Executive Director

About the Role:

Wise Path Recovery Centers is preparing to open Camp Baer, a new substance use disorder treatment program in the Morgantown area this winter. Camp Baer is a premier residential substance use disorder treatment center located in a chalet-style lodge within the wooded mountains of West Virginia.

We are seeking an exceptional Executive Director to lead Camp Baer from pre-opening through launch and long-term operational excellence. This is a build role, not a maintenance role. The Executive Director will shape the culture, build the leadership team, establish operational standards, develop community relationships, and set the tone for the client and team member experience from day one.

About Us:

Wise Path Recovery Centers provides integrated behavioral health and addiction treatment through evidence-based, high-quality clinical care. It is operated by Ascension Recovery Services (ARS), a national behavioral healthcare organization specializing in substance use disorder treatment programs. Our culture is built around kindness, teamwork, empathy, integrity, excellence, and mission-driven care.

Why You Should Join Us:

• Build and develop the founding leadership team
• Shape the culture and expectations of a brand-new program
• Establish operational systems and standards before opening
• Create an exceptional client and family experience
• Work closely with experienced behavioral healthcare leaders across Wise Path and ARS
• Receive support from centralized ARS teams including Human Resources, Compliance, Finance, Revenue Cycle, IT, Marketing, and Admissions

What You'll Do:

As the Executive Director, you will serve as the senior operational and administrative leader of Camp Baer and will be accountable for the overall performance, culture, quality, safety, and growth of the program.

Operational Leadership and Launch Execution:

• Lead pre-opening operational readiness, including staffing, onboarding, training, scheduling, workflows, and policy implementation
• Build the leadership structure and operational cadence to launch and scale the program
• Establish performance expectations, accountability systems, and key operational metrics
• Develop efficient processes supporting admissions, clinical services, medical services, recovery support, hospitality, documentation, and facility operations
• Partner with Wise Path and ARS leadership throughout the opening process

Client Experience:

• Create an environment that is calm, restorative, welcoming, structured, and highly professional
• Promote a client experience grounded in dignity, compassion, personal responsibility, and recovery
• Regularly assess the client and family experience and identify opportunities for improvement

Regulatory, Compliance and Accreditation Oversight:

• Ensure compliance with applicable West Virginia behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment requirements
• Lead facility readiness for regulatory and accreditation surveys
• Support compliance with HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, client rights, and confidentiality requirements
• Partner with Compliance and clinical leadership on performance improvement, incident review, quality assurance, and corrective action

Clinical and Program Oversight:

• Partner with the Clinical Director, Medical Director, and nursing leadership to support high-quality, evidence-based, recovery-oriented treatment
• Monitor client engagement, outcomes, length of stay, and discharge planning
• Support level-of-care and utilization review processes

Financial Performance and Census Growth:

• Manage facility financial performance and budget in collaboration with ARS Finance
• Monitor census, admissions and discharges, staffing ratios, labor utilization, overtime, length of stay, payer mix, revenue, and facility expenses
• Align staffing levels with census and operational needs
• Collaborate with Business Development and Admissions to support sustainable referral and census growth

People Leadership and Culture:

• Recruit, develop, and retain a strong interdisciplinary team
• Coach and develop department leaders
• Lead structured supervision, performance management, and employee accountability processes
• Promote trauma-informed and recovery-oriented leadership practices

Community and Market Presence:

• Serve as a visible representative of Camp Baer and Wise Path Recovery Centers throughout Morgantown and the surrounding region
• Develop relationships with hospitals, healthcare providers, behavioral health organizations, recovery communities, employers, and referral partners

Requirements:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration, Behavioral Health, Business Administration, Human Services, or a related field
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience within behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, healthcare, residential treatment, or a related setting
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams
• Strong operational management, financial, and business acumen
• Experience working within regulatory and compliance-driven healthcare environments
• Ability to lead within a startup, new-facility, high-growth, or turnaround environment

Strongly Preferred:

• Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Behavioral Health, Business Administration, or a related field
• Previous Executive Director, Administrator, COO, Program Director, or comparable facility leadership experience
• Substance use disorder and residential treatment experience
• Experience opening or launching a new behavioral health or healthcare facility
• Joint Commission accreditation or survey preparation experience
• Familiarity with ASAM-aligned substance use disorder treatment
• Experience within a multi-site healthcare organization

Key Leadership Competencies:

• Operational Discipline and Execution
• Financial Acumen
• Regulatory and Compliance Expertise
• High Emotional Intelligence
• Talent Development and Culture Building
• Strategic Thinking and Tactical Follow-Through
• Strong Judgment and Accountability
• Collaborative Leadership and Mission Alignment
• Client-Centered Decision Making

Work Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Full-time, on-site leadership position based in the Morgantown, West Virginia area
• Frequent movement throughout the facility and grounds
• Availability outside traditional business hours may occasionally be required
• Periodic travel may be required for organizational meetings, training, or collaboration with other Wise Path and ARS locations

Compensation:

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience, education, leadership background, and qualifications. This position is eligible for performance-based incentive compensation.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k)
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Company-paid basic life insurance and short-term disability
• Employee assistance program
• Professional development support
• Performance-based incentive opportunity

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Wise Path Recovery Centers provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. Applicants requiring an accommodation should contact Human Resources.