Senior Advisor to the Director of Behavioral Health & Recovery Services (Open & Promotional)

Full Job Description

San Mateo County Health is seeking a strategic and dynamic Senior Advisor to the Director of Behavioral Health & Recovery Services (BHRS) to play a central role in advancing department-wide priorities and guiding system-level transformation.

Serving as a trusted advisor and internal integrator, this senior-level position partners directly with the Director to drive cross-functional collaboration, manage high-impact strategic initiatives, and represent the Director in key internal and external forums.

The Senior Advisor ensures executive priorities are translated into coordinated action across BHRS and aligned with the broader goals of San Mateo County Health and the Board of Supervisors.

This role offers a unique opportunity to help shape the long-term direction of one of California’s most complex public behavioral health systems.

The Senior Advisor supports major reform efforts such as CalAIM and other statewide initiatives, local efforts such as the BHRS Transformation Journey and advances equity-focused strategies to improve access, outcomes and strengthens alignment across divisions with minimal direct operational oversight.

The position provides meaningful exposure to executive leadership, Board-level processes, and countywide policy development.

Success in this role requires the ability to lead high-visibility initiatives through influence rather than authority.

The Senior Advisor must navigate competing priorities, evolving regulatory and political landscapes, and diverse stakeholder perspectives with sound judgment, discretion, and strong facilitation skills.

This is an ideal opportunity for a strategic leader who thrives in complexity, manages ambiguity with confidence, and is motivated by advancing system-level impact.

Working within the County’s values of inclusion, accountability, and service, the Senior Advisor plays a critical role in supporting a high-performing, equitable, and forward-looking public behavioral health system.

There is currently one vacancy for this position. The role is based in San Mateo, with travel throughout the County as needed.

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Experience serving as a strategic advisor or Chief of Staff–style partner to executive leadership in complex public sector or healthcare environments
• Demonstrated leadership in organizational transformation, strategic planning, and executive-level project management
• Ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and drive alignment across diverse teams and functions, even without direct operational authority
• Experience preparing and delivering executive- and Board-level materials in collaboration with data and analytics teams
• Strong political acumen, organizational awareness, and exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Experience advancing system-wide initiatives tied to behavioral health reform (e.g., CalAIM, BHSA, BH-CONNECT), financing strategy, and equity-driven outcomes
• Background in public policy, public administration (MPA/MPP), or systems-level behavioral health strategy; clinical or service delivery experience is a strong asset

NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.

Requirements

The Senior Advisor will be responsible for, but are not limited to:

• Serving as a Director’s designee in cross-departmental meetings, County initiatives, and stakeholder engagements
• Leading strategic planning, execution tracking, and performance monitoring of departmental priorities and transformation initiatives
• Facilitating coordination and decision-making across BHRS divisions to advance system-wide alignment
• Developing and reviewing executive-level materials, including briefing memos, reports, presentations, and Board communications
• Leading cross-functional process improvement and change management efforts requiring multi-division collaboration
• Coordinating responses to inquiries from the Chief of Health, County Executive Office, and Board of Supervisors
• Liaising with San Mateo County Health, other County departments, and external partners to advance strategic initiatives
• Providing project-based supervision and mentorship to assigned management or analyst-level staff
• Performing related duties as assigned

Qualifications

Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and skills is qualifying. A typical way of gaining the knowledge and skills is:

• Five (5) years of progressively responsible administrative, analytical, or management experience in a health, human services, or public agency environment.

Knowledge of:

• Board of Supervisors, County Executive’s Office, and other County agencies.
• Tools and frameworks for evaluating program outcomes, quality improvement, and operational efficiency.
• Effective ways to support and lead change across large, complex systems.
• Participatory decision-making.
• How to prepare briefing materials, public presentations, and official correspondence for high-level audiences.
• Principles and practices of designing, implementing, and monitoring strategic initiatives aligned with agency goals.

Skill/Ability to:

• Lead with minimal direct operational authority, fostering alignment across diverse teams and functions.
• Translate high-level goals into actionable plans and initiatives.
• Lead high-impact and multi-stakeholder projects, manage change across departments or programs and prioritize competing demands.
• Coordinate multi-disciplinary teams and ensure accountability for deliverables.
• Lead cross-functional teams and drive results across multiple stakeholders.
• Analyze and use critical thinking in evaluating policies, data, and systems.
• Navigate organizational dynamics and politics and represent leadership effectively.
• Understand and quickly learn clinical and administrative structures in public behavioral health.
• Understand, interpret, and apply related federal, state, and county-level regulations impacting behavioral health services.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing executive-level documents and synthesize complex information into clear briefings, memos, and presentations.
• Build trusted relationships with internal staff, executive leadership, external stakeholders, and maintain partnerships with community-based organizations, advocacy groups, and residents.
• Cultural competence and the ability to work effectively with diverse communities and workforces.
• Manage workflows, timelines, and sensitive communications for executive leadership.
• Attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities with discretion and professionalism.
• Competence with productivity software (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite, project management tools, presentation platforms).

Additional Information

Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply.

Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, extra-help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.

The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview, which may include a pre-interview exercise (weight: 100%).

Depending on the number of applicants an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification.

All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination.

All examinations will be given in the County of San Mateo, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the “Apply” button.

If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply.

Responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted in addition to the standard County employment application form.

A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required application materials.Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

Tentative Recruitment Timeline
Final Filing Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026, by 11:59PM PST
Application Screening: Week of March 30, 2026
In-Person Panel Interviews: Thursday, April 16, 2026

About the County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.

The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.

The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to hire, support and retain employees who reflect our diverse community.
We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.