Director of Partnerships & Integration (California)

About Us: 

At Kooth, our mission is to create welcoming, accessible spaces for personalized digital mental health care that empowers young people to thrive. Grounded in an early-intervention model, we help youth aged 13–25 build resilience, access timely support, and lead fulfilling lives. We are more than a digital service — we are a movement for inclusive, evidence-informed mental health care.

Our culture is rooted in our values: Alongside You, Flexible, Compassionate, Committed, and Safe. These guide everything we do - how we show up for young people, how we collaborate as a team, and how we build solutions that meet communities where they are. With Kooth, you’ll be part of something bigger than yourself: meaningful work with measurable impact.

We bring this mission to life through Soluna, California’s first-in-the-nation digital behavioral health service for 13–25-year-olds. Soluna removes barriers to care by providing nearly immediate access to 1:1 coaching, Care Navigation, and self-guided tools helping young people find real support, build resilience, and discover hope when they need it most. Together with state and local partners, we’re transforming access to mental health support for youth. Learn more at solunaapp.com/impact.

What We’re Looking For: 

The Director of Partnerships & Integration (California) is a senior leader responsible for driving Kooth’s partnerships strategy, implementation, and community integration across California, with a particular focus on the Education Sector and Spanish-speaking and Latinx populations. 

You’ll serve as a trusted bridge between Kooth and the complex ecosystem of public agencies, schools, higher educational institutions, county systems, community-based organizations, and elected officials—turning partnerships into operational, measurable impact.

This role is both commercial and operational - part strategist, part implementer, part storyteller; it blends strategic relationship management, implementation leadership, policy fluency and cultural competency. You’ll design and execute partnership pathways that embed Soluna into California’s behavioural health and education systems, creating local advocates and evidence of impact that captures the value of Soluna. 

This role will represent Kooth and Soluna at the highest levels, while ensuring our partnerships translate into sustainable, community-centered outcomes driving advocacy, usage and system integration.

How You’ll Make an Impact: 

Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Integration

Lead the development and operationalization of strategic partnerships across counties, schools, and community networks—prioritizing equity, sustainability, and impact.

• Collaborate with MCOs, LEAs, CBOs, and state agencies to design integrated behavioral health pathways that meet community needs, particularly those of Spanish-speaking and Latinx populations.
• Translate policy and funding opportunities (e.g., DHCS, CYBHI, Medi-Cal) into executable partnership and service delivery plans.
• Work cross-functionally with Service Delivery, Clinical, and Product & Tech teams to ensure partner needs are reflected in service design, implementation, and measurement.

Client & Program Performance

• Lead overall contract performance, ensuring delivery against KPIs, outcomes, and impact measures.
• Translate data insights and program metrics into compelling narratives that demonstrate value and inform future policy and funding decisions.
• Oversee usage and engagement strategies, ensuring continued growth, high-quality delivery, and evidence-based improvement.
• Identify risks and proactively develop mitigation strategies to maintain program integrity and stakeholder confidence.

Implementation & Integration Leadership

• Oversee the end-to-end integration of new partnerships—ensuring readiness, cross-functional alignment, and high-quality rollout.
• Develop implementation playbooks, workflows, and training materials to support successful onboarding and sustained use of Soluna.
• Partner with internal operations and data teams to monitor KPIs, performance, and user impact at the county and state level.

Government & Community Engagement

• Serve as a regional leader and spokesperson for Kooth and Soluna—engaging with educational leaders, elected officials, and agency heads.
• Build and maintain relationships with COE directors, county Behavioral Health Directors and advocacy groups to ensure alignment with California’s behavioral health transformation.
• Represent Kooth in statewide coalitions, associations, and community events focused on youth mental health and equity.

Training, Storytelling & Capacity Building

• Lead or co-facilitate Soluna training sessions with school, county, and community partners.
• Deliver bilingual (English/Spanish) presentations, webinars, and events that build trust, awareness, and local capacity.
• Act as a bridge between clinical practice and public systems—translating insights into actionable recommendations for partners and policymakers.
• Collaborate with Marketing and the Director of Communications to align messaging, campaigns and engagement activities - turning partner milestones into awareness and advocacy moments. 
• Contribute insights to marketing content, case studies and public-facing materials.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Mentor and guide partnership and integration managers or specialists supporting regional workstreams.
• Collaborate closely with the wider California team to ensure consistent messaging and alignment across initiatives.

Requirements

What You’ll Bring: 

• Required:
• Extensive knowledge of California’s behavioral health ecosystem, including county governance, funding routes, school-linked mental health, and community-based networks.
• Fluency in Spanish (spoken and written) and deep understanding of Latinx community needs and cultural context in California.
• Senior-level presence and credibility to engage confidently with elected officials, school superintendents, and system leaders.
• Relevant background (e.g., clinical, education, public health, or community leadership) enabling delivery of Soluna trainings.
• Experience leading cross-sector partnerships and integrations within behavioral health, education, or public sector systems.
• Willingness and ability to travel throughout California.
• Nice-to-Have:
• Experience contracting with K–12 and higher education institutions.
• Clinical or behavioral science background (e.g., LMFT, LCSW, PhD, or equivalent experience).
• Prior experience in government affairs, advocacy, or policy implementation.
• Experience with digital behavioral health or early intervention models.

Benefits

What You’ll Get:

Compensation: The base salary for this role is $130,000 to $150,000 annually. We’re committed to transparency and value our candidates time, which is why we share salary ranges in all states—regardless of local requirements. Final compensation will be based on a variety of factors, including your education, experience, skills, and overall alignment with the role.

Kooth offers a competitive base salary, employee equity program, and comprehensive benefits including:

• Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP)
• 401(K) Retirement Plan with company match
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Remote-first flexibility and work-from-home support
• Paid parental leave 
• Learning & development opportunities 
• 8 Paid Holidays, plus two half-day holidays (Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve)

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Kooth is committed to creating an inclusive workplace and provides equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. All employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs.

Reasonable Accommodations:

Kooth is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs, or other protected reasons under applicable law. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, please contact our HR team.

Ready to Join Us?

If you’re ready to make a meaningful impact and be part of a team that values purpose-driven work, apply today. Together, we’re shaping the future of digital mental health care.