Social Services Program Manager

About the role

The Social Services Program Manager plans, organizes, and directs the operations and functions of a Child Welfare Services program and/or Adult Protective Services program in a local public social services department or agency.

Responsibilities

• Manage the daily work activities of a Child Welfare Services and/or Adult Protective Services program, directly or through subordinate supervisors, by establishing performance levels, communicating goals and performance expectations, and monitoring and reviewing work to ensure conformance to established policies and procedures, and standards for quality and timeliness
• Audit service delivery to communicate findings to upper management, implement changes to improve efficiency and service quality, maximize effectiveness of program operations, and ensure alignment with the agency's mission
• Oversee personnel actions to determine compliance with policies and procedures, and provide guidance to subordinate supervisors regarding personnel matters
• Ensure that programs or work units are staffed with qualified individuals by resolving performance problems, documenting performance according to policy, training and developing staff, and assisting in the selection, hiring, and promotion of staff
• Interpret laws and regulations, including new laws and proposed legislation, to determine relevancy to department operations and services, and assess program compliance with laws and regulations
• Develop or revise policies or procedures to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness, and assist higher-level management in departmental strategic planning
• Serve as an internal technical expert regarding program matters by providing consultation and guidance to staff regarding problems with complex social service cases and delivery of services, and taking corrective actions to improve the quality and efficiency of social services
• Collaborate with personnel of other agencies, community groups, contractors, and other public and private organizations to determine needs for social services, and coordinate shared services or collaborative projects, or the provision of services by contracted agencies
• Ensure that information regarding department services and policies is provided accurately and thoroughly to external parties, and respond to the most sensitive complaints from the community, foster parents, and staff
• Act as an external technical expert by providing consultation regarding program, legal, or policy matters to external entities such as County department managers or administrators, State departments, Board of Supervisors, advisory boards, and advocacy groups
• Aid in the development of the budget for assigned programs by preparing cost estimates and projections, and performing ongoing monitoring of expenditures to ensure compliance with budget provisions

Requirements

One (1) year of full-time experience performing duties comparable to a Social Worker Supervisor I or II; AND A master's degree in Social Work or a master's degree from a two year counseling program.

Qualifications

• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with internal management and staff, and with a variety of external stakeholders
• Analyze situations or problems to determine appropriate courses of action
• Apply knowledge of laws, regulations, and policies to decision making and problem solving to identify solutions and courses of action that are most appropriate or compliant
• Maintain awareness of the functioning and status of multiple work groups or program areas simultaneously
• Delegate work assignments and appropriate level of responsibility to employees in order to ensure the completion of work assignments and projects
• Read and understand complex written materials, such as laws, proposed legislation, policies, reports, etc., in order to interpret, explain, and apply
• Write to ensure effective and clear communication and proper composition of reports, correspondence, email, and other written communication
• Review and edit documents written by others to ensure proper format, sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation

Skills

Knowledge Of Program development, administration, and service delivery related to Child Welfare and/or Adult Protective Services

Current management and leadership techniques, performance appraisal methods, and public administration

Planning and scheduling techniques to ensure that timelines and schedules are established appropriately, modified as needed, and adhered to

Budgeting principles in order to develop, manage, and/or track budgets, budget allocations, and expenditures

Public and private community resources

Effective casework practices in order to oversee staff providing services

Benefits

Not specified

Pay

Not specified

Schedule

Not specified