Assistant Director, Programs

Breaking Ground•New York, NY

20h•$92,000 - $98,000

About The Position

The Assistant Director, Programs, Outreach supports Breaking Ground’s 24/7 street outreach and housing placement work in its Manhattan catchment area, spanning from 59th Street to 23rd Street, river to river. The position aims to help move people from the street into transitional and permanent housing and supports collaboration with the Manhattan Outreach Consortium, other outreach providers, city agencies, and community stakeholders to reduce street homelessness. The Assistant Director supports outreach activities and program operations, including 311 responses, canvassing strategies, and management of encampments and hotspots. The role supervises Team Leaders and supports Harm Reduction, Housing First, and other best-practice clinical interventions. Reporting to the Director, Programs, the Assistant Director works primarily during business hours Monday through Friday, while remaining available outside those hours for emergencies or special projects and initiatives. The position oversees 24/7 operations and requires schedule flexibility as needed. Staff must be willing and able to find and assist street homeless individuals in extreme weather, including providing leadership presence during winter alerts. The role requires direct engagement with street homeless individuals, the ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment, and flexibility in working with diverse populations.

Requirements

NYS Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW).
At least 2 years of supervisory experience.
Thorough clinical understanding of service delivery concepts and structures, including Housing First, client-centered Motivational Interviewing, Harm Reduction models, and behavioral and medical health systems; ability to access and negotiate the full range of services for recipients.
Experience with crisis intervention, including risk assessments and incident management.
Ability to work successfully with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
Demonstrated success working in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities.
Ability to delegate and motivate staff to achieve deliverables.
Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with diverse populations and stakeholders.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite programs, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams; familiarity with Access-based databases and ability to learn new programs.
Willingness and ability to engage with street homeless individuals, including in extreme weather conditions.
Ability to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment and shift between responsibilities with diverse populations.
Availability outside business hours for emergencies or special projects and initiatives, and flexibility to support 24/7 operations.

Nice To Haves

Valid NY, NJ, CT, or PA driver’s license with a good driving record, as defined by Breaking Ground.
Bilingual Spanish/English.

Responsibilities

Supervise Team Leaders and provide direct reports with regular, structured supervision meetings.
Implement outreach and engagement strategies to identify where individuals are staying on the street and provide services to support them.
Support high-quality service delivery and best-practice interventions with street homeless populations, collaborating with on-site psychiatric and street medicine teams and providing crisis intervention, including 958 removals and risk assessments.
Promote effective outreach, case management, and client placement strategies following Housing First, Harm Reduction, Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), Motivational Interviewing, and trauma-informed care models.
Coordinate care delivery with multiple service providers, particularly transitional housing teams.
Guide front-line staff in managing difficult situations and de-escalating conflict.
Guide incident management, crisis interventions, and risk assessments, and ensure documentation is submitted to appropriate oversight entities on time.
Promote a staff and resident culture that emphasizes housing placement as a measure of success and ensure clients are ready for housing placement.
With direction from the Director, respond to and engage external partners, including service partners, government representatives, community stakeholders, hospital personnel, and other agencies, to support responsive service planning and program operations.
Provide leadership presence during winter alerts and oversee 24/7 operations, with schedule flexibility as needed.
Perform other duties as assigned.