Develop and manage staffing schedules to assure appropriate daily coverage for the Mobile Crisis Team, including required two-person mobile response capacity, on-call coverage, relief staffing, and additional surge response when service demand exceeds scheduled capacity.

3. Supervise, select, train, evaluate, schedule, and develop assigned program staff, including Crisis Specialists, Peer Support Specialists, leads, administrative support, and interns, in accordance with TMHA employment policies.

4. Coordinate closely with the Central Coast Hotline and Crisis Dispatch Program Manager to align training and workflows, communicate response team availability and staffing changes, and support timely dispatch, clear handoffs, and consistent communication between dispatch and the Mobile Crisis Team.

5. Participate in an on-call supervisory rotation and provide after-hour clinical and operational consultation within the scope of licensure. Provide guidance regarding crisis assessment, de-escalation, safety planning, disposition, WIC sections 5150 and 5585/LPS issues, referrals, psychiatric placement, hospital coordination, staff safety, staffing issues, and other urgent program needs. Escalate complex clinical, risk, or organizational matters to the Clinical Director as appropriate.

6. Oversee the Mobile Crisis Team's role in psychiatric placement workflows for involuntary and applicable voluntary placements, including timely completion and submission of referral packets, communication with dispatch, hospitals, and receiving facilities, and escalation of placement barriers as needed.

7. Coordinate with dispatch regarding non-emergency transportation needs arising from Mobile Crisis Team services in accordance with the County Transportation Guide and applicable documentation requirements.

8. Coordinate with dispatch and designated administrative staff regarding post-hospitalization appointments and follow-up needs arising from Mobile Crisis Team services, ensuring the team's assigned responsibilities are completed and documented within required timelines.

9. Provide clinical oversight of Mobile Crisis Team services and ensure crisis response is delivered in accordance with program requirements, including crisis assessment, de-escalation, safety planning, appropriate use of authority under WIC sections 5150 and 5585, disposition planning, linkage to services, and required follow-up after crisis contacts.

10. Manage the WIC sections 5150 and 5585 training and designation process for eligible program staff and maintain appropriate records of designation status and renewal requirements.

11. Develop, implement, and monitor staff orientation, field training, training on coordination with dispatch, and ongoing competency development, including required Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis and M-TAC training and other annual or position-specific training requirements.

12. Maintain complete training records, including required agendas, attendance rosters, competency documentation, and annual training logs, and submit required training documentation to the County within established timelines.

13. Supervise SmartCare and clinical documentation processes for the Mobile Crisis Team to ensure records are complete, accurate, timely, and compliant with County, Medi-Cal, CalMHSA, TMHA, and other applicable documentation and claiming requirements.

14. Conduct and document quality-assurance activities, clinical and documentation reviews, case reviews, and corrective actions in partnership with TMHA Quality Assurance and the Clinical Director; identify clinical, documentation, safety, and operational trends and implement improvements as needed.

15. Collect, monitor, and submit required County and State data, service reports, training reports, cost reports, and other contract deliverables related to Mobile Crisis Team services within required timelines.

16. Monitor program performance and outcomes, including mobile response times, response capacity, psychiatric placements, transportation coordination, follow-up, documentation quality, safety events, and other required metrics; use data to guide staffing and operational improvements.

17. Develop, implement, and maintain Mobile Crisis Team policies, procedures, workflows, and decision tools for crisis assessment, field response, safety, high-acuity situations, psychiatric placement, transportation, documentation, downtime, critical incidents, and situations in which response demand exceeds available teams. Coordinate shared triage, dispatch, and response workflows with the Central Coast Hotline and Crisis Dispatch Program Manager.

18. Develop, implement, and manage program budgets and line-item expenditures in coordination with TMHA leadership, including staffing, vehicles, communications technology, equipment, training, supplies, travel, and other operating needs.

19. Maintain operational readiness of program vehicles, phones, mobile response technology, office space, safety equipment, and other program resources, directly or through delegation, and promptly address barriers that could affect 24/7 service delivery.

20. Initiate and maintain effective working relationships with San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health, law enforcement, EMS, hospitals, psychiatric facilities, FSP and youth service teams, Drug and Alcohol Services, Public Guardian, transportation vendors, and other community partners.

21. Lead program staff meetings, clinical case consultation, debriefing, training, and operational reviews that support sound clinical practice, clear communication, staff development, accountability, teamwork, and a learning environment.

22. Promote, encourage and maintain trauma-informed practices