About this opportunity
Atlantic Health Strategies lists this Executive Director | Dubuque, IA opportunity in dubuque, Iowa. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Dubuque, United States | Posted on 07/29/2026
Work Experience 5+ years of progressive behavioral health leadership experience, including 3+ years in an executive leadership role
Salary $130,000 - $170,000 annually, commensurate with experience
Country United States
Job Description
About Bridgewater Recovery
Bridgewater Recovery is a behavioral health organization developing a substance use treatment program focused on expanding access to high-quality IOP, PHP, detox, and residential treatment services in Dubuque, Iowa. The program is being built to serve individuals who need a higher level of care, with a focus on clinical quality, operational discipline, strong culture, and long-term sustainability.
The Opportunity
Bridgewater Recovery is seeking an experienced Executive Director to serve as the senior operational leader for its Dubuque, Iowa facility. This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for translating vision into execution during the facility's launch and ongoing operations, spanning IOP, PHP, detox, and residential levels of care. The Executive Director ensures regulatory compliance, financial performance, and exceptional client care while developing the leaders and teams that make it all possible.
What You'll Do
Lead pre-opening planning and execution, including hiring, onboarding, policy implementation, licensure readiness, and operational go-live preparation
Help stand up programming across IOP, PHP, detox, and residential treatment
Develop operating systems, reporting structures, workflows, and accountability processes across departments
Oversee facility-level financial performance, budgeting, labor management, census growth, and operational efficiency
Monitor key performance indicators and support payer strategy, reimbursement awareness, referral growth, and census development
Recruit, build, and lead a high-performing leadership team across clinical, medical, nursing, admissions, operations, compliance, and administrative functions
Provide direct supervision, coaching, and support to department leaders
Work closely with the Medical Director, Clinical Director, nursing leadership, and treatment team to support high-quality, evidence-based care
Ensure compliance with applicable state, federal, payer, and accreditation requirements, maintaining survey and licensing readiness
Represent Bridgewater Recovery in the community, referral network, payer environment, and broader behavioral health market
Requirements
What You Bring
Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Public Health, Behavioral Health Administration, Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related field
5+ years of progressive behavioral health leadership experience
3+ years of executive leadership experience
Experience launching a new treatment facility or leading a start-up healthcare operation preferred
Experience with ASAM levels of care, including 3.5 residential and 3.7 detox, preferred
Experience with state licensure, accreditation readiness, Joint Commission, CARF, or similar standards preferred
Experience working with Medicaid MCOs, commercial payers, utilization review, and reimbursement-driven operations preferred
Prior leadership experience in a high-growth or multi-site behavioral health organization preferred
Compensation and Schedule
Salary: $130,000 -$170,000 annually, commensurate with experience
Performance Incentives: Additional performance-based incentives tied to census growth, financial performance, operational execution, compliance, and quality outcomes
Schedule: Full-time |On-site | Contract to start, transitioning to employee at facility launch
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Bridgewater Recovery is an EqualOpportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race,color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin,age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protectedstatus in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
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Worksite address
dubuque, IA, 52001, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.