Central Operations Manager

firsthand supports individuals living with SMI (serious mental illness). Our holistic approach includes a team of peer recovery specialists, benefits specialists, and clinicians. Our teams focus on meeting each individual where they are and walking with them side by side as a trusted guide and partner on their journey to better health.

firsthand’s team members use their lived experience to build trust with these individuals and support them in reconnecting to the healthcare they need, while minimizing inappropriate healthcare utilization. Together with our health plan partners, we are changing the way our society supports those most impacted by SMI.

We are cultivating a team of deeply passionate problem-solvers to tackle significant and complex healthcare challenges with us. This is more than a job—it’s a calling. Every day, you will engage in work that resonates with purpose, gain wisdom from motivated colleagues, and thrive in an environment that celebrates continuous learning, creativity, and fun.

The Central Operations Manager is responsible for the performance and operations of firsthand’s centralized outreach and engagement teams, guiding and leading our virtual peer support infrastructure. This leader oversees two separate teams: our Outreach team and our STRIVE team – ensuring consistent, scalable, and person-centric support for individuals across all markets.

This role is a critical driver of the individual journey across the company. You will manage our centralized peer team that supports both with engaging new individuals, as well as supporting our lowest risk individuals longitudinally via our STRIVE team. To do this, you will have outreach targets across the company, as well as enrollment and management goals for our individuals currently engaged (while also overseeing regression protocols for those requiring increased support). Working in a dyad partnership with a clinical leader, you will ensure every individual receives the right level of care based on their unique clinical and social needs. This is a supervisory role with direct responsibility for hiring, coaching, and the oversight of a multidisciplinary centralized team of Outreach Specialists and Strive Specialists – all which will be certified peers. 

As Central Operations Manager, you will:

• Manage the strive & regression pathways: Guide teammates in initiating Strive protocols when eligible for STRIVE, as well as regression protocols for those needing intensified community support throughout their journey with firsthand.
• Achieve national outreach targets: Drive the success of the Outreach team’s goals, including outreach volume, enrollment, and successful member outcomes, adapting practices as the business evolves.
• Ensure seamless transitions: Work closely with local community leaders and community care teams to ensure a smooth transition for individuals moving between central virtual support and in-person community care.
• Drive clinical & ops rhythm: Lead and participate in daily huddles and biweekly Individual Progress Reviews (IPRs), collaborating across departments to drive integrated care and service delivery.
• Lead in dyad partnership: Work side-by-side with a clinical leader to balance operational efficiency with clinical integrity, ensuring individuals are matched to the appropriate level of care based on their stability and social challenges.
• Lead and inspire: Motivate centralized teams of peers and specialists dedicated to building trust virtually with individuals living with SMI and other complex conditions.
• Performance coaching: Support the management of individual and team performance, effectively coaching staff with lived experience on engagement techniques, protocol execution, and crisis de-escalation.
• Talent leadership: Lead recruitment for both Outreach and Strive teams, fostering a culture of professional growth, peer support, and continuous learning.

• Collaborative spirit: You thrive in a dyad leadership model, valuing the intersection of clinical insight and operational execution.
• Exceptional communication: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to lead a team that builds deep trust via virtual channels.
• Operational mindset: Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills, with a focus on continuous improvement in a centralized/call center setting.
• Peer-first leadership: Strong management skills with a passion for supervising staff with lived experience and a commitment to the peer-support model.
• Adaptability: Ability to stay flexible and lead a team through changing protocols, strategies, and rapid growth.
• Technical savviness: Proficiency with Google Office suite, Slack, and CRM programs 

Required:

• Minimum five years experience in a healthcare-focused business, as well as leadership for a remote only, front-line team (such as a call center)
• Minimum of three years of direct supervisory experience (specifically managing certified peer recovery specialists or similar staff with lived experience), including hiring and performance management.
• Experience in multidisciplinary settings: Proven ability to lead in a setting that leverages clinical, peer, and operations expertise to provide holistic care.
• Startup Experience: Experience in an early-stage startup is strongly preferred.