Summary

Responsible for:

• Providing leadership to all Center operations providing quality programs and services to physically and developmentally disabled children and/or adults. Functions include program and curricula development and implementation, staffing, volunteers, fundraising, community relations, budgeting, record keeping, facility and vehicle maintenance.

• Ensuring compliance with AbilityFirst policies and procedures, regulatory agency requirements and grants and contracts.

Primary duties

• Plans and implements outreach activities to develop visibility of Center within the community; solicits and develops community support for programs; represents Center at service club, professional and community meetings; arranges for and conducts tours of the facility to develop further interest; obtains local press coverage of activities, programs, and fundraising events.
• Provides leadership and support to the fundraising and marketing activities of Center volunteer groups and individuals; develops and dissolves support groups as needed for special events or one-time development activities; leads the annual campaign within the local area; provides for staff and administrative support to fundraising activities.
• Develops, cultivates, and maintains sources of funding; meets regularly with representatives of funding sources such as the regional centers; determines program fiscal needs and negotiates service rates with regional center staff.
• Confers with parents, consumers, caseworkers, and caregivers regarding facility activities, policies, enrollment practices and problems; resolves problems using conflict resolution methods.
• Guides and advises program staff regarding consumer developmental or behavioral issues. 
• Develops the annual budget for the Center and Satellite Centers; manages implementation of the budget; and monitors expenditures throughout the year to ensure compliance with budget.
• Analyzes and acts on information including service reports, budgetary and financial records; evaluates the cost-effectiveness of programs and services; maintains accurate and complete financial and service records; tracks consumer and other revenues.
• Provides for and ensures maintenance of accurate and complete consumer records.
• Gathers data and prepares routine and special reports for management decision-making purposes.
• Performs supervisory duties including special emphasis on training, new methods and safety; interviews applicants for employment; reviews progress of assignments; conducts performance appraisals and recommends salary increases; resolves discipline problems and recommends termination as necessary; and develops higher levels of expertise in staff members by encouraging further education, participation in seminars and providing learning opportunities within the department.
• Ensures implementation and full compliance with the professional, health and safety standards of Center programs; ensures programs meet the requirements of AbilityFirst’s policies and procedures, state licensing and organizations providing contractual funds.
• Ensures safe, clean, and attractive environment for consumers and staff; identifies emergency repair issues and engages local maintenance companies for repairs; works with headquarters facilities’ staff to identify and plan for routine and/or long-term maintenance, capital projects and repairs; ensures active compliance with energy conservation methods.

If Center has an adult day program the Center Director must perform the following primary duties:

• Know the requirements for providing the type of care and supervision needed by clients, including communication with clients. 
• Provide for continuous supervision of clients. 
• Supervise the operation of the day program. 
• Communicate with the licensing agency as required by applicable laws and regulations. 
• Comply with applicable laws and regulations. 
• Maintain or supervise the maintenance of financial and other records. 
• Direct the work of others, when applicable. 
• Establish the policy, program, and budget. 
• Recruit, employ, train, and evaluate qualified day program staff, and terminate employment of staff. 
• Acknowledge the receipt of the Department's correspondence, deficiency notices, or field reports when the Department has requested a response. 
• Ensure the timely correction of all cited deficiencies. 
• Adjust the program to accommodate the needs of all clients. 
• Coordinate all activities and services. 
• Provide initial orientation for all staff and ongoing educational and training programs for the direct care staff.
• Arrange for special provision for the care and supervision, including health, safety, and guidance, of clients who have special needs. 
• These provisions may include additional staff to supervise clients who wander, to maintain mechanical medical aids, and to monitor toileting schedules. 
• Other special needs may include safety and emergency information in large lettering or in braille and lights. 

Secondary duties

Performs any or all duties as required or requested by Director of Programs or other members of the management team.

Supervisory responsibility

Depending upon the size of the center, the Center Director in this position manages from six to 30 staff. At larger centers, supervision may be through other supervisors. 

Environment

The working environment for this position is an open office that is clean and comfortable. It may include some minor annoyances such as noise, odors and drafts. The Center Director is in a non-confined, office-type environment in which he or she is generally free to move about at will. In addition, the Center Director may work throughout the center’s facilities in which developmentally and physically disabled children and adults are being served. He/she is expected to travel within the community on a periodic basis using his/her own vehicle and/or public transportation.

Physical activity

While performing this work, the Center Director will spend the majority of the time sitting, speaking and listening. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties of the job.

Equipment operation

The Center Director in this position operates the following equipment:

• Telephone.

• Computer.

• Copy machine.

Adheres to all vehicle code and operation regulations, including speed limits, according to the State of California Department of Vehicles while driving an Agency-owned vehicle.

Position requirements

These specifications are general guidelines based upon the minimum ordinarily considered essential to satisfactory performance in this position. Individual skills and abilities may result in some deviation from these guidelines.

To perform effectively in this position, the Center Director is required to have:

• a working knowledge of program and curricula development and implementation for developmentally and physically disabled children and/or adults.
• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Must be able to pass a Livescan Criminal Background Check or possess a Criminal Record Exemption
• A Bachelor’s Degree in sociology, education, human services, psychology, or other related disciplines, or an unrelated degree with experience or post graduate education in related field(s). This requirement may be waived for programs where a degree is not a mandated requirement.
• Basic fund development skills, including cultivation of relationships and small-scale special event planning and organization. 
• Demonstrated leadership and team building skills. 
• Conflict resolution/problem-solving skills; ability to “find the win” in difficult situations.
• Personal computer skills including basic spreadsheets and word processing.
• Budgeting skills to develop, implement and control Center budget.
• Effective oral and written communications skills
• 5 to 10 years advanced management and supervision experience.
• Ability to work independently and make mature business decisions.
• Current California drivers’ license and a driving record acceptable to the Agency’s insurance carrier, or otherwise travel independently to meetings within the community and AbilityFirst locations.
• The Center Director must also comply with the following:
• At time of hire: meet State licensing health requirements, provided proof of a recent tuberculosis test, submit to fingerprinting for a background check.
• Within six months of initial date of hire: provide or complete Red Cross First Aid and CPR Certification.
• Within one year of initial date of hire: provide or complete California Childhood Courses: Preventative Health Safety and First Aid in a Childcare setting.
• If Center has an adult day program the Center Director must meet one of the following requirements:
• A Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work or a related human services field and a minimum of one year experience in the management of a human services delivery system
• Three years of experience in a human services delivery system including at least one year in a management or supervisory position and two years of experience or training in one of the following:
  • Care and supervision of clients in a licensed adult day program, or an adult day health care facility.
  • Care and supervision of one or more of the categories of persons to be served by the day program.

• Clock 30 hours of professional development training, every 24 months.
• Center Director IIs of adult day programs employed prior to January 1, 2007, shall remain qualified provided that they have no break in employment as an adult day program administrator exceeding three consecutive years.
• The administrator shall be at the program site the number of hours necessary to manage and administer the program in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. 

If an administrator is responsible for two or more adult day programs, there shall be at each site an employee who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the program and who meets the following qualifications: 

• A Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work or a related human services field; or 
• A minimum of one year of experience in a supervisory or management position in the human services delivery system. 
• When the administrator is absent from the day program for more than 30 consecutive days, the licensee shall designate a substitute who meets the qualifications of an administrator as specified in Sections 82064(a), (b) and (c).

Continuing education shall include completion of courses related to roles and responsibilities of the administrator position including, but not limited to, workshops, seminars, and academic classes. 

Typically, these requirements may be met by a combination of education in social services, education, psychology, or related discipline and several years’ experience in increasingly responsible program service, professional and supervisory positions in similar work. Prior education and/or experience with special education are preferred.

The Center Director must be able to perform this job safely, without endangering the health or safety of him/herself or others.

Competencies

Budget - Uses resources efficiently, strives to reduce cost, part of the budgeting process

Employee Development - Offers feedback, coaches employees appropriately, rewards employees wisely, takes mentoring role, challenges and develops employees, offers opportunity

Employee Management - Defines responsibilities, motivates employees, delegates well, rewards appropriately

Initiative - Takes action, seeks new opportunities, strives to see projects to completion

Job Knowledge - Understands facets of job, aware of duties and responsibilities, keeps job knowledge current

Leadership - Provides strong leadership, sets a good example, skilled decision maker, motivator, encourager

Self Development - Looks for opportunities to increase knowledge, works to increase responsibility, strives to achieve personal goals

Strategic Thought - Works to establish and articulate vision, shows creativity when defining solutions

Teamwork - Accountable to team, works to meet established deliverables, appreciates view of team members, respectful