Foster Care Program Manager

Foster Care

Program Manager

Job Summary, Position Details & Job Description

JOB SUMMARY

Job Title: Foster Care Program Manager

Department: Foster Care

Reports To: Director of Child Welfare Services

JOB DESCRIPTION

1. MISSION STATEMENT: To help children and empower families by providing safety, advocacy, and support.

1. VISION: A safe, nurturing home for every child, a supportive community for every family.

1. VALUES:

• Exceptional Service: Client-focused and teaming at the center of our work.
• Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion: All are welcomed, valued, and belong.
• Excellence: Ongoing commitment to learning and improvement.
• Integrity: Responsibility and ownership of our actions and results.
• Creativity: Imagination, innovation, and intelligent risk taking.
• Passion: Relentless positive energy toward our mission and vision.

1. SANCTUARY COMMITMENTS:

• Nonviolence: Maintaining safety for all members of the community.
• Emotional Intelligence: Managing emotions so we don't hurt ourselves or others.
• Social Learning: Together we accomplish more, we care for one another.
• Democracy: Everyone has a voice, not necessarily a vote.
• Open Communication: Respecting and sharing ideas of our team.
• Social Responsibility: Say what you mean, don't be mean when you say it.
• Growth & Change: Creating hope for ourselves and the people we serve.

1. ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
   
   

• Direct supervision of Program Coordinators and/or Supervisors and others as assigned, in accordance with established agency policies and practice.
• Facilitate a culture of exceptional client care in the context of contract, licensing, and accreditation standards, including specific strategies to assist supervisors to support staff in this balance.
• Participate in program development efforts under the leadership of the Director.
• Maintain working knowledge of program budgets, including utilization targets and program-specific expenses. Review monthly financial statements, with the Director, for issues, trends, opportunities, and challenges.
• Function as the Program expert regarding capacity, utilization, emerging and ongoing trends, staffing, and quality and risk issues.
• Provide leadership and direction for cases and situations that challenge the program's capacity to provide exceptional, sustainable services.
• Develop and maintain a working knowledge and understanding of all contracts, accreditation, and regulatory standards and assure services meet those standards, including participation in all external and internal reviews and development of corrective action plans when necessary.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with other Division leaders and inter-Division Managers.
• Provide leadership and direction in hiring and onboarding processes for new staff.
• Participate in community collaboratives, committees, workgroups, and ad hoc discussions, in partnership with the Director.
• Assist in the preparation of budgetary, statistical, financial, contractual agreements and documents as directed. Track, tabulate and monitor for issues, monthly service statistics. Provide input in preparing annual reports, annual highlights, and Quick Fact information.
• Perform other agency responsibilities as set forth in agency personnel policies as amended.
• Monitor and evaluate utilization and capacity management processes, including identification of data points and management of data to inform practice and program development.
• Identify, document, and analyze program trends.

Supervision Received: General Direction - Plans and arranges own work. Uses a wide range of procedures to accomplish assigned objectives.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Advanced supervision - Determines work assignments, priorities, and procedures for subordinates; ensuring quality and quantity of work. Holds decision making authority for employee life-cycle activities including hiring, training, promotions, and compensation.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant human services field such as social work, psychology, counseling, or related discipline required; Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum four years of increasingly responsible leadership experience in Child Welfare.
• Thorough understanding of the strengths, needs, challenges, and resilience of the target population of children, youth and families.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly effective engagement skills at peer, supervisory, and community levels. Proven ability to effectively "manage upward."
• Knowledge of or ability to quickly learn and leverage community resources that can positively impact the agency and its clients.
• Ability to work with school, court, behavioral health, and child welfare systems with flexibility, intuition and targeted focus.
• Ability to work and thrive in an internal and external environment marked by rapid change, fast pace, multiple demands, high intensity, and limited resources.
• A willingness to flex schedules according to the needs of the agency and model a whatever-it-takes work ethic.
• Computer competency including above average proficiency with Microsoft Office and electronic case management and clinical record systems.
• An understanding of, and deep commitment to, the agency's mission, vision, and values.
• Total compatibility with a leadership model that demands the highest levels of collaboration, cooperation, communication, participation, trust, respect, and mutual accountability.

1. CORE COMPETENCIES
   
   

• Working Under Pressure: Ability to maintain composure when exposed to stress.
• Planning and Organizing: Ability to set priorities and allocate resources properly to effectively achieve work responsibilities and objectives.
• Resource Management: Ability to decern appropriate use of company resources to accomplish goals, considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Communication: Ability to effectively receive and express ideas, both written and verbal; using clear and concise vocabulary and active listening skills. Ability to communicate with small and large groups and ability to communicate with a wide variety of audiences.
• Teamwork: Effectively interacts with people by being able to share and receive information that supports team goals.
• Integrity: Ability to adhere to organization policies and procedures, acting in a fair and just manner while maintaining confidentiality.
• Technical Skills: Ability to use technical knowledge and training to execute work; delivery high quality results.
• Customer Service: A desire to serve others by focusing efforts on listening and responding effectively to questions, providing services, and evaluating customer satisfaction.
• Leadership: Ability to motivate and guide others to ensure performance in accordance with clear expectations and goals; providing timely guidance and feedback.

D.A. Blodgett - St. Johns is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment. DABSJ does not discriminate on the basis of race, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists; culture, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, marital status, veteran status, socio-economic status, disability, or other legally-protected characteristics as required by law.

This job description does not list all duties of the job. Employees may be asked by management to perform other duties as needed. The Company reserves the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment and does not infringe upon the Company's at will employment status.