Program Lead

Community Residences•Newington, CT

11d•Onsite

About The Position

This role is responsible for creating a nurturing, positive learning environment and developing strategies to help clients cope effectively with social, emotional, and physical situations of daily living, facilitating independent performance in these areas. The Program Lead must be able to perform all job functions and duties required of a Residential Instructor and Assistant Manager, including lifting and transferring 70-75lbs. The work is active and performed both inside and outside the home. The position requires the ability to utilize approved protective hold techniques to ensure safety. The Program Lead participates in developing Individualized Plans of Service (IPOS) for clients, including program development, data tracking, and report generation to meet agency and state regulatory requirements. They also participate in the Interdisciplinary Team Process and implement IPOS, ensuring timely execution, staff in-servicing, and proper documentation. A thorough understanding of each client's IPOS, programs, service needs, diets, medications, and routines is essential. The role involves monitoring medical, physical, and behavioral changes in individuals daily, documenting and reporting these changes to appropriate departments and leadership. The Program Lead is responsible for correcting errors in client programs and support needs, reporting issues to the Program Coordinator. They monitor staff administering medications to ensure compliance with policy and proper documentation, reporting any errors. The role also ensures written dietary plans are followed and maintains the cleanliness and upkeep of the home and agency vehicles. Maintaining client privacy and adhering to confidentiality policies is crucial. The Program Lead must conduct themselves professionally, acting as a positive role model for staff and clients. They conduct monthly staff meetings, document content and attendance, and provide mandatory training to staff on client programs and care. Ensuring clients follow a written daily schedule with varied activities and community outings is a key responsibility. The Program Lead ensures the program complies with DDS regulations and is present during inspections. Financial responsibilities include managing petty cash and individual client funds, providing accurate accounting, and reporting discrepancies. They are responsible for scheduling staff to resident ratios to ensure safety and familiarizing themselves with CRI Policies and Procedures. The role involves rotating on-call duties with the Assistant Manager, overseeing the residential program, and reporting monthly to the agency. Monitoring compliance with safety requirements, conducting fire drills, and maintaining safety equipment are also part of the role. The Program Lead is responsible for interviewing and recommending new direct care staff to the Program Director. They participate in and ensure staff meet training requirements, notifying leadership of expiring trainings. Client incident reports must be completed and forwarded appropriately. The Program Lead works with consultants to ensure recommended client services are implemented and supervises staff daily, including progressive discipline and evaluations, maintaining a supervision log. They perform other duties as delegated by leadership.

Requirements

Must possess a valid CT Driver’s License, be able to drive own and agency vehicles and a good driving record.
Must be able to obtain, or have, CPR, First Aid and Medication Certification within the regulations and time frames set by CRI.
Bachelor’s Degree and two years of experience or Associate’s Degree and three years of experience, or five years of experience in the Human Services field, with an emphasis on supervisory experience.

Nice To Haves

Recognize, identify and quantify real or true problems.
Develop and implement action plans to rectify known problems.
Effectively evaluate action plan outcomes and make adjustments to such plans as needed.
Understand, utilize and maintain Agency systems and operations.
Generate and develop new ideas to improve existing systems and operations.
Seek suggestions and new ideas from individuals and teams, and be able to provide feedback and/or develop such ideas when presented.
Present new ideas, programs and systems in a positive manner and build commitment towards successful implementation.
Acknowledge, listen and respond to individual concerns.
Establish trust and build rapport by communicating in a non-threatening manner.
Orally communicate to all levels of staff or groups in a clear, confident, concise and organized manner without being intimidating or superior.
Communicate in writing so that the reader(s) clearly understand the communication and the document presents your ideas in a logical manner.
Knowledgeable of Agency Policy and Procedures and all relevant Municipal, State and Federal licensing regulations.
Ensures that assigned employees comply with all relevant Agency Policies and Municipal, State and Federal licensing regulations.
Appropriately delegates authority and responsibility.
Monitors and tracks assignments given to staff for completion, accuracy and timeliness.
Develops staffing schedules and assignments and ensures that they meet the needs of the Agency from a regulatory, administrative and budget perspective.
Ensures that all staff assigned to the program are trained and competent per Agency Policies and Procedures.
Conducts regularly scheduled staff meetings.
Establishes expectations for staff in terms of performance that ensures consumers receive the highest quality of services.
Provides on-going feedback to employees assigned regarding the quality of their work, compliance with Agency Policies and personal development needs.
Establishes an environment within the program where employees assigned are motivated, engaged, and provide on-going communication to the Supervisor regarding ways to improve services provided to clients.
Takes total responsibility for the operation of the program or service from an administrative, management and budgetary perspective.
Implements Agency Policy on progressive discipline in a fair and consistent basis.
Develop individual and organizational talents, skills and competencies through coaching, feedback and reinforcement.
Empower individuals and teams by developing a sense of job and project ownership through communication of clear expectations, providing adequate resources, delegating responsibility and coaching while allowing the individuals and teams the opportunity to expand their scope of responsibility within clearly defined limits.
Provide meeting leadership, management and facilitation.
Conduct negotiations by establishing a position of openness and trust, keeping disagreements issue oriented, presenting opposing positions in an organized manner, and working to achieve true collaboration wherever possible.
Encourage teamwork and collaboration by responding positively to requests for information, suggestions and assistance, sharing the credit for good ideas and disagreeing tactfully when necessary.

Responsibilities

Create a nurturing, positive learning environment and develop strategies to help clients cope effectively with social, emotional and physical situations of daily living and facilitate independent performance in these areas.
Perform all job functions and duties required of the Residential Instructor and Assistant Manager.
Lift and transfer 70-75lbs.
Utilize approved protective hold techniques in order to keep you, clients, and co-workers safe.
Participate in developing Individualized Plan of Service for the clients, including developing and implementing individual programs, tracking and reporting data, and generating reports that meet agency and state regulatory requirements.
Participate in the Interdisciplinary Team Process.
Implement Individualized Plan of Service ensuring that all programs are implemented in a timely manner, that all staff are in-serviced, follow individual programs, and document accordingly.
Be fully knowledgeable regarding each client’s Individual Plan of Service, programs, service needs, diets, medications and routines.
Monitor medical, physical, and behavioral changes in individuals on a daily basis.
Document and report any and all changes to the appropriate department, i.e. Nursing, PT, OT, Dietary or other consultants involved and the Program Coordinator and Director.
Take steps to correct any and all errors observed in regards to client programs and support needs; reports issues to Program coordinator.
Monitor all staff who are Medication Certified to ensure staff administers medications to resident at prescribed times, according to Medication Administration Policy.
Assure that administration of medication according to policy occurs and is documented properly.
Report all errors of medication administration or documentation according to policy.
Ensure that written dietary plans for each resident are followed.
Ensure the cleanliness of the home, inside and outside.
Ensure the upkeep and maintenance of agency vehicles and request any maintenance needed for the vehicle or property promptly.
Maintain clients’ right to privacy and adhere to CRI’s Confidentiality Policy.
Conduct oneself in a professional manner when interacting with supervisors, coworkers, consultants, families and members of the community.
Be a positive role model for staff and clients.
Conduct monthly staff meetings, documenting content and attendance.
Provide mandatory training to all staff (i.e. client programs, individual needs, and all aspects of their care) as required by agency policy and DDS requirements.
Ensure that clients follow a written daily schedule, which includes: a variety of community based outings, programs, Activities of daily living, leisure activities and positioning guidelines that meet active treatment standards.
Ensure that the program remains in compliance with DDS regulations, and be present at all inspections.
Responsible for the finances in the home, including the use of petty cash, and individual client funds.
Provide accurate accounting of agency petty cash and resident funds in an informative, auditable condition at all times, as required or requested.
Report any discrepancies to Program Director immediately.
Schedule staff to resident ratio, and ensure that safe staffing ratio is in place at all times.
Familiarize oneself with CRI Policies and Procedures, ensuring compliance with same.
Rotate On-Call with Assistant Manager, and be responsible for the overall running of the residential program.
Report monthly to agency via CRI Tickler re: staff in-servicing, vehicle maintenance, resident attendance, etc.
Monitor all resident adaptive equipment.
Monitor compliance to safety requirements.
Conduct fire drills monthly, or delegate appropriately.
Maintain fire extinguishers and other safety related systems.
Responsible for interviewing and recommending to the Program Director, the hiring of new direct care staff.
Participate in training opportunities.
Maintain own training requirements per agency and DDS requirements.
Ensure staff is aware of required trainings and meet agency and DDS training requirements.
Notify Program Coordinator, Director and Human Resources immediately when staff trainings expire.
Ensure client incident reports are completed as required and forwarded to Program Coordinator.
Work with all consultants to ensure necessary client services recommended are implemented and followed as required.
Supervise staff on a daily basis.
Supervision will relate to progressive discipline, evaluations.
Maintain and update a supervision log on each staff.
Perform all other duties as delegated or requested by the Program Coordinator, Director or Associate Ex. Director.