Program Manager

Tierra Del Sol Foundati•Los Angeles, CA

13d

About The Position

The Program Manager serves as the agency's exemplary Direct Support Professional role model. The Program Manager is the first point of contact for each person served as they enter into services and is the last person to successfully assist them to transition out of the agency, when needed. The Program Manager is immersed in all aspects of the Productive and Personally Meaningful Life (PPML) Plans/Person-Centered Planning process, including expertise in the PATH planning model. The Program Manager provides each associate with direct case management and support and liaises with community partners, families, and care providers. Under the direction of the Program Director, Senior Directors, and Chief Clinical Officer, the Program Manager collaborates with associates, families, and other team members to develop opportunities for associates to participate in adult education, community service, paid work, and recreational/cultural activities of their choosing, ultimately leading to a fully inclusive life in the community. The Program Manager leads the Productive and Personally Meaningful Life (PPML) Plans/PATH planning and/or person-centered planning process for each associate served and then helps the individual to summarize the plan, documenting and identifying desired goals, objectives, and action plans for each member of the support team.

Requirements

A Bachelor's degree in behavioral science or a related field
Strong organizational skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and experience in staff management are essential.
Experience with implementing positive behavior support techniques, as well as experience providing training/instruction/case management to adults with developmental disabilities, is required.
Must have a current California driver's license, 3 years’ driving experience, auto liability insurance, and CPR/First Aid certification.
Must meet all Direct Support Professional qualifications written in the DSP Universal Job Description.

Nice To Haves

proficiency in Spanish

Responsibilities

Able to fulfill the complete duties of a DSP in the program assigned.
Ensure each person served moves successfully through all phases of services – including Intake, Discovery, Life Schedule Development, which encompasses paid work and community service opportunities- and Transitions into fully inclusive, community-based lifestyles, ultimately exiting into non-Tierra-based services if needed.
Assist with developing associate referrals and conducting associate interviews/observations/assessments to determine ‘goodness of fit’ within Tierra’s services.
Assist the Intake Coordinator with all aspects of the Referral and Intake phase.
Assist the Intake Coordinator with all aspects of designing and implementing the initial associate Discovery process.
Assist the Intake Coordinator with all aspects of the PCP/PATH/IEP planning process, then monitor and maintain Productive and Personally Meaningful Life (PPML) Plans/Individual Person-Centered Plans, utilizing the information developed within the PCP/PATH planning process.
Write semi-annual and annual review summaries of progress made toward achievement of goals, as outlined in Productive and Personally Meaningful Life (PPML) Plans, and distribute to all necessary parties.
Monitor Productive and Personally Meaningful Life (PPML) Plans for each associate, and assist Direct Support Professionals with implementing plans.
Coordinate assessments of challenging behaviors, arranging for the development of Individualized Behavior Support Plans, with appropriate replacement behaviors, as needed.
Ensure that families/care providers receive regular written communication regarding associate progress during the initial Discovery process, and progress toward goals in the Individual Service, IEP, and PCP/PATH plans.
The Program Manager is responsible for monitoring associate progress through assessment tools/data gathered from Direct Support Professionals, as well as conducting associate observations.
The Program Manager also provides crisis support, as needed, and assistance with self-advocacy and case coordination services for associates.
Ensure effective associate transitions between Tierra programs by actively participating in Life Planning/PCP/PATH Planning meetings, preparing individual transition plans in conjunction with Tierra’s internal teams, and providing direct service staff with background information on new associates.
The Program Manager is responsible for assisting with the transition process for associates moving to other programs and completing Exit Summaries for associates who have left the program.
The Program Manager is responsible for maintaining attendance procedures/records, and ensuring that all information in associate files is up-to-date.
The Program Manager is also responsible for coordinating outcomes management surveys with associates, family members, care providers, staff, and Regional Center staff as part of the annual review process and will review and present data to the Program Director and Chief Clinical Officer.
Under the supervision of the Program Director, the Program Manager will develop and sustain positive working partnerships with all entities, identified in the Productive and Personally Meaningful Life (PPML) Plans/PCP/PATH process, including, but not limited to: community employers, volunteer sites, public education facilities, and cultural, social - recreational, and civic organizations.
The Program Manager is also expected to establish and maintain strong working relationships with associates, associate families, Regional Center/DOR counselors, and collaborating social service agencies.
The Program Manager is responsible for conducting monthly Quality Assurance checks for each community partner, ensuring that staff and associates meet each partner's stated mission and expectations.
The Program Manager will report weekly to staff on associate issues/ISP deadlines.
The Program Manager will also complete monthly satisfaction questionnaires and respond with recommendations for improvement.
The Program Manager is responsible for establishing and sustaining communication and collaboration with families, care providers, funding agencies including but not limited to the Regional Center and DOR staff, and others to ensure a high degree of consensus and satisfaction among all key partners regarding the associates’ goals, objectives, and action plans within the program.
Maintain systems to identify and remediate health and safety risks at all program locations.
Establish and monitor ongoing safety training and risk management systems for each site.
Conduct monthly safety meetings and provide in-service training as needed.
Schedule, monitor, and log monthly emergency drills.
Monitor associates for signs of illness/injury/abuse and provide follow-up, as appropriate.
Intervene in medical, behavioral, and other emergencies.
The Program Manager will also participate in developing and implementing relevant curriculum under the supervision of the Program Director.
The Program Manager, along with the associate’s family and/or Regional Center Service Coordinator, is also responsible for coordinating transportation services for associates.
The Program Manager will assist each individual served in becoming eligible for all generic services, such as Access and Citi-ride.
Coordinate and provide staff training to ensure the highest quality of services is offered to each person served.
Observe volunteer and/or community activities and provide written feedback to staff regarding training strategies and associate intervention.
Demonstrate effective instructional and behavioral support techniques, and assist in training staff to implement these methods.
The Program Manager should act as a leader during behavioral/emotional crises in a manner consistent with Tierra del Sol’s positive behavior support strategies and the Handle With Care Behavior Management System philosophy.
Arrange, provide, and document sufficient initial training and senior staff observations to enable new staff performance appraisals to be completed at 60 and 120 days.
Maintain ongoing systems for personnel observations and QA survey reviews sufficient to ensure effective/accurate direct service staff performance appraisals.
Provide ongoing, data-based performance feedback to direct support staff.
Ensure that all direct support staff receive annual performance reviews on time.
Serve as a substitute DSP Direct Support Professional where needed.

Benefits

Medical
Dental
Vision
Life Insurance
403B Savings
Two weeks’ vacation
Personal
Sick
Weekly check-ins via Stand Out platform
Monthly Department meetings
Annual DSP Week celebration
Annual New Year Kickoff party
Annual Health Fair
Bonus opportunities are available for employees who refer others to work for Tierra del Sol Foundation.
First Aid/CPR Training
NADSP E-Badge Academy: Tierra proudly offers all staff members who are interested, an opportunity to advance in their professional development and showcase their accomplishments with this accredited online training program through The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals Foundation.
Open Future Learning: Accredited online training recognized by The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals.
Handle with Care Behavior Management System: This federally approved two-part training system provides staff with verbal-intervention and physical-intervention techniques that focus on empowering individuals experiencing a crisis to regain control through support from trained personnel.
Therap Experience: National leader in Web-Based Developmental Disabilities Software. Therap is a web-based application suite that was designed to provide a comprehensive solution for organizations supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.