[Hiring] Director of Safeguarding and Risk @Kooth

Role Description

As the Director of Safeguarding and Risk, you will be responsible for leading the safeguarding strategy for Kooth Behavioral Health services in the US and assisting the Global Head of Safeguarding with Kooth’s global trust and safety framework.

• Accountable for ensuring that the Kooth offer is safe and aligned with regulatory frameworks, both locally and nationally.
• Play a crucial role in ensuring the satisfaction, engagement, and overall success of our users.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams and local and national healthcare systems to promote our behavioral health platform.

How You’ll Make an Impact

Management & Leadership

• Responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Safeguarding and Trust & Safety functions and frameworks across North America.
• Assists and deputizes for the Global Head of Safeguarding within agreed designated areas of responsibility.
• Works closely with the VP of Clinical Excellence in setting the strategy for the US Clinical & Safeguarding Department.
• Leads and builds a high-performing risk team and ensures they are delivering key strategic objectives.
• Sets a tone of compassionate leadership, providing supportive, challenging, and demanding high standards.
• Supports the HR function in confidential matters that may result from performance issues.
• Ensures that all team members are appropriately trained and supported to lead on designated areas of responsibility.

Analytics, Reporting & Insights

• Prepares monthly reports to demonstrate function activity, trends, and challenges.
• Supports the Global Head of Safeguarding in ensuring that safeguarding-specific risks are visible to the executive team and board of directors.
• Uses data from various sources to produce narratives explaining how risk is increased and mitigated.
• Leads the incident reporting framework relating to practice, including investigations and root cause analysis.

Stakeholder Management

• Engages, influences, and partners across the organization and externally to ensure a clear understanding of the responsibilities of the risk team.
• Represents the company at industry conferences and meetings, building relationships with key stakeholders.
• Ensures that risk policies are developed in conjunction with relevant local stakeholders.
• Responsible for the timely and accurate provision of relevant risk activity to local commissioners and stakeholders.
• Leads the provision of timely responses to data requests from local and national stakeholders.

Behavioral Health

• Remains up to date with relevant evidence-based practices in the behavioral health domain.
• Ensures that clinical policies and procedures are fit for purpose and aligned with regulatory frameworks.
• Ensures an appropriate level of governance for relevant teams where there is a risk element.
• Supports the Risk Team Specialists in conducting practice audits.

Risk Management

• Ensures the appropriate application of relevant risk legislation across the organization.
• Leads the risk team in establishing, embedding, and reviewing risk processes.
• Analyzes organizational needs in relation to risk training and makes recommendations.
• Offers specialist advice to internal staff as the company expert on risks.
• Leads the implementation of actions to mitigate identified risks.
• Oversees the development of all policies relating to risk.
• Leads the on-call provision, ensuring that practitioners are adequately supported.
• Leads the implementation of lessons learned actions following risk incidents.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in Psychology, Social Work, Medicine, Mental Health, Counseling, or a closely related field.
• 7+ years of experience managing risk in a relevant field.
• Clinical license in a relevant field.
• Demonstrated experience leading safety and safeguarding initiatives within digital healthcare.
• Proven people management experience.
• Experience developing, implementing, and managing organizational strategies related to safeguarding.
• Strong understanding of online trust and safety frameworks.
• Working knowledge of HIPAA regulations and healthcare privacy requirements.
• Comprehensive understanding of child and adult protection laws.
• Experience conducting compliance risk assessments.
• Demonstrated experience managing clinical and patient safety protocols.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to navigate sensitive situations with sound judgment.
• Strong strategic thinking and organizational skills.

Benefits

• Compensation: Base salary up to $130,000 annually.
• Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage.
• 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.

Reasonable Accommodations

Kooth is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs, or other protected reasons under applicable law.

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.