Director of Appeals and Community Resolutions

North County Regional•Los Angeles, CA

15d•$166,553 - $198,176

About The Position

North Los Angeles County Regional Center (NLACRC), a private nonprofit agency contracted with the California Department of Developmental Services to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is hiring a Director of Appeals and Community Resolutions. The Director receives general supervision from the Executive Director and leads the Appeals and Grievance Resolution teams through their respective managers. The Director sets department priorities, operating standards, staffing and resource plans, budgets, quality standards, and performance expectations while maintaining accountability for department performance and developing managers’ leadership capabilities. The Director oversees service and eligibility appeals, grievance resolution under the DDS framework, and timely, fair, accessible, person-centered outcomes. The role provides guidance on challenging or unresolved cases; aligns workflows and case resolution with Case Management and other departments; develops and oversees training; analyzes data and performance trends; and proposes and coordinates organizational improvements. The Director monitors changes to state laws, regulations, DDS directives, and agency policies, and ensures procedures and staff training respond to applicable requirements. The position collaborates with senior leadership and may participate in internal committees and external entities, including DDS, and presents proposals to the Executive Leadership Team for consideration and approval. NLACRC offers health and dental plans, flexible spending accounts, insurance coverage, retirement and deferred compensation plans, paid time off and holidays, and professional development opportunities. Most positions are offered a hybrid-remote option. The position is exempt, with an annual salary of $166,553.13–$198,175.75.

Requirements

Master’s degree in social work, public administration, public policy, human services, dispute resolution, or a related field, or a Juris Doctor degree; an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience may be considered.
At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in developmental services, human services, appeals, grievance resolution, compliance, or a closely related field.
At least three years managing staff or programs.
At least three years of demonstrated experience developing and overseeing supervisors or managers, delegating operations, leading challenging cases, coordinating timely cross-department resolution, delivering staff training, analyzing performance data, and implementing improvements.
Working knowledge of the Lanterman Act, service and eligibility appeals, applicable grievance requirements, Early Start processes, relevant Title 17 and Title 22 provisions, and HCBS person-centered planning and settings requirements.
Ability to interpret complex requirements and translate them into clear procedures, training, and reliable operations.
Strong management, coaching, conflict resolution, interviewing, analytical, and written communication skills; ability to exercise independent judgment and identify conflicts of interest.
Ability to build and interpret dashboards, explain trends and limitations, develop practical proposals, and assess whether changes improve outcomes.
Ability to build cross-department cooperation, establish shared timelines and accountability, engage respectfully with individuals and families, and lead challenging cases with impartiality and appropriate urgency.
Ability to perform essential duties with or without reasonable accommodation.
Ability to attend meetings and provide training across NLACRC’s service area, and maintain reliable transportation or an acceptable alternative.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and comply with applicable information security and records requirements.

Nice To Haves

Experience supervising managers.
Knowledge of California regional center operations, administrative hearings, and person-centered grievance resolution.

Responsibilities

Lead the Appeals and Grievance Resolution department through its managers, delegating routine operations while retaining accountability for performance.
Train, coach, and evaluate managers; establish their decision authority and escalation criteria; and build their capacity to supervise staff and manage complex workloads.
Set department priorities, staffing plans, budgets, quality standards, and performance measures; review caseload, aging, capacity, and deadline risks; and address systemic barriers.
Ensure managers maintain procedures, coverage plans, quality review practices, and consistent implementation of approved changes.
Oversee administration of service and eligibility appeals, including informal meetings, mediation, hearing preparation and representation, legal counsel coordination, and implementation of outcomes.
Ensure appeals are managed in accordance with applicable notice, filing, response, service-continuation, case-record, decision, and settlement requirements; review exceptions and escalated matters.
Ensure distinct procedures are maintained for Early Start complaints, mediation, due process, and other assigned administrative or provider appeals.
Lead implementation and oversight of the DDS grievance framework, including delegated intake, reviewer assignment, review, communication, resolution planning, reporting, and implementation tracking.
Ensure grievance reviews and resolution plans are timely, accessible, person-centered, and appropriately address concerns and recurrence; maintain reviewer qualifications, independence, consent, confidentiality, and participation practices.
Review grievance performance and exceptions, including disclosure, resolution, extensions, state-level review, and corrective action; ensure appropriate escalation of urgent safety concerns, retaliation allegations, missed deadlines, and implementation barriers.
Coordinate matters involving both appeals and grievances without delaying access to either process, and ensure appropriate handling of complaints filed under the prior framework during the transition.
Directly lead the most challenging grievance and appeal cases when needed; determine the appropriate level of involvement, lead case conferences, engage individuals and authorized representatives, coordinate with Case Management and legal counsel, and participate in resolution discussions, mediation, or hearings within delegated authority.
Preserve reviewer independence in Director-led grievance matters, establish case plans and follow-up, and escalate matters beyond the Director’s authority to the Executive Director.
Meet routinely with Case Management leadership to align on workflows, pending cases, responsibilities, decision authority, training, and emerging concerns; document actions, owners, and timelines and verify progress.
Coordinate across departments to promote timely resolution, address delays and implementation barriers, strengthen communication and accountability, and preserve fair review, appeal rights, and reviewer independence.
Set training priorities with Case Management leadership based on case trends, quality reviews, and emerging requirements; oversee delegated onboarding, refresher training, consultation, and evaluation of training effectiveness.
Personally lead training on complex, sensitive, or organization-wide topics when needed, including person-centered planning, communication, documentation, rights, and early problem resolution.
Establish data definitions, dashboard and reporting requirements; review appeals and grievance data on volumes, themes, aging, deadlines, outcomes, action completion, repeat concerns, state-level review, and participant feedback.
Identify and validate operational and policy issues; develop practical proposals for the Executive Leadership Team that include evidence, recommended changes, owners, resources, timelines, and expected outcomes.
Coordinate approved improvements, assess results, and report progress, barriers, and recommended adjustments to the Executive Leadership Team.
Hold managers accountable for accurate, timely DDS submissions and audit support; assess department performance using timeliness, resolution quality, accessibility, follow-through, and recurrence measures.
Serve as a leadership liaison to DDS, legal counsel, advocacy organizations, service providers, and other partners; delegate routine liaison activities and provide presentations to leadership and board committees as assigned.
Monitor state legislation, regulations, DDS directives, and agency policies; assess operational impact and guide procedural updates and staff communications and training.
Promote respectful communication, confidentiality, impartial review, and protection from retaliation; perform other related duties consistent with the position.
Attend meetings and provide training across NLACRC’s service area, maintain reliable transportation or an acceptable alternative, and comply with confidentiality, information security, and records requirements.

Benefits

Health insurance plans, with an employer contribution toward selected employee-only or employee-and-dependent coverage.
Dental insurance; NLACRC pays the full cost of the Dental DMO Plan for employees and eligible dependents, and offers a Dental PPO plan with a low employee monthly contribution.
Pre-tax flexible spending account for eligible health care expenses.
Pre-tax dependent care flexible spending account for eligible dependent care expenses.
No-cost life, accidental death and disability, and long-term disability insurance for employees.
No-cost vision plan for employees and eligible dependents.
CalPERS defined-benefit retirement plan for eligible employees.
Two deferred compensation plans: 457 and 403(b).
Eligibility to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
Paid time off, including three weeks of accrued vacation in the first year, eight hours per month of sick time, and education, wellness, and sabbatical time.
Twelve paid holidays throughout the year.
Most positions are offered a hybrid-remote option.
Professional development opportunities and career paths in social services management.