Assistant Department Director

PURPOSE:

Cedar House (Bronx) provides therapeutic and support services to adolescents ages 16–21 who are referred through ACS (Administration for Children's Services) and the Juvenile Justice system. Our residents have experienced significant trauma that often results in behavioral, emotional, and developmental challenges. The program offers a robust Independent Living Skills curriculum, including vocational training and educational support, to prepare youth for successful, independent adulthood.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Assistant Program Director supports the Program Director and Clinical Director in providing leadership, ensuring quality service delivery, and maintaining compliance with agency policies and external regulatory standards. The Assistant Program Director is responsible for day-to-day operations, supervision of key staff, and oversight of programmatic systems that promote client safety, well-being, and progress toward independence.

KEY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS :

Program Operations & Oversight

• Oversee daily program operations to ensure a safe, structured, and therapeutic environment for youth.
• Lead weekly team meetings and provide supervision to the Senior Team Leader, Team Leaders, Programming Manager, and Cook.
• Ensure the physical environment and basic needs (food, hygiene, healthcare, etc.) of youth are met.
• Monitor and manage census, admissions, group assignments, and discharges.
• Participate in and oversee intake and case closing processes.
• Support adherence to program budget and financial guidelines.

Staff Development & Supervision

• Oversee training, onboarding, and ongoing development of direct care staff.
• Provide coaching and performance feedback to promote professional growth and accountability.
• Ensure adequate staffing levels and proper shift coverage.

Clinical & Programmatic Support

• Participate in the development and implementation of clinical and recreational programming.
• Collaborate with clinical team and provide input on service planning.
• Maintain engagement with community stakeholders, including emergency responders and neighboring organizations.

Compliance & Administration

• Ensure compliance with ACS, OCFS, COFCCA, and agency standards.
• Monitor documentation practices, including incident reporting and service note accuracy.
• Serve as a point of escalation for after-hours program concerns (on-call responsibilities).

TEAM PROCESS:

• Participate in intakes, assessments, and discharge planning.
• Attend and contribute to staff meetings, trainings, and off-site professional development as needed.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with team members, leadership, and external partners

DOCUMENTATION:

• Review and follow up on incident reports in collaboration with the leadership team.
• Ensure accurate and timely entry of documentation into electronic records.
• Maintain compliance with agency and regulatory documentation standards.
• Additional documentation responsibilities may be assigned at the discretion of program leadership and are 
  not limited to
   the items listed above.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Commitment to trauma-informed, youth-centered care.
• Strong interpersonal and team collaboration skills.
• Cultural competency and ability to work effectively with diverse populations.
• Effective engagement strategies with youth.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Valid driver's license and willingness to operate agency vehicles.

EDUCATIONAL/TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
:

• Master's degree in Social Work(MSW) required;
   license preferred. ( A master's degree in a closely related field may be considered based on relevant experience.)
• Minimum 5 years of experience
   in children's mental health or child welfare; residential adolescent experience strongly preferred.
• At least 
  2 years of supervisory experience
  .
• Strong communication skills and ability to lead diverse teams.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite; experience with CONNECTIONS and electronic medical record systems preferred.
• Familiarity with telemental health platforms is a plus.

COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIREMENTS:

• Knowledge of electronic medical systems or CONNECTIONS preferred
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Outlook and Word
• Aptitude for learning new systems and application software
• Experience with telemental health platforms a plus.

WORK ENVIORNMENT/PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• Travel in the community with residents utilizing agency vehicle
• Engage in physical activities with the youth
• Walk up and downs stairs.

VISUAL AND MANUAL DEXTIERTY:

• The candidate should be able to read paper and electronic documents and perform significant data entry into various computer programs.

If you join us, you'll have these great benefits:

• Generous time off in addition to paid agency holidays and 15 sick days
• Affordable and high-quality medical/dental/vision plans
• Tuition assistance and educational loan forgiveness
• Free continuing education opportunities
• 403(b) retirement benefits and a pension
• Flexible spending accounts for health and transportation
• 24/7 Accessible Employee Assistance Program
• Life and disability insurance
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion working groups that are available for you to join, including Confronting Structural Racism (COR), Coalition Against Anti-Semitism (CAAS), and the LGBTQ Steering Committee

Who we are:

The Jewish Board delivers innovative, high-quality, and compassionate mental health and social services to over 45,000 New Yorkers each year. We are unique in serving everyone from infants and their families to children, teens, and adults. We are proud to employ and serve people of all religions, races, cultural backgrounds, gender expressions, and sexual orientations. We are committed to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive teams to help support our mission, and we strongly encourage candidates from historically marginalized backgrounds to apply to work with us.

More on Equal Opportunity:

We are an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Job Details

Job Family

Program Administration [500s]

Job Function

Directors

Pay Type

Salary

Employment Indicator

8810 - Clerical Office Employees NOC

Hiring Min Rate

87,000 USD