Substance Use Disorder Executive Search · Engaged Search

Substance Use Disorder Executive Search.

Senior leadership for substance use disorder operators: residential treatment, outpatient SUD, MAT clinics, and dual-diagnosis platforms. CEOs, COOs, Chief Clinical Officers, and VPs with deep SUD operator backgrounds.

Start a Substance Use Disorder Executive search →How engaged search works

The thesis

What this search actually requires.

Substance Use Disorder executive leadership is a specialized branch of behavioral health. The segment carries unique clinical-credential requirements (LADC, CADC, addiction-medicine certification), state-licensure complexity (especially for MAT clinics), payer dynamics (Medicaid managed-care plus commercial SUD carve-outs), and reputational sensitivity around outcomes and aftercare. Strong SUD leaders have run platforms through clinical-quality cycles, payer-coverage negotiations, and state-survey rounds.

Most SUD executive searches are engaged or retained, with confidentiality the default. The candidate pool is small, networked, and often has overlap with broader behavioral health and addiction-medicine clinical leadership. The recruiter on your search has placed across residential, outpatient, MAT, and dual-diagnosis SUD operators.

Compensation

Substance Use Disorder Executive comp ranges in 2026.

Typical 2026 ranges for the Substance Use Disorder Executive role. Specific comp is benchmarked per engagement against peer companies and the candidate's track record.

✓Smaller-revenue SUD CEO (under $20M): $230,000–$340,000 base
✓Mid-market SUD CEO ($20–80M): $320,000–$500,000 base, plus bonus and equity in PE-backed operators
✓Larger SUD CEO ($80M+): $420,000–$650,000 base, plus bonus and equity
✓Chief Clinical Officer / Medical Director with addiction-medicine certification: $260,000–$420,000 base

How the search runs

Five steps, end-to-end.

From kickoff to closed offer, run by the senior headhunter you meet on the first call.

Scoping with the board, PE sponsor, or CEO; alignment on operator type (residential vs outpatient vs MAT), state-licensure profile, and clinical-quality posture
Market mapping across SUD leaders in peer operators; targeted outreach to the passive senior-SUD-leadership pool
Calibrated shortlist (3–5 candidates) with clinical-credential verification, state-licensure transfer planning, and outcomes-history diligence
Working sessions with the board, PE sponsor, and (where applicable) clinical advisory board with addiction-medicine representation
Reference checks across SUD operator networks, payer-side contacts, and clinical-leadership networks; offer construction; close

Industries we run this in

Where the Substance Use Disorder Executive search lives.

The industries where this role profile shows up most often on our desk.

Industry

Behavioral Health

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Industry

Healthcare

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FAQ

Substance Use Disorder Executive search,
specifically.

The questions hiring leaders ask in the first scoping call.

How long does an SUD executive search take?

Engaged SUD executive searches typically run 110–160 days from engagement to closed offer. State-licensure complexity and PE-sponsor approval cycles extend the timeline.

Are clinical credentials required?

For CEO and COO roles, no; non-clinical operators with strong SUD track records are common placements. For Chief Clinical Officer, Medical Director, and clinical VP roles, active addiction-medicine certification (ASAM, ABAM) or LADC/CADC clinical credential is typically required.

How is SUD search different from broader behavioral health?

Payer dynamics (Medicaid managed-care, commercial SUD carve-outs), state-licensure complexity (MAT clinics, residential), clinical-credential requirements (addiction-medicine specific), and reputational sensitivity around outcomes. SUD operators also tend to have tighter aftercare-tracking and outcomes-reporting requirements than broader behavioral health.

Do you cover MAT clinics as well as residential and outpatient?

Yes. MAT (medication-assisted treatment) clinic leadership requires both DEA-registration awareness and clinical-credential alignment with the operator type. We calibrate at scoping.