Behavioral Health Chief Financial Officer

Full Job Description

Ventura County Behavioral Health and the Position:
The Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH) Department, a division of the County of Ventura Health Care Agency (HCA), provides essential mental health and substance use treatment services to individuals and families throughout Ventura County and plays a critical role in promoting community wellness and crisis response. As an integrated part of the County’s comprehensive public health system, VCBH works alongside award-winning hospitals, ambulatory care clinics, and public health services to deliver accessible, compassionate, and high-quality care to the diverse Ventura County community. VCBH also functions as the county Behavioral Health Plan (BHP), a specialty Medi-Cal managed care plan, designated by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).

Under direction of the Behavioral Health Director, the Behavioral Health Chief Financial Officer provides executive leadership and strategic oversight of all financial operations within VCBH,(Download PDF reader) including the financial oversight related to the department’s role as the Behavioral Health Plan (BHP), a specialty managed care plan, as designated by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) This position is responsible for ensuring the financial integrity, regulatory compliance, and long-term fiscal sustainability of BHP services throughout Ventura County by overseeing accounting, auditing, budgeting, risk management, revenue maximization, cost allocation, forecasting, and regulatory reporting, including compliance with local, State, and Federal requirements such as Medi-Cal/Medicaid. With one direct report—the Administrative & Financial Operations Chief—and oversight of an approximate $350 million budget, the Chief Financial Officer plays a critical role in supporting VCBH’s mission through sound financial leadership, strategic vision, operational efficiency, and long-range planning. The role also partners closely with VCBH and HCA executive leadership to align financial strategy with agency and department goals, support quality assurance and compliance within the BHP, and provides high-level financial analysis and recommendations that strengthen organizational performance, inform strategic decisions, and advance recovery-focused services for the communities served.


The Successful Candidate is expected to lead several critical priorities including:

• Financial Strategy and Long-Term Sustainability– Lead multi-year financial planning efforts that align with policy changes, reimbursement trends, and cost pressures to ensure long-term financial resilience across the integrated health system.
• Financial Modernization and Advancement – Strengthen cost accounting capabilities and advance the modernization of financial and operational systems to improve reporting precision, transparency, and executive decision support.
• Operational Transparency and Performance Accountability– Implement robust reporting frameworks that provide actionable insights at the service-line and program level while promoting shared ownership of financial performance across divisions.
• Leadership and Development– Lead, mentor, and develop a team of finance professionals, reinforcing alignment, accountability, and executive-level financial stewardship throughout the organization.
• County and Executive Partnership– Serve as a trusted financial advisor within County governance structures by strengthening relationships with executive leadership and governing bodies and clearly communicating complex financial strategies in a public-sector environment.

Payroll Classification: Assistant Chief Financial Officer- HCA -E

This is an at-will position, exempt from the provisions of the Civil Service Ordinance.

Qualifications

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE

These are entrance requirements to the recruitment process and do not assure continuance in the process:

Extensive education, training, and experience that demonstrates possession of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. These can also be obtained by completion of:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field AND five (5) years of professional accounting, auditing, or financial management experience which included supervisory/management responsibilities over unit/division operations.

• Desired:

  • A Master's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, health care services administration, or a related field
  • Experience with program development, project management, and/or financial administration in a hospital or other health care environment

Additional Information

To apply for this executive position

Please send a resume and cover letter which illustrates your professional public sector healthcare experience. Include details related to your experience:

• Your experience with financial administration in a hospital, behavioral health, health plan, or other healthcare setting, program development and project management.
• Any additional experience that demonstrates your ability to lead complex financial operations in a highly regulated public healthcare or human services environment.
• Examples of your experience in financial planning, fiscal oversight, auditing, compliance, budgeting, and reporting, particularly if you have experience within a public-sector environment if applicable.
• Accomplishments that reflect the necessary leadership and collaboration to take the organization to an enhanced level of efficiency and service.
• Developing and mentoring future leaders.

Please submit one of the following ways:

• Submit an online application at https://hr.venturacounty.gov/jobs and attach your current resume, cover letter and any additional materials for consideration.
• Email your current resume and cover letter to: lorin.calderon@venturacounty.gov

This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested in it.

Beginning April 24, 2026, resumes will be reviewed weekly to determine if the stated requirements are met.

All relevant work experience, training, and education needs to be included to determine eligibility. Submissions that contain insufficient information may not advance in the process.

Background Investigation
The selected candidate may be subjected to a thorough background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record. In addition, the successful candidate may be subjected to Live Scan fingerprinting.

Equal Employment Opportunity
The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

For additional information about this recruitment, please contact Lorin Calderon at lorin.calderon@venturacounty.gov or (805) 654-2959.