Social Work Team Lead

OUR MISSION

We exist to create a more connected, compassionate, and confident experience for people with cancer and those who care for them. We make it easier to get answers, access high-quality care quickly, and feel supported throughout treatment and beyond.

Today, Thyme Care is a market-leading value-based oncology care enabler, partnering with national and regional health plans, providers, and employers to deliver better outcomes and lower costs for thousands of people across the country. Our model combines high-touch human support with powerful technology and AI to bring together everyone involved in a person’s cancer journey: caregivers, oncologists, health plans, and employers.

As a tech-native organization, we believe technology should strengthen the human connection at the center of care. Through data science, automation, and AI, we simplify complexity, improve collaboration, and help care teams focus on what matters most: supporting people through cancer.

Looking ahead, our vision is bold: to become a household name in cancer care, where every person diagnosed asks for Thyme Care by name. If you’re inspired to make cancer care more human and to help reimagine what’s possible, we’d love to meet you. Together, we can build a future where every person with cancer feels truly cared for, in every moment that matters.

WHAT YOU’LL DO
As a Social Work Team Lead, you will oversee and manage one or more of our Social Work  teams (LCSWs and/or LMSWs), ensuring they are equipped to deliver compassionate, high-quality psychosocial care while advancing health equity and addressing the social and emotional needs of our members. Reporting to the Director of Social Work, you will manage clinical escalations, support training and development efforts, offer clinical guidance, coach, and mentor your teams while fostering cross-team collaboration. You will play a pivotal role in driving quality improvement initiatives and enhancing Thyme Care’s service offerings by effectively communicating feedback to our clinical leadership from members, providers, and your teams.

Clinical supervision may also be part of this role, depending on licensure and program needs.

To excel in this role, you must demonstrate strong leadership and mentorship skills, with a proven track record of managing hourly staff and high-performing social work teams. You are a proactive problem solver who views challenges as opportunities for growth and is committed to continuous improvement. Experience in healthcare, particularly in oncology or palliative care is essential. Knowledge and an understanding of provider and health plan operations are also beneficial.

After your first three months, you will:

• Have completed Social Work training and demonstrated competencies in a Social Worker role
• Know our Care Team policies and procedures, escalation pathways, communications best practices, and documentation standards backward and forward, and actively share ideas on improving them.
• Be on the path to becoming an expert on our Thyme Care systems, tools, technology, partners, and expectations.
• Directly manage and serve as an escalation point to a team of Oncology Social Workers and Clinical Social Workers, including but not limited to escalated member and caregiver interactions.
• Have built strong, trusting relationships with your team and leadership, where listening and empathy are the foundation for every interaction. 
• Lead team meetings such as daily huddles and case conferences to drive member engagement, enable our Care Teams, and ultimately establish targeted support plans.
• Understand the skills, qualities, and experience that set a candidate up for success and participate in the oncology social work interview loop.
• Act as an air traffic controller by monitoring assignments and ensuring queues are effectively and efficiently managed. 
• Handle process and workflow escalations.
• Track social work-driven OKRs and conduct root-cause analyses to identify knowledge, data, or procedure gaps.
• Support our social workers in identifying and prioritizing member needs and assisting them with care coordination and clinical support such as crisis management, psychosocial emotional support, therapeutic services, care  coordination, connecting members to high-quality providers, and preventing readmissions.
• Provide clinical expertise in medical, behavioral, and crisis management.
• Monitor quality and productivity metrics for all social work  team members and then develop coaching and remediation plans for direct reports accordingly.
• Provide support on building and maintaining resources, optimizing schedules, and contributing to updating staffing requirements, project initiatives, and policies and procedures.
• Drive engagement and promote the Thyme Care vision and strategy.
• Be available for urgent clinical escalations and clinical consult support. 
• Provide Social Work overflow, holiday, and on-call coverage support as needed.
• Develop strategies to promote culturally competent care and close the health literacy gap.

WHAT LEADS TO SUCCESS

People-first. Thyme Care’s mission and members matter to you deeply.
An LCSW. You must have a Masters of Science in Social Work/ Masters of Social Work, an unrestricted Clinical Social Work license, and willingness to obtain additional state licenses, as needed.
Experience. You have at least 8 years of social work experience, with 2 years as a social work leader in oncology and/or case management. Additionally, you are certified as an Oncology Social Worker (OSW), Certified Advanced Palliative and Hospice Social Worker (APHSW-C), Certified Case Manager (CCM), or other clinically relevant Oncology or Palliative Care certifications
Team player. You’re a strong collaborator who understands what it's like to lead a team in a growing and evolving environment. You’ll ensure your team meets and exceeds the standards set while collaborating with the rest of the organization.
Effective listener and communicator. You always start with listening and hearing what may not be voiced because you listen intently to others. You build rapport and excellent working relationships with your team, leadership, and stakeholders.
Comfort with ambiguity. You have a proven track record of success within scaling businesses, fast-paced environments, and startups. You understand that rapid changes to the business, strategy, organization, and priorities is par for the course… and part of the adventure.
Coach. You know your team’s strengths and what motivates them, and you strive to keep morale high while constantly challenging them to beat their best and never lose sight of the goal.
Grit. You’re never afraid to get your hands dirty, but you can also take a step back and connect the company’s strategy to your team’s performance and execution.
A desire to learn how to use new technologies. We are a technology company focused on interacting with folks during the season when they need it most. Experience with video chatting, Google Suite, Slack, electronic health records or comfort in learning new technology is essential.
Identify priorities and take action. You know how to identify and prioritize your team’s needs and do what it takes to address urgent and essential needs immediately.
Bias to action. You’re a self-starter and don’t need anyone to tell you when to do something. You’re always solving problems and going the extra mile for others.

OUR VALUES
At Thyme Care, our core values guide us in everything we do: Act with our members in mind, Move with purpose, and Seek diverse perspectives. They anchor our business decisions, including how we grow, the products we make, and the paths we choose—or don’t choose.

Our salary ranges are based on paying competitively for our size and industry, and are one part of the total compensation package that also includes equity, benefits, and other opportunities at Thyme Care. Individual pay decisions are based on a number of factors, including qualifications for the role, experience level, skillset, geography, and balancing internal equity relative to other Thyme Care employees. In accordance with New York City law, the base salary for this role if filled within New York City is $105,000. The salary range could be lower or higher than this if the role is hired in another location. We also believe that your personal needs and preferences should be taken into consideration so we allow some choice between equity and cash.

We recognize a history of inequality in healthcare. We’re here to challenge the status quo and create a culture of inclusion through the care we give and the company we build. We embrace and celebrate a diversity of perspectives in reflection of our members and the members we serve. We are an equal-opportunity employer.

Be cautious of recruitment fraud, and always confirm that communications are coming from an official Thyme Care email.