AKUA Behavioral Health logo
AKUA Behavioral Health
Costa Mesa, California

Behavioral Health Program Director

Behavioral HealthFull-Time

Listed compensation

$90k-$126k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

  • Position: Program Director
  • Type: Salary, Full-Time, Exempt
  • Compensation: Up to $126k per year
  • Base Salary: $90k-$100k per year
  • Performance Bonus: Up to $26k per year ($500/week based on census, earned weekly, paid monthly)

Benefits

  • Health Insurance: Medical, Vision & Dental
  • Paid Time Off: Sick & Vacation
  • Equity Shares

Key Responsibilities

Training & Accountability: The Program Director ensures that all program staff are carrying out their daily functions and responsibilities through continuous monitoring, training, and accountability.

Staffing & Scheduling: The Program Director is responsible for ensuring that the program operates within its Staffing Guidelines and maintains adequate coverage on every shift, at all times (incl. Timekeeping).

Compliance: The Program Director ensures strict adherence to Akua’s policies, regulatory standards, and licensing requirements,, ensuring their program remains fully licensed, credentialed, accredited, and in good standing.

Employee Management: The Program Director actively participates in hiring, interviewing candidates within staffing guidelines, and oversees disciplinary actions and terminations, ensuring compliance with HR policies.

Emergency Management: The Program Director is responsible for promptly communicating and resolving any client issues/crisis.

Performance and Cost Management: The Program Director monitors key program metrics to drive performance improvements and ensures cost control by adhering to budgetary guidelines, including staffing, scheduling, and operational expenses.

Requirements

The Program Director of a certified Residential Treatment Program shall have the following Qualifications prior to employment:

A Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Social Work or any other major which includes at least 24 semester college units in one or more of the following subject areas: (A) Psychology, (B) Social Work, (C) Sociology, (D) Behavioral sciences (E) Psychiatric Nursing; and:

Two (2) years of full-time work experience in a community program that serves clients who have a mental illness. Such experience must be in the direct provision of services to clients, of which one (1) year must be in the position of supervising direct care staff, or

As an alternative to the Bachelor Degree and experience, a total of four (4) years of experience in a community program providing direct services to persons with mental disabilities, of which one (1) year must be in the position of supervising direct care staff, and graduation from high school of possession of a GED may be substituted.

Qualifications

License/Credentials: LADC OR +, SUDCC-CS II OR +, LMFT, LPCC, LCSW, or functional equivalent / appropriate license or certification (preferred).

Education: Bachelor’s Degree (required) or master’s degree (preferred) in a relevant field (e. g. Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Psychology)

Experience: 3+ years of mental health experience and 1+ year(s) of management experience (required)

Additional: Valid CA Driver's License, Current Health Screen / Physical, TB Test Clearance, Current CPR/First Aid certificate, Able to Pass Live Scan (required)

Key Qualities

  • Blend of clinical expertise and business administration skills
  • Strong sense of ownership and accountability
  • Compassion for clients and employees in all interactions
  • Emotional stability under pressure
  • Exceptional leadership skills and execution capabilities

Company Description

Akua Behavioral Health is California’s leading mental health and substance abuse treatment center.

We provide our clients with individualized, compassionate treatment from Master’s and Doctorate level clinicians across various levels of care at fully licensed and accredited facilities throughout Northern and Southern California.

To give our clients the best chance at lasting recovery, we pioneered an integrative East-meets-West approach that combines Western evidence-based treatment with holistic Eastern traditions to treat the mind, body, and spirit.

Our mission is to create an environment of healing and transformation for each client seeking change.

Qualifications

Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Staff ManagementRegulatory ComplianceCrisis ManagementBudgetary ControlPerformance MonitoringClinical SupervisionMental Health TreatmentOperational ManagementPolicy Implementation

Behavioral Health Career Context

In California, the Behavioral Health weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$93k (75 salary observations; 123 listings), vs ~$77k nationally (548 salary observations; 1,791 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-02-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$108k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $98k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Behavioral Health market look like in California?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$90k–$126kBehavioral Health median $60k (middle half $50k–$67k)19 comparable listings, Oct 2026
California vs national$93k median in California$77k nationally (+21%)75 state / 548 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$98k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Behavioral Health listings in California55 active792 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 23% remote · 30% no call · 65% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Behavioral Health pay trend+16.4% vs prior quarter—through Sep 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Healthcare Admin Jobs

24 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

24 jobs · 19 employers
11
<$80k
4
$80k-95k
6
$95k-110k
1
$116k
2
$130k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

17 jobs
401k / retirement match
100%
Sign-on bonus
6% this job
Loan repayment
6%
Relocation assistance
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Clinical Case Manager Behavioral Health - Work at Home

CVS Health · Iowa City, Michigan

$61k-$130k
#2

Care Plan Reviewer - Clinical Case Manager Behavioral Health

CVS Health · Dayton, Ohio

$61k-$130k
#3

Behavioral Health Case Manager I - Western New York

$64k-$116k
#4

Physician Contracts Management Specialist

$29.69-$49.49/hr
+ 22 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

1.5/ 10
Listing-based score
AKUA Behavioral Health logo

About AKUA Behavioral Health

Health, Wellness & Fitness
Newport Beach, California
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance: Medical, Vision & Dental
Paid Time Off: Sick & Vacation
Equity Shares
Performance Bonus up to $26k/year

Living in Costa Mesa

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.35M≈ 15.1× annual pay
Typical market rent
$3,148/mo≈ 42% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
22 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.