What are the responsibilities and job description for the Worcester Area Office Director position at Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services?
The Central/West Region of the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) is seeking a person with demonstrated leadership, organizational, and management skills to lead the Worcester Area Office team. The area director fulfills a critical role at the local level and must be able to lead in an active, challenging, and rewarding environment.
The Worcester Area Director has primary responsibility for the management of a ninety (90) million-dollar allocation which is directed to the procurement, contracting, development, delivery and oversight of an array of residential, day, clinical, family and support services for approximately 2,700 adult and child eligible individuals and their families across eleven (11) cities and towns. The area director, with their team, continuously determines priority need against available resources, and strives to deliver services where most needed. Maximizing the area allocation to meet assessed needs in a fair and equitable manner and driving federal waiver dollar remuneration to broaden access are some of the key responsibilities.
As the local hiring manager, the next area director should have a deep understanding of the Worcester catchment area and strive to build a competent, diverse and representative workforce. The area director is the local hiring manager and has direct supervisory responsibility for members of the management/leadership team, which could include the assistant area director, service coordinator supervisors, program monitor, health care coordinator and psychologist. They also have indirect supervisory responsibility for an additional thirty (30) plus area office staff, including service coordinators and administrative staff. Understanding and ensuring labor contract compliance and meeting the ongoing training and development needs of the labor force is critical to success. In addition to several quality assurance activities, the area director provides leadership in the implementation and oversight of the Department’s risk and incident management systems, the ISP, waiver billing and assurances, site visitation and program development, etc.
The area director must engage respectfully and professionally with a diverse group of citizens, provider agencies and public officials while ensuring compliance to rules and regulations, thus strong reasoning, analytical skills and communication are key. The area director is responsible for the ongoing direction and leadership of the Worcester Citizen Advisory Board, a group made up of citizen volunteers who advise leadership on matters important to the furtherance of our mission.
The area director is a key member of the Central/West Regional Management Team, contributing to the overall performance of the region by being an active contributor at regularly scheduled meetings, contributing to resource growth and quality and by providing data and other information, as needed. The area director will contribute to Central DDS initiatives, such as new policy development, RFRs, statewide training and new programming and implement/instruct as necessary in their area office, consistent with other areas and regions.
Finally, the area director provides emergency on-call response during off hours as part of the management team which could include providing guidance on emergency calls involving individuals in psychiatric, medical and forensic crisis.
Please Note:
This position is located in Worcester, MA
Schedule: 9:00 am - 5:00pm
Days Off: Sunday/Saturday
Flexibility required to meet the needs of the area office.
About the Department of Developmental Services:
The mission of the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) is to create innovative and genuine opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder to participate fully and contribute meaningfully to their communities as valued members. DDS serves over 43,000 vulnerable individuals throughout their lifetimes, providing a spectrum of day, employment, and residential supports. The agency directly oversees and manages $3 billion in public funds ($2.7B operating budget) and approximately 5,500 staff, the largest state employee workforce of any agency in the Massachusetts executive branch of government.
For more information about our agency and programs visit: www.mass.gov/dds