Associate Director, Programs

Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area • Palo Alto, CA

2d • $108,000 - $115,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Our Stanford program is a 100,000-square-foot, 24/7 operation that provides lodging to 123 families every night, 365 days a year. More than a hotel, we offer a true home-away-from-home and a neighborhood of support for families navigating medical crisis in a communal living environment. Services include daily meals and stocked family kitchens, psychosocial support, programmed activity spaces, a gym, an onsite K-12 school and tutoring support, outdoor recreation, summer camp, and more. In addition to overnight guests, we offer daily access, 7am-7pm, to any family receiving treatment at the Stanford Medical Center. Through Day Pass, families can access the Stanford House’s amenities, meals, and programs—including laundry, showers, essential care items, gym, kitchens, activity rooms, summer camp, hospital shuttle, and more.
The Associate Director, Programs drives the operational engine of the House by providing direct supervision to the Family Programs Manager and a diverse team of 7–10 Guest Services Associates, while maintaining secondary oversight of Youth and Meal Programs staff. As a family facing leader, the incumbent spearheads the implementation of trauma-informed and culturally responsive programming, serving as a primary point of contact for triaging families in crisis and managing complex social service needs. Beyond daily personnel management, the role ensures operational excellence across all frontline services, programs, and facility utilization for both in-House and Day Pass guests. In close partnership with the Director of Family Services, the Associate Director facilitates cross-departmental coordination with Family Care, Facilities and Community Engagement teams to streamline non-clinical care.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with demonstrated family services experience is required. Graduate Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Human Services, Public Health or a related field is strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience; master’s degree can substitute 2 years, in a social service, case management, or family support role. Proven ability to manage a team is strongly preferred.
• Experience in family services, program development and oversight, crisis intervention, trauma-informed care, and navigating community resources.
• Partnership minded and strong understanding of operations and donor funding models in nonprofit settings.
• Demonstrated experience interacting with diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds; bilingual Spanish speaker preferred.
• Proven track record of building collaborative, multi-level, cross-functional relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) proficiency is strongly desired; if not bilingual, demonstrated ability to manage cross-cultural teams.
• Demonstrated leadership in program operations, with ability to motivate teams and drive service excellence with a compassionate, client-centered approach.
• Strong active listening skills, high emotional intelligence, and a deep sense of empathy and care for families in distress.
• Ability to lead cross-functionally, collaborating with Accommodations, Volunteer Services, and other teams to achieve goals.
• Knowledge of risk management, safety protocols, and emergency response procedures.
• Proven project management skills, with ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines and service delivery goals in a dynamic environment.
• Experience engaging diverse volunteers and staff with cultural humility and self-awareness.
• Compassionate, solution-oriented approach to guest and family needs.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with meticulous attention to detail.
• Skilled in mediating conflicts and de-escalating sensitive situations with professionalism and calm.
• Professional boundary-setting, with empathy for families facing medical crises and secondary trauma experienced by staff and volunteers.
• Exceptional written/verbal communication, adaptable to varied audiences (staff, volunteers, families, partners).
• Proficient in MS Office and ability to learn new systems (e.g., guest management software, family mobile app, program tracking systems, etc.).
• CPR/First Aid/AED certification (or willingness to obtain within 30 days of hire).
• Valid CA driver's license and ability to travel locally as needed.
• Physical ability to lift 25 pounds (e.g., supplies, donations).

Nice To Haves

• Graduate Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Human Services, Public Health or a related field is strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to manage a team is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience interacting with diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds; bilingual Spanish speaker preferred.
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) proficiency is strongly desired; if not bilingual, demonstrated ability to manage cross-cultural teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as ‘the face’ of our Guest Services operations and Family Programs at Stanford. Cultivate a culture of belonging and safety, ensuring the organizational brand of care is consistently experienced by families, guests, volunteers, and donors.
• In partnership with Volunteer Services, architect the volunteer engagement strategy to support operations and programs. Ensure volunteer contributions are strategically aligned with operational gaps and contribute to sustainable donor stewardship pipeline.
• Design, evaluate, and optimize high-level tasks management systems and inter-departmental workflows. Ensure that the integration between Guest Services and Family Programs is seamless, scalable, and responsive to family needs.
• Recruit, hire, train, supervise, coach, and mentor Guest Services Associates, and provide direct supervision to the Family Programs Manager, reinforcing professional boundaries and promoting operational excellence and growth opportunities.
• Provide strategic alignment and indirect oversight for Youth Program Associates (YPA) and Meal Program Associates (MPA) function, ensuring program delivery is coordinated and embedded within our broader psychosocial support model. Support implementation of case management for complex care plans and supervise the training and triage process, including upskilling of frontline staff to serve as Community Health Workers (CHWs).
• Set the strategy for crisis response and emergency intervention. Lead and provide quarterly training to the team in high-stakes de-escalation scenarios and coordinate with Family Care leadership to refine safety protocols.
• Support and enforce organizational infection control policies and safety protocols.
• Direct the growth and evolution of the Day Pass program. Strengthen hospital and community partnerships.
• Partner with executive leadership to analyze program impact. Curate mission-moment storytelling for internal and external communications to drive fundraising and community awareness.
• Manage the Guest Services and Family Programming budgets. Analyze spending trends, oversee inventory procurement strategies, and ensure fiscal responsibility.
• Champion the creation of a trauma-informed, supportive environment. Ensure physical spaces and programmatic offerings are integrated to support families in medical crises.
• Oversee the long-term utilization and functionality of all common spaces (lodging, clinical consultation, and recreational areas). Ensure these assets meet the highest standards of hospitality and safety.
• Lead safety audits and walkthroughs, ensuring the Stanford campus is always inspection-ready. Collaborate with the internal Risk Management group to design and implement emergency preparedness training for all staff and volunteers.
• Act as the senior liaison to Facilities and Volunteer Services to troubleshoot complex operational hurdles, ensuring zero to minimal disruption to family services.
• Maintain a robust tracking system for program statistics and utilization. Use data-driven insights to inform continuous improvement, board reporting, and grant compliance.
• Primary point of contact and strategist for overnight security services, ensuring 24/7 safety standards are maintained.

Benefits

• RMHC Bay Area offers a wide range of benefits including medical, dental, vision, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution, generous PTO, and holidays.
• RMHC Bay Area is committed to providing meaningful professional development and pathways for growth.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees