firsthand supports individuals living with SMI (serious mental illness). Our holistic approach includes a team of peer recovery specialists, benefits specialists and clinicians. Our teams focus on meeting each individual where they are and walking with them side by side as a trusted guide and partner on their journey to better health.

firsthand's team members use their lived experience to build trust with these individuals and support them in reconnecting to the healthcare they need, while minimizing inappropriate healthcare utilization. Together with our health plan partners, we are changing the way our society supports those most impacted by SMI.

We are cultivating a team of deeply passionate problem-solvers to tackle significant and complex healthcare challenges with us. This is more than a job—it's a calling. Every day, you will engage in work that resonates with purpose, gain wisdom from motivated colleagues, and thrive in an environment that celebrates continuous learning, creativity, and fun.

The Executive Director (ED) is a high-impact, mission-driven General Manager responsible for driving the P&L, operational, and clinical performance of the firsthand model across their state. The ED fosters a culture of firsthand Values-driven innovation, collaboration, and deep community engagement to achieve the firsthand mission of delivering life-changing outcomes to individuals with serious mental and physical illness. The ED is tasked with the management and strategic execution of the entire business unit, overseeing the integration and success of our care team and clinical practice. This includes both community outreach and clinical care delivery teams – ensuring a consistent, scalable, individual-centered approach to care is embraced by all. The ED will ensure firsthand’s teams are effective in their outreach, trust-building, engagement, benefits navigation, and activation of the entire fH care model, as well as its clinical and financial outcomes long term. Furthermore, the ED will lead the expansion of care model operations across the state and in doing so ensure best practices are adopted and implemented across all teams. 

Job Specifics

As ED, you will:

• Serve as the General Manager and own the complete Profit and Loss (P&L) for the entire state. This includes full accountability for medical cost management, revenue optimization, opex management – and broadly driving profitability.
• Report directly to the COO and partner meaningfully with the VP Care Model Performance, Senior Director of Central Clinical Programs, and other EDs to lead, motivate, and inspire community and care model teams deeply dedicated to firsthand’s mission.
• Consistently exceed a rigorous set of high-value care model process (i.e. fidelity to core model activities)and value outcomes (e.g: utilization, HEDIS metrics), individual engagement and activation goals, and financial targets (e.g: medical cost, revenue, membership growth).
• Provide decisive leadership and supervision across all integrated state-level functions, overseeing both Clinical Managers (CMs) and Managers of Community Operations (MCOs). 
• Lead, mentor, and actively develop all market leadership and care team members, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, high accountability, and mission-driven work to ensure long-term team engagement and operational excellence.
• Galvanize and foster a high-performing, inclusive, and supportive employee culture, driven by and visibly embodying the firsthand values
• Manage, analyze, and optimize the state key performance indicators (KPIs), effectively coaching market leadership and care teams to exceed financial, clinical, and operational targets. 
• Ensure the seamless execution of firsthand’s operational and strategic plans, including adapting practices as the business evolves.
• Build key state-level relationships with local healthcare providers, community partners, and health plan clients to drive engagement and improve outcomes.
• Lead the successful execution and launch of new firsthand clinic locations within the state, including the recruitment of community-based and care model staff in collaboration with the People team.

The experience you bring to this role includes:

• Significant experience (7-10+ years) in healthcare leadership roles, preferably in a high-growth, high-complexity operational environment leading integrated community-based and clinical teams.
• Experience leading in a clinical-operational dyad model
• Proven track record of owning and successfully managing a large P&L and delivering results in a value-based care or capitated environment.
• Deep understanding of the healthcare landscape, particularly value-based care, Medicaid, and the behavioral health ecosystem (SMI/SUD).
• Exceptional leadership presence, executive communication skills, and the ability to inspire and manage large, cross-functional teams including market leaders and clinicians.
• Ability to travel regularly across the state to visit communities and meet with partners; proficiency in communicating a “win-win” value proposition to external partners.
• A passion for serving and direct community and care team experience working with individuals living with SMI.
• Preferred experience in an early-stage or growth company with the ability to be flexible and adaptable to changing strategies.

Base salary range:

$170,000—$170,000 USD

We firmly believe that great candidates for this role may not meet 100% of the criteria listed in this posting. We encourage you to apply anyway - we look forward to begin getting to know you.

Benefits
For full-time employees, our compensation package includes base, equity (or a special incentive program for clinical roles) and performance bonus potential. Our benefits include physical and mental health, dental, vision, 401(k) with a match, 16 weeks parental leave for either parent, 15 days/year vacation in your first year (this increases to 20 days/year in your second year and beyond), and a supportive and inclusive culture.

Vaccination Policy

Employment with firsthand is contingent upon attesting to medical clearance requirements, which include, but may not be limited to: evidence of vaccination for/immunity to COVID-19, Hepatitis B, Influenza, MMR, Chickenpox, Tetanus and Diphtheria. All employees of firsthand are required to receive these vaccinations on a cadence/frequency as advised by the CDC, whereas not otherwise prohibited by state law.

New hires may submit for consideration a request to be exempted from these requirements (based on a valid religious or medical reason) via forms provided by firsthand. Such requests will be subject to review and approval by the Company, and exemptions will be granted only if the Company can provide a reasonable accommodation in relation to the requested exemption. Note that approvals for reasonable accommodations are reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis and availability of a reasonable accommodation is not guaranteed.

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer sponsorship at this time.

firsthand Health will only contact candidates from email addresses ending in @firsthandcares.com. Any communication from another domain claiming to represent firsthand is fraudulent. We will never ask for payment or sensitive financial information during the hiring process. If you receive suspicious outreach, please do not respond.