ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR SAMH - 60007876

Requisition No: 856049 

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR SAMH - 60007876

 Pay Plan: SMS

Position Number: 60007876 

Salary:  $135,000 - $150,000 

Posting Closing Date: 07/16/2025 

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Assistant Secretary

Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Department of Children and Families

Tallahassee, Florida

Open Competitive

Current employees will be compensated in accordance with the DCF salary policy.

This is not a telework position.

Candidate will be required to work in the DCF Headquarters Tallahassee Office.

 

 

What you will do:

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the state of Florida’s social services agency.

The agency oversees services for child safety, fostering, adoption, domestic violence, adult protective services, refugees, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, childcare providers, human trafficking and public assistance. The agency’s mission is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency. To learn more about DCF, please visit https://www.myflfamilies.com/.

 

The Assistant Secretary for Substance Abuse & Mental Health (SAMH) serves as a key member of the executive leadership team within the Department of Children and Families. This position provides strategic direction, operational oversight, and policy leadership for the development, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive behavioral health systems and services statewide. The Assistant Secretary collaborates closely with internal program offices, community stakeholders, state and federal agencies, and legislative partners to ensure high-quality, integrated care across the continuum of substance abuse and mental health services. This is a senior level position responsible for communicating, motivating, training and evaluating employees against established standards. This includes taking appropriate actions when necessary, such as rewarding and correcting direct reports.

 

How you will make an impact:

• Serve as the primary executive leader overseeing all SAMH operations, including Community Behavioral Health services, 6 State Mental Health Treatment facilities, and the Sexually Violent Predator Program.
• Lead strategic planning and performance management for statewide behavioral health initiatives, ensuring alignment with departmental priorities, federal requirements, and best practices.
• Oversee development and execution of policy, budget, and legislative proposals related to behavioral health, including crisis services, suicide prevention, substance abuse prevention, and care coordination.
• Supervise statewide operations and ensure effective integration of prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support services.
• Direct high-level stakeholder engagement, including with advocacy groups, managed care organizations, hospital systems, county agencies, and legislators.
• Provide executive oversight of compliance, monitoring, and quality assurance across SAMH-funded programs and contracts, including among the Managing Entities.
• Champion innovation, and person-centered approaches in the design and delivery of services.
• Lead and collaborate with other program offices to promptly and accurately respond to inquiries from members of the media, the Florida Legislature, and other key stakeholders.
• Represent the Secretary and the Department in legislative committee meetings on key policy areas, including substance abuse, mental health, opioid recovery programs, state mental health treatment facilities, and the Sexually Violent Predator Program.
• Oversee the development of statewide legislative budget requests and other budget issues fo