Unit Manager

About St. John’s

Founded in 1826 as a home for orphaned children, St. John’s has evolved into a nonprofit social services agency providing residential care to New York City youth involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. We offer holistic, trauma-informed support to young people up to age 21. Our main campus in Rockaway Park, Queens, houses a Residential Treatment Center, Close to Home Non-Secure Placement programs, administrative offices, clinical services, and an on-site NYC Department of Education school. We also operate a Non-Secure Detention residence in Richmond Hill and Limited Secure Placement programs in Brooklyn and Staten Island. St. John’s is dedicated to helping youth heal, grow, and build the skills they need to achieve their goals and return to family or a stable, supportive environment as engaged members of their communities.

Principal Responsibilities

• Demonstrates fidelity to the agency’s service values and organizational imperatives.
• Perform no less than 2 overnight pop-up visits per month, to be documented (in log book upon arrival/departure) and submitted to the NSP director of residential services.
• Review and analyze all ACS draft/policy procedures and know what each draft/policy entails in terms of current program practices and create a plan to implement.
• Attend all meetings both internally and externally as assigned, i.e., treatment planning conferences, team meetings, weekly supervision, IEP meetings, monthly education meetings, red flag meetings, etc.
• Facilitate weekly team meetings with the group leader/shift supervisor; meet with Residential Program Director/Assistant Program Director at least weekly to provide TPC/other and program/staffing updates.
• Meet with the group leader/shift supervisor on a weekly basis to support the individual’s growth and development; submit documentation of meetings to NSP director of residential services within 48 hours.
• Work with the group leader to submit a full program schedule including activities 1 month in advance; secure all resources necessary to implement.
• Monitor program schedule and implementation of all activities as required, with close attention paid to IDLE time (there should be minimal).
• Alert NSP/RTC Director of Residential/Assistant Director of all issues regarding staff, residents, and program in real time but not less than a full shift’s notice.
• Upon a new resident’s arrival, request copy of his IEP and set in motion IEP review, advocate on behalf of residents in terms of school placement, permanency, etc., as appropriate.
• Ensure all shifts maintain the minimum staff to resident ratio at all times.
• Facilitate and insure all SCM/TCI/SCM trainings are held every 6 months and/or as needed to maintain agency/program compliance.
• Maintain training certification and comply with all training requirements.
• Collaborate with service providers both internally/externally to ensure needs of youth are met.
• Monitor and assess group meetings twice a month and submit findings to director of residential services.
• Review all required documentation, i.e., entire security and contraband book, fire drill log, daily logs, MAR, running log, recreational log, van log, etc., no less than twice a week.
• Ensure program is in compliance with all entities, OCFS, ACS, MYSI, PBS and St. John’s etc. Report any issues to supervisor.
• Ensure that the physical environment meets compliance standards and is neat, clean, and orderly. All youth work must be current and displayed appropriately throughout the unit.
• Organize and attend all special events (includes family day/other) and significant trips.
• Additionally, support PBS initiative in terms of data entry, maintenance of intake data and relevant documents, family survey, youth survey etc.
• Beyond the aforementioned statements, perform any and all tasks as assigned by program leadership.

Overnight Shift Requirements

• Remain awake and alert at all times.
• Check on youth during the night as prescribed and deal with any/all issues that may arise.
• Aid youth in their morning routines.
• Follow protocols when youth are sick.
• Follow unit specific household duties as assigned.
• Refrain from engaging in personal activities that are not work-related.
• Notify night-time administrator of any major concerns.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred with 1 year experience working with vulnerable youth or High School Diploma with a minimum of 3 years of experience in an NSP/RTC/congregate setting, individual must be well versed in the MYSI approach/standards, the Tuckman Model of supervision, TCI/SCM with knowledge of program planning and implementation.
• A valid driver’s license and strong communication skills with the ability to manage staff/youth.
• Dependable/Reliable; able to effectively manage program/ others; ethical and mature in action and deed.

Travel Requirements

• This position may require travel between 2 to 3 residential programs located in Queens, Staten Island, or Brooklyn.
• Travel to St. John’s administrative offices for meetings, trainings, etc. is also required.