Director of Clinical Education

About the Colorado LiftED Foundation

The Colorado LiftED Foundation is a long-term partner to youth. We believe that when we make a deep, long-term commitment to youth and their families, our whole community thrives. We walk side-by-side with youth and their families as they navigate school and life, offering academic, social, and emotional support as they learn, grow, and work toward their dreams.

No one should have to take this journey alone. Since our founding in 1988, we have leveraged proven methods to give youth equal access to the resources they need to succeed and ignite their innate potential. When we keep our promises, anything is possible.

Our Vision

A Colorado where every young person has equal access to educational and career opportunities that will ignite their innate potential.

About the Position

The Director of Clinical Education (DCE) is a senior clinical leader within the LiftED Horizons team at Colorado LiftED Foundation (CLF). The DCE holds strategic and operational ownership of CLF’s clinical workforce development — designing and driving the training, supervision, and education infrastructure that enables CLF to deliver accessible, culturally affirming, trauma-responsive, and healing-centered mental health care.

This role carries direct supervisory authority over all clinical interns (MSW and counseling) and Associate BHTS Fellows, owning the Pathway to Fellowship and the Fellow-to-staff pipeline that fuels CLF’s long-term clinical workforce. The DCE is a peer partner to the Director of Clinical Services — coordinating on intern and fellow caseloads, service quality, documentation compliance, crisis response, and the clinical policy review cycle that keeps CLF ahead of the curve. The DCE reports directly to the Senior Director of Clinical Programs.

This Role Lives All Five CLF Values

• A Seat at the Table – You train clinicians to center client and family voice in every clinical encounter — in informed consent, treatment planning, and the therapeutic relationship itself.
• Once a Dreamer, Always a Dreamer – You build the programs, pipelines, and partnerships that ensure CLF remains present across the full journey of every young person. The clinicians and fellows you develop carry that promise forward.
• An Inch Wide, A Mile Deep – You supervise with depth,  knowing each intern and fellow’s caseload, growth edges, and clinical relationships well enough to support their development with genuine intention.
• Whatever It Takes –
  You bring a persistent, creative orientation to every barrier in building a clinical workforce — access gaps, university bureaucracy, licensure timelines, and the moments when standard pathways aren’t enough.
• We Not Me – You are a connector and collaborator. Your partnerships with universities, the Director of Clinical Services, site teams, and organizational leadership are what make CLF’s clinical impact possible.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Education & Workforce Development

• Education Strategy: Design, lead, and continuously evolve CLF’s clinical education strategy — defining what clinicians, interns, and program staff need to learn, when, and how. Strategy is informed by emerging research, the clinical policy review cycle, and field intelligence from the Director of Clinical Services about what the licensed clinician team is encountering in real time.
• Training & Professional Development: Develop and facilitate internal professional development for clinical staff and the broader program team on trauma-responsive practice, healing-centered engagement, ethics, cultural humility, and clinical skill-building.
• Clinical Education Co-Design: Partner with the Director of Clinical Services to co-design and deliver clinical education for the licensed clinician team and the broader organization. The DCE brings training architecture and educational design; the DCS brings field intelligence — together ensuring education is grounded in the actual work.
• Supervision Model Ownership: Design, build, and maintain CLF’s structured clinical supervision model — establishing standards, tools, and rhythms that promote fidelity to CLF’s therapeutic approaches across all experience levels.
• Onboarding & Continuity: Lead clinical onboarding for all staff, interns, and fellows. Train clinicians and fellows to honor Once a Dreamer, Always a Dreamer in practice — building therapeutic relationships and transition plans that reflect CLF’s long-term commitment to youth.
• Clinical Education Metrics: Own and report on clinical education outcomes — intern-to-Fellow conversion, Fellow-to-staff transitions, supervision quality, training completion, and clinician retention. Use data to drive continuous improvement.

Intern & Fellow Supervision

• Direct Supervision: Provide clinical and administrative supervision to all MSW and counseling interns and Associate BHTS Fellows — serving as supervisor of record and holding accountability for their clinical development, documentation quality, and professional growth.
• In-Vivo Supervision: Rotate across CLF’s therapy spaces based on intern and fellow placement, providing real-time observation and coaching that brings clinical training directly into the practice setting.
• Licensure Pathway Leadership: Own the design and execution of CLF’s Pathway to Licensure — defining progression criteria, advancement decisions, and the development infrastructure that moves Associates toward licensure and potential continued CLF employment.
• Caseload & Documentation Coordination: Coordinate with the Director of Clinical Services on intern and fellow caseload assignments, site placements, and documentation compliance — ensuring supervisees are operationally integrated within the broader therapeutic services program.
• Crisis Partnership: Serve as clinical and supervisory partner to the Director of Clinical Services and Senior Director in responding to clinical emergencies involving interns or fellows, maintaining clear shared protocols for decision authority and escalation.

Clinical Policy & Quality

• Policy Review Partnership: Serve as the Director of Clinical Services’ primary implementation partner in CLF’s formal quarterly and annual clinical policy review cycle — contributing expertise on supervision standards, intern and fellow practice, and training requirements. Own implementation of resulting changes within the clinical education program and translate updated standards directly into training content and supervision tools.
• Ethics, Standards & Quality: Ensure alignment with ethical standards and licensure requirements across all supervised clinical activity. Build client and family feedback structures into supervision and training. Contribute to CLF’s broader quality improvement through supervision findings and clinician development data.

Internship Program & University Partnerships

• Internship Program Strategy: Lead the strategy and growth of CLF’s clinical internship program — program design, university partnership development, intern selection, supervision pathway architecture, and the Pathway to Fellowship.
• University Liaison & Pipeline: Serve as CLF’s primary contact for MSW and counseling programs, sustaining the institutional relationships that position CLF as a premier training destination and support a long-term intern-to-Fellow-to-staff pipeline.
• External Representation: Represent CLF at university field placement events, professional associations, training conferences, and behavioral health convenings.
• Program Budget: Own and manage the clinical education budget — intern program costs, Fellow compensation structures, university agreements, training materials, and professional development spend.
• Hiring Collaboration: Serve as a formal collaborator in clinical hiring decisions, contributing expertise on training needs, supervisory fit, and workforce pipeline considerations.

Skills & Qualifications

• Education & Licensure: Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, MFT, or related behavioral health field. Active Colorado clinical licensure required (LCSW, LPC, LMFT, or equivalent). ACS credential preferred - or ability to secure within first 90 days of employment.
• Experience: Minimum five years in behavioral health including at least two in a supervisory or clinical leadership role within school-based, community mental health, or nonprofit settings.
• Clinical & Supervisory Expertise: Exceptional clinical skills with deep knowledge of child, youth, and family development, trauma-responsive care, and evidence-based modalities. Demonstrated strength developing provisionally licensed clinicians, interns, and early-career behavioral health professionals.
• Program Development & Partnerships: Demonstrated experience designing clinical education programs and internship infrastructure in community-based settings, including budget management and serving as primary institutional liaison for field placement programs.
• Preferred: Oral and written Spanish fluency; established relationships within Colorado’s graduate behavioral health and nonprofit ecosystem.
• Requirements: Valid Colorado driver’s license; flexibility to work evenings/weekends as needed; ability to pass a comprehensive fingerprint background check.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $85,000 – $100,000 per year, commensurate with experience.
• Benefits: Full health, dental, vision, and life insurance; 401(k) matching; paid time off including holidays and birthdays.
• Growth: Professional development opportunities, clinical consultation support, and a leadership culture grounded in reflection and continuous learning.

Intent and Function of Job Description

This description illustrates the job functions and basic duties, including “peripheral tasks” considered “other duties as assigned.” This list is not all-inclusive; supervisors may assign additional responsibilities as deemed appropriate.

Commitment to Equity

Colorado LiftED Foundation is dedicated to equal employment opportunities and fair labor practices. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals based on job-related qualifications and the ability to perform a job without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religious creed, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, legally protected medical condition, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other basis made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. Our policy is to maintain a non-discriminatory environment free from intimidation, harassment, or bias. We invite all qualified candidates who share our mission to apply.