Residential Direct Support Professional

Name/Organization: PCDI 

Title: Direct Support Professional- Residential (Group Home/Supervised Apartment Setting) 

Location: Princeton, NJ 08540  

Salary: minimum of $51,000 

Description: Since 1977, Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI) has provided compassionate support in neighborhood homes. Our residential program is expanding and our team is too.  

PCDI seeks a direct support professional (DSP) to assist adults with autism in one of our community-based group homes and supervised apartments. Our residences are located in towns surrounding Princeton including Plainsboro, NJ, Hopewell, NJ, and Pennington, NJ. Each home is supported by full-time live-in residential coordinators and/or a trainer/consultant who ensures consistent implementation of programming by each direct support professional (DSP). The direct support professional position (DSP) includes opportunities for long-term growth including career advancement, conducting and publishing research, and presenting at professional workshops and conferences. 

Responsibilities:  

• Ensure the safety of those we support 

• Establish comfortable and supportive relationships with residents and colleagues 

• Create and maintain a home-like living and learning environment that enhances the quality-of-life experience for residents 

• Exercise good judgment and remain calm when faced with a crisis 

• Teach and assist in the development of learners’ instruction and treatment goals with special emphasis on home and community-living skills, social skills, and language and communication skills 

• Use Applied Behavior Analytic (ABA) principles and teaching strategies such as Practical Functional Assessment (PFA), Skill-based treatment (SBT) script and script-fading procedures, activity schedules, and zone supervision 

• Drive residents to and from activities in a company-owned vehicle or your own vehicle 

• Support residents with daily activities including leisure and recreational activities, medical appointments, and community outings 

• Effectively manage time and productivity 

• Communicate effectively with parents, siblings, neighbors, and colleagues 

• Collect, summarize, and analyze ongoing data regarding skill acquisition and behavior management programs for learners 

• Document all services provided in accordance with state and federal regulations 

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in psychology, education, or related field is preferred 

• Some experience working with people with autism or other developmental disabilities 

• Knowledge of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) 

• Has a valid driver’s license 

• Pass extensive background checks 

• Complete and pass required trainings including: CPR, SFA 

• Work within designated evening, overnight, and weekend hours  

• Sample schedule: Monday – Friday 2-10pm; with two days off per week, on average; Direct Support Professionals are assigned to 3 overnight shifts per month 

Working Environment/Physical Demands: Sitting, walking, standing, occasional running, some lifting, good fine and gross motor coordination when guiding learners, vision, hearing, receptive and expressive language abilities as suited to instructional and behavior needs of residents.  

Benefits: 

• Medical and dental insurance for each employee and optional dependent coverage 

• Vision insurance (voluntary coverage) 

• Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) 

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) 

• Life and AD&D 

• 403b Retirement (voluntary beginning Day 1, employer contribution beginning Year 3) 

• Paid time off (8 days accrued per calendar year) 

• Holidays and vacations, where eligible (approximately 10 days per year) 

• Tuition discount  

• BCBA supervision 

• Professional mentoring