Director of Residential Services

COVENANT HOUSE NEW ORLEANS•New Orleans, LA

5d•$65,300 - $68,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Residential Services provides leadership and strategic oversight for residential services at Covenant House New Orleans (CHNO). This role ensures that services are delivered with dignity, respect, and a commitment to CHNO youth and staff well-being while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and accountability. The Director directly supervises the Care Center Manager and Transitional Housing Manager. The Director leads through visible presence, trauma-informed decision making, and cross-department collaboration, ensuring alignment with CHNO's Mission, Principles, and Core Value to provide safety, consistency, growth, and opportunity to youth experiencing homelessness. The Director of Residential Services will be part of our Senior Leadership Team and help drive service standards, quality assurance, and customer satisfaction across all CHNO's Residential Programming Services. This role involves developing, implementing, and maintaining quality assurance protocols and service standards and will be responsible for developing and overseeing quality assurance, monitoring, and improvement processes to ensure services are compliant and meet regulatory and agency standards while leading on initiatives for continuous improvement in quality and service delivery of services. The position requires strong leadership in a fast-paced environment and the ability to support staff managing complex youth needs including mental health, trauma, substance use, and housing instability.

Requirements

Bachelors degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Nonprofit Management, or related field
Minimum seven (7) years of progressive experience working with homeless and/or youth populations, preferably in residential settings.
Minimum three (3) years of supervisory experience, including direct supervision and evaluation of staff.
Deep knowledge of trauma-informed care and best practices with youth experiencing homelessness.
Experience managing data systems such as Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) and HMIS, including data tracking, reporting, and compliance.
Experience in staff supervision, training, onboarding, and professional development.
Strong leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Knowledge of community resources, housing-first principles, and best practices in youth homelessness services.
Availability for after-hours emergencies and occasional weekend on-call rotations.
Strong documentation skills and proficiency in electronic data systems and Microsoft Office Suite.
Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and operate effectively in a flexible, supportive team environment.
Demonstrated technology proficiency, including operational systems, reporting tools, and presentation software.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex information clearly.
Ability to collaborate across departments and lead with accountability and care.
Valid Louisiana driver's license with a clean driving record.

Nice To Haves

Master’s preferred.
Trauma-Informed Care Certification
CPR First Aid Certification or ability to obtain
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (CPI) or equivalent
HMIS or related data system training
Leadership or Management Certification
OSHA Safety training

Responsibilities

Model accountability by setting clear expectations, honoring commitments, and ensuring decisions prioritize the physical and emotional safety of youth and staff.
Use accurate operational, financial, and safety data to inform decisions, promote transparency, and respect the lived experiences of residents and staff.
Lead with presence through visible engagement on campus, calm leadership during crises, and respectful communication at all levels.
Promote a culture of dignity and respect, ensuring all interactions recognize the inherent worth of each individual.
Collaborate across departments to align operations with program goals and resident experience.
Oversee 24/7 shelter including respite and emergency overnight and Transitional Housing, including onsite Rights of Passage (ROP) and offsite Maternal Pathways.
Ensure a safe, healthy sanctuary for all youth in CHNO programming.
Support implementation of case management, safety planning, housing support, and lifeskills programming.
Provide leadership, training, and support so services meet all relevant regulatory standards and respond effectively to challenges.
Ensure youth receive timely orientation, accurate information, and, where applicable, assignment to a Case Success Manager who coordinates with Social Workers and Clinical Services.
Conduct monthly case review meetings with Care Center and Transitional Housing Managers, Team Leaders, and Case Success Managers, and provide appropriate reports to Senior Leadership.
Develop and embed a quality assurance program across services, monitoring adherence to Covenant House service standards.
Oversee completion and approval of incident reports, including critical incidents, in line with Child Protection Policy and Procedures.
Ensure timely escalation of cases to the Department of Family and Children's Services, Senior Leadership, and/or the Site Child Protection Officer (SCPO), as required.
Respond to and support the team during crises, modeling expected crisis management practices.
Ensure youth medication logs are consistently and accurately maintained in compliance with applicable policies and procedures.
Complete and submit all required daily, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports as scheduled.
Engage regularly with youth forums such as Youth Advisory Council, meetings, programming to gather feedback on operations and services.
Plan and execute youth engagement activities and support groups.
Monitor and ensure accurate data entry and reporting in required systems, including Efforts to Outcomes, HMIS, and other city, state, federal systems.
Develop and maintain positive, strategic relationships with internal and external partners and stakeholders.
Contribute to organizational strategic planning related to youth homelessness services.
Identify service gaps and support new initiatives or program enhancements.
Use data and outcomes to drive program improvements.
Support program evaluation requirements.
Maintain professional and technical knowledge through trainings, publications, and participation in policy and procedure development.
Oversee compliance of all grant-funded programs, ensuring adherence to requirements, timelines, and regulations.
Participate in grant audits and site visits, providing documentation and responding to inquiries.
Maintain a clear understanding of grant terms, conditions, and deliverables to align services with funder expectations.
Partner with leadership to ensure grant activities are executed as planned and within approved budgets.
Collaborate with staff to ensure grant goals and objectives are met and accurately reported.
Monitor and track program expenditures in alignment with grant budgets.
Work with finance and leadership on budget forecasting and adjustments.
Prepare personal work expense reports to ensure efficient use of funds for CHNO operations.
Provide quarterly reconciliation between financial and physical inventories.
Ensure staff understand and are proficient in CHNO's Program Model and trauma-informed, holistic, youth-centered care.
Facilitate or support training on core program components, including case management, youth empowerment, conflict resolution, and engagement techniques.
Support consistent integration of the program model into daily practice and ensure staff confidence in applying it.
In partnership with People and Culture, conduct interviewing, hiring, supervision, and performance reviews for direct reports.
Lead onboarding and training for new hires, ensuring readiness to implement the program model and trauma-informed care.
Provide ongoing training on best practices with youth experiencing homelessness, including housing-first principles, case management, de-escalation, and crisis intervention.
Foster a culture of professional growth through development opportunities and regular performance feedback.
Actively contribute to departmental, cross-departmental, leadership, and all-staff meetings to ensure clear communication and follow-through on priorities.
Collaborate with all CHNO teams to align operational systems.
Prepare and deliver clear, data-informed presentations on facilities, capital projects, safety, and operational performance.
Engage constructively with community partners, vendors, contractors, public agencies, and neighborhood stakeholders.
Promote a culture of mutual respect and teamwork among staff.
Coordinate staff training on safety protocols in collaboration with the Sr. Director of Facilities and Operations.
Participate in quarterly safety audits and organizational emergency preparedness activities.