Chief Medical Officer (DMHAS Medical Director (Hospital) | Office/On-Site)

State of Connecticut - Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services -
Middletown, CT

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Job Details

Full-time
$270,106 - $358,897 a year

Qualifications

Medical License
Hospital experience
Senior leadership

Full Job Description

If you're interested in working as a Psychiatrist with DMHAS (in any capacity whether it be full time, part time or per diem) please contact Kyle St. Jean via email [email protected].

Ready to lead clinical excellence in a hospital dedicated to recovery-oriented behavioral healthcare?

Become a key executive leader at Connecticut Valley Hospital!

Connecticut Valley Hospital (CVH), part of the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), invites an accomplished and mission-drive physician executive to serve as its next Chief Medical Officer.

As a key member of the hospital’s executive leadership team, the Chief Medical Officer will provide strategic and clinical leadership for Connecticut’s largest public psychiatric and addiction treatment hospital. This is an opportunity to influence care across a complex, two-campus healthcare system and to lead a highly skilled interdisciplinary medical staff committed to safety, dignity, recovery, and improved outcomes for individuals with significant behavioral health needs.

At CVH, our work is guided by Achieving Excellence Together—our shared commitment to collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. The Chief Medical Officer will help advance this model by bringing clinical leaders together around a common vision for exceptional patient care.

The Chief Medical Officer will guide the hospital’s clinical direction, strengthen medical practice and accountability, promote evidence-based and patient-centered care, and help advance a culture in which recovery and wellness are embedded throughout treatment. Working collaboratively with hospital executives and interdisciplinary leaders, the CMO will play a central role in advancing clinical excellence, workforce development, regulatory readiness, patient safety, and organizational performance.

We are seeking a physician leader who appreciates the complexity of public behavioral healthcare and who can inspire clinicians, build strong partnerships, and translate vision into meaningful improvements in care. For a leader who believes that excellence is achieved through shared purpose and collective effort, this position offers the opportunity to make a lasting statewide impact.

HIGHLIGHTS

FACILITY: Connecticut Valley Hospital (CVH)
LOCATION: 1000 Silver Street, Middletown, CT
SCHEDULE: Full-Time, 40 Hours per Week, First Shift, 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday through Friday
POSITION NUMBER: 25728

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Visit our new State Employee Benefits Overview page!
Professional growth and development opportunities
A healthy work/life balance to all employees
The opportunity to:
- Join a vibrant professional learning community of Board‑Certified Physicians and Psychiatrists
- Support an agency deeply committed to improving the lives of those we serve
- Make a meaningful difference in the public sector

ABOUT DMHAS & CONNECTICUT VALLEY HOSPITAL

The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is a statewide healthcare system dedicated to promoting recovery, wellness, and independence for individuals living with mental health and substance use disorders. Through a comprehensive network of inpatient, outpatient, residential, and community-based services, DMHAS works to ensure that individuals receive high-quality care grounded in dignity, respect, choice, and hope.

Connecticut Valley Hospital is the state’s largest public psychiatric hospital and a critical component of Connecticut’s behavioral healthcare system. Across two campuses in Middletown and Hartford, CVH operates 17 inpatient treatment units serving individuals with complex psychiatric, addiction, medical, and psychosocial needs.

Through its General Psychiatry Division and Addiction Services Division, CVH provides specialized, trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, and gender-responsive services. Treatment is delivered by interdisciplinary teams committed not only to stabilization, but also to helping individuals build the skills, supports, and confidence needed to achieve wellness and successfully return to their communities.

Guided by our person-centered framework and our organizational model, Achieving Excellence Together, CVH continues to strengthen clinical quality, patient safety, workforce engagement, therapeutic programming, and community reintegration. The Chief Medical Officer will have an exceptional opportunity to help shape this work and advance a culture where excellence is achieved through teamwork, shared accountability, and an unwavering commitment to the people we serve.

DISCOVER THE OPPORTUNITY TO

Be a part of a comprehensive team of caring professionals
Provide support to a division that is passionate about improving the lives of those we serve
Assist our clients so they can achieve success
Make a difference in the public sector
Work together in a collaborative team environment

WHY CONNECTICUT

Connecticut provides an exceptional environment for senior psychiatric leaders. The state is deeply committed to advancing forensic and behavioral health services, offering clinical executives meaningful influence over policy, system design, and statewide strategy. Collaboration across healthcare, corrections, and the courts creates a uniquely connected system in which leadership decisions translate into real operational impact.

Beyond the professional advantages, Connecticut offers an outstanding quality of life, with safe communities, excellent school systems, and convenient access to both New York City and Boston. Coastal towns, suburban neighborhoods, and scenic rural areas offer diverse living options, and four distinct seasons provide year‑round opportunities for recreation, balance, and personal well‑being.

We encourage you to come see all that Connecticut has to offer by joining DMHAS!

PLEASE NOTE

A comprehensive medical examination, including a drug screening, will be required of all applicants upon a conditional offer of employment.
All state employees must adhere to Connecticut's Policy for a Drug Free Workplace.

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:

Check out our Applicant Tips on How to Apply! Need more resources? Visit our Applicant Toolkit for additional support throughout the recruitment process.

BEFORE YOU APPLY:

Meet Minimum Qualifications: Ensure you meet the Minimum Qualifications listed on the job opening by the job closing date. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements listed must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
Educational Credits: List your earned credits and degrees from accredited institutions accurately on your application. To receive educational credits towards qualification, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the contact listed below by the closing date listed on the job posting.
Resume Policy: Per Public Act 21-69, resumes are not accepted during the initial application process. As the recruitment process progresses, candidates may be required to submit additional documentation to support their qualification(s) for this position. This documentation may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the request and discretion of the hiring agency.
Preferred Shift/Location: Select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.
Timely Submission: All application materials must be received by the job posting deadline. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the State. Late submissions are rarely accepted, with exceptions only for documented events that incapacitate individuals during the entire duration of the job posting. Request exceptions by emailing [email protected].
Salary Calculations: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

Note: The only way to apply to this posting is via the ‘Apply’ or ‘Apply Online’ buttons on the official State of Connecticut Online Employment Center job posting.

AFTER YOU APPLY:

Some email providers may experience delays or issues delivering messages. To avoid missing important updates—such as referral questionnaires or interview scheduling links—please check your Personal Status Board regularly.
For added convenience, you can also enable text (SMS) notifications. To do this, log in to your Personal Status Board and select “Update My Contact Information.”
Referral Questions: This posting may require completion of additional Referral Questions (RQs), which must be completed by the questionnaire’s expiration date. If requested, RQs can be accessed via an email sent to you after the job close date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section).

Prepare For An Interview: Interviews are limited to those whose experience and training are most aligned with the role. To prepare, review this helpful Interview Preparation Guide to make the best impression!
Stay connected! Log in daily to your JobAps Personal Status Board to track your status and check email (including spam/junk folders) for updates and tasks.
The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
Note: This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State employees, available at www.ct.gov/ethics.

This employer may participate in E‑Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I‑9 information to confirm work authorization.

QUESTIONS? WE’RE HERE TO HELP:

Due to high volume, we are unable to confirm receipt or provide status updates directly. For recruitment updates, please check your Personal Status Board and review our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions about the recruitment process, reach out to Jensine Tran at [email protected].

Join the State of Connecticut and take your next career step with confidence!

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Connecticut Valley Hospital, Southwest Connecticut Mental Health System, and Whiting Forensic Hospital this class is accountable for administering agency medical, clinical and behavioral health services programs and operations.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Administers staff and operations of a designated hospital or facility;
Develops, implements and evaluates policies, goals and objectives;
Assists in development of programs and activities including development of medical service standards and criteria;
Implements new procedures and procedural revisions;
Determines or assists in determination of appropriate staffing levels and directs or assists in management and coordination of staff;
Implements performance review standards for staff;
Maintains contact with individuals within and outside of agency who might impact programs and services;
Administers state and federal regulations pertaining to medical and psychiatric health care programs, services and operations;
Participates on various committees and boards;
Leads the recruitment and hiring of staff, including outreach, interview and selection;
May testify in court as needed;
May conduct training;
May be responsible for coordination of accreditation activities;
May serve as agency liaison with external medical, behavioral health planning, advisory groups, courts and other state medical and service agencies;
May monitor contracts with medical services vendors;
May participate in quality assurance studies and investigations;
May develop processes and practices to improve quality and cost of patient care;
Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Considerable knowledge of
- and ability to apply management principles and practices;
- principles, practices and issues of medicine and psychiatry with particular reference to diagnosis and treatment of behavioral health patients;
- recent developments in field of psychiatry and medicine;
Knowledge of administration and clinical operations, functions and systems involving medical service delivery;
Considerable
- interpersonal skills;
- oral and written communication skills;
- organizational skills;
- analytical skills;
Ability to teach and provide clinical supervision.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Experience in a hospital, clinic or correctional facility as a board certified psychiatrist.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Incumbents in this class must possess a license to practice medicine and surgery in Connecticut.
Incumbents in this class must possess and retain certification as a specialist in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Incumbents in this class must possess and maintain eligibility for participation in federal health care programs as defined in 42 U.S. 1320a-7b(f).
Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain certification as a specialist in an area such as geriatrics, ABI/TBI, forensics, substance abuse, etc.
Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a faculty appointment at either the Yale School of Medicine or the UConn School of Medicine.
Incumbents in this class may be required to possess appropriate current licenses, certifications or permits.
Incumbents in this class may be required to be bilingual.

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Selection Plan

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

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