Clinical Escalation Specialist Manager

Catalight Care Services (CCS) is seeking a compassionate and strategic leader to manage our Clinical Escalation Services team. This team plays a vital role in ensuring families receive timely, high-quality autism services by resolving complaints and grievances with empathy and clinical precision. The Licensed Clinical Manager will oversee a team of Clinical Escalation Specialists, providing operational leadership, clinical oversight, and stakeholder engagement to support CCS’s mission of equitable access to care.

While this role is remote - you must be Licensed in California:
Licensed Mental Health Practitioner with a background in psychology, social work, or a related field with at least 8-10 years of experience. (Mental Health Licensure such as: LMFT, LCSW, PsyD, LPCC); 

Core Responsibilities & Essential Job Functions

Clinical Responsibilities:

• Provide clinical oversight on high-risk cases and ensure appropriate escalation to senior leadership.
• Review investigative findings and case reviews submitted by team members, offering feedback and recommendations.
• Collaborate with Clinical Care Teams to ensure appropriate behavioral health treatment (BHT) services are coordinated.
• Serve as a liaison between CCS departments, funders, and families to facilitate resolution and maintain collaborative partnership and effective working relationships.
• Represent the team in funder meetings and case consultations related to escalations.
• Ensure all communications—internal and external—are professional, empathetic, and aligned with CCS values.
• Partner with the Quality team to ensure training is provided and adhered to within the department.
• Partner with the Clinical Directors on recruiting, hiring, and retaining staff.

Management Responsibilities:

• Oversee all complaints, grievances, and reportable events related to the team, ensuring timely and thorough resolution.
• Monitor team metrics, caseloads, and service quality to ensure compliance with organizational standards and funder requirements.
• Develop and refine workflows, SOPs, and escalation protocols.
• Ensure all team members adhere to CCS and FoC policies and procedures.
• Attend staff meetings, in-services, trainings, and other meetings as requested by management.
• Lead, mentor, and supervise a team of Clinical Escalation Specialists.
• Provide direct day-to-day management of team members, ensuring alignment with departmental goals and CCS values.
• Maintains composure and adaptability under pressure, effectively navigating change and uncertainty while keeping teams focused and engaged.
• Foster a culture of empathy, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Promote collaboration, psychological safety, and professional growth.
• Provide performance feedback and developmental opportunities to team members.
• Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in all team interactions.
• Track and analyze escalation trends to identify systemic issues and opportunities for improvement.
• Prepare reports and presentations for leadership on escalation outcomes, team performance, and client satisfaction.
• Lead special projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing the client experience and clinical service delivery.
• Attend staff meetings, in-services, trainings, and other meetings as requested by management.
• Provide performance feedback and developmental opportunities to team members.

Qualifications

Minimum Education, Experience & Training Equivalent to:

• Licensed Mental Health Practitioner with a background in psychology, social work, or a related field with at least 8-10 years of experience. (Mental Health Licensure such as: LMFT, LCSW, PsyD, LPCC)  (Must be licensed in CA)
• Minimum of 5 years experience leading and managing a team within the healthcare sector
• Qualified to provide clinical supervision toward clinical licensure, per California state guidelines outlined by the Board of Behavioral Sciences
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple schedules and strategically plan coverage.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work directly with clients and provide empathetic support.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Sensitivity to working with an ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and economically diverse population.
• A commitment to the values of the organization while demonstrating good judgment, flexibility, patience and discretion when dealing with confidential and sensitive matters.
• Proven leadership skills and experience in building and maintaining high-performing teams.
• Capacity for assessing and addressing risk and escalating high risk clinical concerns to supervisor.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.), especially Excel and related computer software.
• Consistently demonstrate good judgment and decision-making skills while maintaining the highest level of confidentiality.
• Work in an exciting, fast paced high energy environment while effectively multitasking and managing day-to-day responsibilities without supervision.
• Personable; able to work comfortably with individuals at all levels within the organization.
• Must be highly detail oriented.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple schedules and strategically plan coverage.
• Excellent interpersonal and verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to work directly with clients and provide empathetic support.
• Capacity to make informed decisions quickly and maintain calm under pressure.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to communicate effectively within the work environment, read and write using the primary language within the workplace.
• Visual and auditory ability to work with clients, staff and others in the workplace continuously.
• Frequent speaking and listening (25-75%) to clients, staff, and others in the workplace.
• Utilize computer and cell phone for effective communication.

Conditions of Employment

• Ability to obtain and maintain criminal record clearance through the Department of Justice (DOJ). The People & Performance Department must analyze DOJ/FBI live scan reports in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and Local laws, as well as fitness for the position.
• Ability to obtain and maintain clearance through the Office of Inspector General.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a National Provider Identifier (NPI).
• Must work California standard business hours.
• Must attend any required training.

Full time

$145,000 - $170,000 Annually

The statements contained in this job description reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions of this job. It should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned, including work in other functional areas as deemed fit for the organization.