About the Role
At InStride, we believe access to compassionate, effective behavioral health care should be simple and supportive from the very first interaction. We’re looking for a thoughtful, strategic, and empathetic Senior Manager to lead the team that serves as the front door to our care. Blending service-oriented leadership with operational oversight, this role drives patient enrollment and access through seamless navigation and insurance coordination.
You’ll lead a team that supports prospective patients through intake and enrollment and ensure timely access to care by coordinating benefits and authorizations. As a key advocate for patients, you’ll work cross-functionally with clinical, administrative, and operational teams to streamline and continuously improve the journey to care. You’ll foster a culture of empathy, accountability, and operational excellence, ensuring every patient and family feels heard, supported, and empowered from day one.
Responsibilities:
- Leadership and Team Management:
- Lead, mentor, and manage a team to create a culture of collaboration, empathy, and continuous improvement.
- Serve as a change champion through a continuously evolving organizational landscape.
- Provide ongoing performance management through weekly 1:1 meetings, mid- and end-of-year performance reviews, and regular metrics and caseload reviews.
- Conduct daily team huddles to review priorities, remove roadblocks, and support team success.
- Partner with HR to recruit, onboard, and develop new hires.
- Patient Navigation and Access:
- Become a subject matter expert in InStride’s clinical programs to support your team in guiding patients and families through every step of the intake journey.
- Act as a key point of support for complex family concerns, insurance challenges, and other barriers to care.
- Ensure that patients are not only supported emotionally, but that logistical hurdles like insurance verification and prior authorizations are resolved with speed and care.
- Operational Excellence and Collaboration:
- Monitor key performance metrics and identify areas for improvement to drive enrollment and timely access to care.
- Collaborate with clinical, finance, and operations teams to ensure a smooth handoff from intake to treatment.
- Develop, document, and maintain scalable, compliant workflows rooted in patient-centered care.
- Quality Assurance and Compliance:
- Oversee documentation standards to ensure all interactions are timely, accurate, and compliant with regulatory and internal policies.
- Regularly audit patient and family interactions and insurance workflows to uphold quality and service excellence.
- Create and implement quality assurance measures that reflect the dual focus of this role: compassionate family support and accurate, timely administrative execution.
- AI-Enabled Operational Innovation:
- Partner with internal stakeholders to identify opportunities for AI-driven solutions that streamline onboarding workflows and administrative operations.
- Monitor and administer AI tools (e.g., automated chatbots, predictive analytics, documentation support) to improve team efficiency, reduce manual workload, and enhance the patient and family experience.
- Collaborate with technical and product teams to provide feedback and help refine AI capabilities, contributing to InStride’s broader technology strategy and commitment to scalable, human-centered care.
What You Need to Succeed in the Role:
- 5+ years in a healthcare setting, with experience managing teams in patient access, customer service, or insurance operations.
- Experience implementing process improvements, scaling workflows, or leading change in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
- Comfortable navigating CRM systems, EHR platforms, and virtual care tools to support team efficiency and patient experience.
- Experience with insurance workflows (e.g., insurance verification, eligibility checks, prior authorizations).
- Deep empathy and passion for supporting patients and families navigating mental health care.
- Comfort using data to manage performance and drive improvements.
- Excellent communication and problem-solving skills, with a collaborative mindset and a commitment to operational excellence.
The expected annual salary for this role is between $100,000-$125,000. Actual starting salary will be determined on an individualized basis and will be based on several factors including but not limited to specific skill set, work experience, etc.
