Director of Children’s Services

Immediate Supervisor:         CEO
Supervision Exercised:        EI Manager, Preschool Manager, Family Resource Center Manager

SUMMARY:

Responsible for the oversight of program design, day-to-day operations and staffing, as well as plans, outcomes, and budgets for the Early Intervention, Inclusive Pre-School and other Children’s services.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead and implement program and services planning, curriculum development, and implement new strategic planning initiatives in accordance with new developments and trends in fields of children with disabilities
• Continue to expand growth of a new inclusive model of pre-school children’s services that is child-focused and rich in family education and support.
• Lead program expansion to increase children and families served across all services from birth through school-age populations as appropriate.
• Oversee all services for children, including developmental evaluations, all teaching/therapy activities, training and support to families, case management, transition services, inclusive services and activities, etc.
• Staffing planning, hiring, direct supervision and evaluation of performance of Children’s Services management staff. Provide coaching, mentoring, and consultation on participant services and other areas/challenges of their positions. Overall responsibility for assuring appropriate staffing, supervision, staff development activities, and evaluation of all other Children’s staff and contractors.
• Serve as key contributing member to Leadership team
• Assure that staff has the skills and experience to provide culturally competent service delivery and meet all legal and certification requirements (HIPPA/CARF/Other).
• Partner in business planning and management of start up of new or changing services and programs.
• Develop and implement marketing plans for new/existing services and programs with focus on key markets. Partner with Marketing Department to draft, create marketing materials and web content with program staff as appropriate. Meet deadlines for publishing and obtaining print copies, etc.
• Collaborate in overall services planning for Community Gatepath so that a smooth transition occurs between services with similar processes, forms, tracking systems, etc.
• Marketing and Partnerships: Coordinate and attend community events, host collaborative meetings, etc.
• Partner with CFO to create and revise annual budget for Children’s Services.
• Work with/Coach Children’s Services Managers to support program administration, including developing goals and budget, monitoring expenses, billing, etc.
• Develop strong relationships with key referral sources, as well as partnerships to realize referrals and planning goals for children’s services, including relationships with other infant/children’s programs, recreation providers, school districts, and private vendors.
• Collaborate on the implementation of technology solutions for enhanced services, including upgrading billing, scheduling, outcome measures and clinical software.
• Assure development and implementation of policies and procedures that mirror best practices in the field and provide compliance with regulatory and accreditation bodies, including Community Care Licensing, CARF, CAL-OSHA, Department of Labor, etc.
• Ensure systems for gauging and improving customer service satisfaction and enhancements.
• Other special projects and duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR POSITION:

• Knowledge and experience with education, habilitation, health, and/or   social services interventions, practices, procedures and techniques used in the area of services to children with a range of developmental disabilities and their families/caregivers.
• Knowledge of/experience in early childhood general education or inclusive program management desired.
• Knowledge of preferred practices, federal and state laws, regulations, accreditation standards and safety guidelines, related to the area of developmentally disabled services.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of program management, including program planning, implementation and evaluation.
• Energize staff and community about the vision, mission, goals, and objectives of Community Gatepath.
• Ability to work with detailed and confidential information.
• Ability to develop, evaluate and maintain accurate record keeping systems, prepare complex and detailed written reports, procedures and contracts.
• Understanding of national, state and local political arenas and ability to provide public leadership in all these arenas.
• Exemplary oral, written communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills; ability to communicate with tact and diplomacy.
• Experience and ability to demonstrate leadership skills.
• Sense of humor.
• Excellent organization skills.
• Ability to adjust to changing priorities from various directives, manage workload changes and impacts, including multi-tasking under stress to meet deadlines.
• Commitment to high quality training, customer service, and quality assurance.
• Foster a sense of team and commitment to professionalism. Ability to build consensus among groups.
• Demonstrate a positive outlook and enthusiasm, be self-motivated and have high energy. Model leadership-level behaviors and attitude.
• Computer proficiency required in Microsoft Word and Excel and clinical software systems.

EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE:

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and ability is qualifying, unless otherwise specified. A typical way to qualify is:

• Master’s degree (Child Development, Special Education or related field—speech-language pathology, audiology, physical or occupational therapy, psychology) or special education teaching credential.
• Seven years experience working in service delivery programs for children with a range of developmental disabilities including those on the autism spectrum.
• Five to seven years of leadership/management experience in children’s habilitation and/or special education programs working in an interdisciplinary context.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to sit and keyboard – frequently
• Ability to bend, squat and stoop – frequently
• Ability to lift 25 lbs. – occasionally
• Ability to physically respond to physically frail persons - occasionally

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Valid California Drivers License
• CPR and First Aid certification
• Ability to meet licensing requirements and/or certification in area of specialty.
• Must be able to pass medical screening including T. B. test
• Clearance or ability to achieve criminal record clearance

SUGGESTED TRAINING:

• Required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of training or continuing education as directed and approved by the CEO and the CFO