Assistant Director of Residential Life - Good Shepherd Services

Good Shepherd Services is a leading multi-service agency with more than 85 programs that serve over 30,000 youth and families each year – and builds on their strengths to help them gain skills for success.  At Good Shepherd we respect the dignity and worth of every person and reject intolerance, inequity and injustice in whatever form it may take. Voted one of the top 100 places to work in NYC by Crain’s New York, Good Shepherd Services offers a fantastic work environment, a collaborative team dedicated to fulfilling our mission, and an amazing array of benefits. Join our team and help make a difference! 

For Full Time Employees Benefits/Perks:

• Tuition Assistance Program
• Generous paid time off (Including 5 Self-Care Days/Floating Holidays, 12 Sick Days, 15 Vacation Days, and 11 Holidays)
• Healthcare Plans (Medical, Dental, Vision, and Pet Care)
• 403(b) Plan (GSS contributes 3% of your salary to your 403(b) plan after 3 years of service, with contributions increasing over time) 

Candidates hired in this position will work in person but may have the opportunity for a hybrid schedule at program leadership discretion

Title: Assistant Director of Residential Life (On Site) 

Reports To: Program Director

Location: 280 Shepherd Avenue Brooklyn NY

Hours: 35 Hours/Week; Exempt (Requires Flexibility for some Evenings & Weekends)

Salary Range: 68K-75K Annually based on relevant experience and education

Job Summary: In the context of child-centered, family-focused practice to promote permanency, well-being, and safe, productive, and durable return to family and community, and to reduce length of stay in placement for Non-Secure Placement youth, the Assistant Director of Residential Life and supervises the residential, maintaining effective delivery of services consistent with agency philosophy and policy, COA, as well as with city and state mandates. The Assistant Director of Residential Life will lead and manage a team of Youth Development Counselors and Residential Life Supervisors to create and maintain a trauma-informed environment utilizing the principles and practices of the Sanctuary Model and Youth and Family Development strategies.

Major Duties:

• Responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the program, including oversight of daily schedules, staffing coverage, and program activities and development to foster a safe, secure, therapeutic environment for participants.
• Directly Supervise the Residential Life Supervisors & supervise a team of Youth Development Counselors from various levels: YDC, Senior YDC, and Master YDC.
• Work closely with the Risk Management Team to respond to Justice Center reports and protocols as well as follow up on facility-wide and program protocols and incidents.
• Work alongside the Assistant Director of Social Services to create a cohesive building-wide community, shared planning, and collaboration in support of the agency's mission, values, and strategic plan across residential life and social services staff members.
• Coordinate and, when needed, lead all relevant meetings and assist in the development and execution of all plans, policies/procedures. Keep staff informed and ensure that team decisions are uniformly implemented.
• Attend all relevant meetings with internal and external stakeholders as needed.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with GSS peer programs and support departments (i.e., Development, Finance, Government and External Relations, Human Resources, IT, Maintenance, PEP, and Learning and Development).
• Assure compliance with New York City & State regulatory agencies, e.g., fire, health, DYFJ, OCFS, and COA.
• Ensure each facility/program is fully and timely, maintaining all required records, reports, and logs. That identified staff is accurately and timely submitting all needed reports to internal and external stakeholders.
• Be responsible for effective and efficient use of resources, including regular budget monitoring in collaboration with the Program Director, and for the security, upkeep and cleanliness of the facilities, vehicles, and all equipment; assure the proper use of all agency supplies.
• Maintain 24-hour on-call contact with the programs for emergencies.
• Lead the implementation of the Missouri approach to group treatment in the programs.
• Lead the implementation of the Sanctuary Model of trauma-informed practice within the programs.
• Encourage and advance the use of the Sanctuary Model tools: safety plans, community meetings, psycho-educational groups, team meetings, red flag reviews, treatment planning conferences (or similar), and self-care in the program to create a non-violent and trauma-sensitive culture.
• Promote and model the seven Sanctuary Model commitments to create a non-violent and trauma-sensitive culture.
• Integrate the Sanctuary Model SELF (Safety, Emotional Management, Loss and Future) framework into daily practice to ensure quality care and an effective work environment.
• Utilize Sanctuary Model principles in the supervisory practice.
• Perform other duties as may be required.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree Preferred. 
• Minimum of five years of proven supervisory experience in a youth residential program is Required. 
• Five years of experience working with at-risk adolescents, including in a residential program.
• Proven supervisory and management skills required.
• Valid New York State driver’s license required.
• Flexible hours and on-call availability required.
• Ability to complete mandated Safe Crisis Management (SCM)/primary de-escalation and restraint technique training.
• Must be willing and able to become a certified Safe Crisis Management trainer and conduct training as needed.
• Must be able to perform physical restraint on youth using approved procedures.
• Must have a commitment to use and implement the Missouri approach, a group-based rehabilitative and therapeutic approach.
• Must have a commitment to work from a strength-based, youth and family development and trauma-informed perspective.

Good Shepherd Services is an equal opportunity employer that is proudly committed to becoming an anti-racist and multicultural organization that stands up for justice and equity. We welcome prospective employees from diverse backgrounds, for administrative support and direct service and leadership roles, who will join us on that journey, uphold our values and approach, and believe in our mission. Additionally, we aim to have a racially representative leadership and workforce that is reflective of the communities we work in partnership with.

Good Shepherd Services is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, participants, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and termination of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.

We are committed to providing a workplace that is accessible and accommodating to employees with disabilities. As part of our commitment to providing a barrier-free recruitment and selection process, we will provide reasonable accommodations upon request for candidates with disabilities. If you require any accommodations to participate in the hiring process, please inform us of your needs in advance. We value diversity and inclusivity in our workplace and encourage applicants of all abilities to apply.