Alaska Rural Behavioral Health Leadership Opportunities

Alaska, USA
AK-RSS Rural Talent Network
Full-Time
On-Site

Alaska Rural Behavioral Health Leadership Opportunities

Help Us Build a Better Way for Rural Healthcare

This application may connect you with the specific opportunity you were viewing, as well as other current or upcoming rural healthcare positions that align with your experience and goals.

By joining the RSS Rural Talent Network, you are helping us build a more thoughtful and connected approach to rural recruitment, one that allows experienced professionals and Alaska healthcare organizations to find one another more quickly when the right need arises.

Every application helps strengthen a growing network of people who are willing to bring their experience, leadership, adaptability, and heart to rural, remote, and frontier communities.

Explore Rural Healthcare Opportunities at RSSJobs.org

This application may connect you with the specific opportunity you were viewing, as well as other current or upcoming rural healthcare positions throughout Alaska that align with your experience and goals.

Visit www.RSSJobs.org to explore additional rural healthcare opportunities and communities.

Behavioral Health Leadership Opportunities Across Alaska

Rural Staffing Services partners with rural hospitals, clinics, Tribal health organizations, regional health systems, community health centers, behavioral health programs, and community-based organizations throughout Alaska to identify experienced leaders who understand the unique challenges and opportunities of serving rural, remote, frontier, and Alaska Native communities.

We are currently connecting with professionals who may be interested in active and upcoming behavioral health leadership opportunities across Alaska.

These opportunities may include leadership within Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Tribal health organizations, village clinics, regional health corporations, community hospitals, integrated care programs, outpatient behavioral health clinics, substance-use treatment programs, crisis services, residential programs, telebehavioral health services, and community-based organizations.

This Is More Than a Behavioral Health Role

Behavioral health access can be especially limited across Alaska, where distance, weather, transportation barriers, workforce shortages, and limited local resources may prevent people from receiving timely care.

Strong behavioral health leadership is essential.

Behavioral health leaders help organizations create programs that are accessible, sustainable, culturally responsive, compassionate, and grounded in the needs and strengths of each community.

They may lead mental health, substance-use treatment, crisis response, social services, prevention, wellness, or integrated behavioral health programs while working closely with clinical teams, Tribal leaders, community health aides, schools, public agencies, village organizations, emergency responders, and regional healthcare partners.

The strongest leaders understand that behavioral health care does not exist in isolation. It is connected to primary care, emergency services, housing, food security, transportation, family systems, workforce shortages, historical trauma, community connection, and the overall health and well-being of the region.

In Alaska, behavioral health leadership may also require coordinating services across enormous geographic distances, supporting teams in multiple communities, expanding telebehavioral health, developing local workforce pathways, and creating systems that remain effective when travel or specialty access is limited.

This work requires creativity, humility, collaboration, cultural awareness, resilience, and a genuine commitment to meeting people where they are.

Opportunities May Include

This application may connect you with current or upcoming roles such as:

Behavioral Health Director
Director of Mental Health Services
Behavioral Health Program Manager
Integrated Behavioral Health Director or Manager
Substance Use Disorder Program Director
Crisis Services Director or Manager
Community Behavioral Health Manager
Tribal Behavioral Health Director
Regional Behavioral Health Director
Psychiatric Services Director
Clinical Director of Behavioral Health
Social Services Director
Counseling Services Manager
Prevention and Wellness Program Director
Residential Treatment Program Director
Village Behavioral Health Program Leader
Telebehavioral Health Program Leader
Care Integration or Population Health Leader
Behavioral Health Operations Leader

What You May Lead

Responsibilities will vary by organization, community, and position and may include:

Providing strategic and operational leadership for behavioral health services

Developing, expanding, or strengthening mental health, substance-use, crisis-response, prevention, and wellness programs

Supporting integrated behavioral health within primary care, hospital, Tribal health, or village-based settings

Leading clinical and nonclinical behavioral health teams across one or multiple communities

Recruiting, developing, mentoring, and retaining behavioral health professionals

Supporting local workforce development, internships, supervision, and professional growth pathways

Strengthening access to care in rural, remote, frontier, underserved, and Alaska Native communities

Supporting crisis response, suicide prevention, postvention, stabilization, and care-transition programs

Developing culturally responsive services in partnership with local communities, Tribal leaders, elders, and regional organizations

Building relationships with schools, law enforcement, emergency medical services, public agencies, village councils, Tribal partners, and community organizations

Overseeing program quality, compliance, documentation, credentialing, accreditation, and regulatory readiness

Managing budgets, grants, contracts, staffing, facilities, and program performance

Developing policies, procedures, workflows, referral systems, and service-delivery models

Supporting telebehavioral health and other creative access solutions

Coordinating behavioral health services across village clinics, regional hubs, hospitals, residential programs, and specialty providers

Tracking outcomes and using data to improve care, access, and long-term program sustainability

Preparing for transportation, weather, staffing, and emergency-response challenges that may affect service delivery

Advocating for patients, families, employees, Tribal communities, and the regions being served

Creating programs that reflect the strengths, values, traditions, and priorities of each community

What You Will Bring

Qualifications will vary by opportunity, but organizations may seek:

Progressive experience in behavioral health, mental health, substance-use treatment, social services, prevention, crisis services, or integrated care

Previous leadership experience as a director, manager, clinical supervisor, program administrator, regional leader, or comparable professional

Experience developing, managing, expanding, or improving behavioral health programs

Knowledge of behavioral health regulations, documentation, quality standards, reimbursement, grants, and compliance

Experience leading multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams

Strong communication, relationship-building, cultural humility, and problem-solving skills

The ability to make thoughtful decisions when resources, transportation, or specialty support may be limited

Experience working with rural, remote, frontier, underserved, high-need, or culturally diverse populations

Experience working with Alaska Native communities, Tribal health organizations, Indian Health Service programs, or tribally operated healthcare systems may be highly valued for some roles

Familiarity with hospitals, FQHCs, Rural Health Clinics, Tribal health systems, regional health corporations, community behavioral health organizations, or public agencies

Experience supporting telebehavioral health, mobile services, regional programs, or care across multiple communities

Relevant education, licensure, or certification based on the specific position

A compassionate, collaborative, dependable, and community-focused leadership style

Some opportunities may prefer or require licensure such as LCSW, LPC, LMFT, psychologist, psychiatric nurse practitioner, substance-use treatment credential, or another behavioral health credential.

Specific licensure, supervision, credentialing, travel, schedule, and experience requirements will depend on the organization and role.

Types of Opportunities

Opportunities may include:

Permanent leadership positions
Interim leadership assignments
Regional leadership roles
Village-based leadership roles
Hybrid or partially remote leadership opportunities
Rotational or block-schedule assignments
Short-term program-development support
Temporary-to-permanent opportunities
Direct temporary employment with the healthcare organization
Independent contract arrangements where legally appropriate
Leadership roles serving multiple communities or facilities

The schedule, compensation, call expectations, travel requirements, housing, transportation, credentialing, community responsibilities, and employment structure will be explained before you decide whether to move forward with a specific opportunity.

Why Rural Alaska?

Alaska is unlike anywhere else.

Its communities stretch across vast regions of mountains, forests, tundra, rivers, islands, and coastline. Some are connected by highways. Others may be reached only by plane, boat, snowmachine, or seasonal transportation.

Distance and workforce shortages can make behavioral health services especially difficult to access, yet the need for compassionate, dependable, community-centered care remains significant.

Leading behavioral health in Alaska offers the opportunity to build meaningful programs, create lasting partnerships, strengthen local teams, and help people receive care closer to home.

The impact of this work may be felt not only by patients, but also by families, schools, elders, employers, healthcare teams, first responders, Tribal organizations, and entire communities.

In some roles, you may help strengthen an established regional program. In others, you may help develop new services, expand telebehavioral health, build a local workforce, improve crisis response, or create stronger connections between village-based care and regional resources.

The work requires flexibility, respect, humility, and a willingness to listen before leading.

It also offers the opportunity to see the direct impact of thoughtful leadership and to help create systems that remain strong long after a single position has been filled.

Join the AK-RSS Rural Talent Network

By applying through this page, you are joining the confidential AK-RSS Rural Talent Network.

You may be considered for current or upcoming behavioral health leadership opportunities that align with your experience, goals, preferred region, availability, and leadership interests.

Please submit your resume and let us know:

Which Alaska communities or regions you would consider

Whether you are interested in road-system, rural, remote, frontier, village-based, or regional opportunities

Whether you are open to relocation, rotational schedules, regional travel, or fly-in assignments

Whether you are interested in permanent, interim, hybrid, remote, rotational, or multiple types of opportunities

Which position or community you were viewing on RSSJobs.org

Our team personally reviews each application.

When we identify an opportunity that may be a strong match, we will contact you directly to share more about the organization, community, program needs, cultural considerations, leadership expectations, travel requirements, housing, and next steps.

Your information will be handled professionally and confidentially.

Discover More Rural Healthcare Opportunities

Visit www.RSSJobs.org to explore additional rural healthcare positions, leadership opportunities, and communities throughout Alaska.

Work Where It Matters.

Built for Rural.