Residential Treatment Associate Director

Every Child's Hope•Overland, MO

21d

About The Position

At Every Child’s Hope (ECH), we partner with the community to support children, youth, and families in their pursuit of health and wholeness through quality, professional, and faithful services. Rooted in a trauma-informed approach, our mission is to provide hope for every child and healing for every family—every day. Position Summary The Associate Director directly supports the Residential Treatment Director and other program supervisors, ensuring high-quality behavioral health services and compliance with regulatory standards. This role collaborates with clinical, administrative, and operational teams to maintain a safe, therapeutic environment for residents and staff. The Associate Director acts as a key leader in program excellence, staff development, and quality improvement initiatives. The Associate Director plays an integral role in furthering the broader mission of ECH within the Residential Treatment Program.

Requirements

Demonstrated ability to lead teams in applying trauma-informed principles, ensuring organizational culture reflects safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.
Exceptional communication and influence skills, capable of delivering clear, culturally responsive messaging and fostering collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.
Commitment to organizational growth and continuous improvement, including championing advanced training initiatives and embedding trauma-informed practices into policy and leadership development.
Minimum of Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or related field required.
Minimum 3 years in behavioral health setting, residential treatment setting, or other directly related experience, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.
Strong leadership and team-building abilities
Knowledge of behavioral health interventions, state regulations and best practices
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills
Ability to manage crises and make sound decisions under pressure
Able to lift up to 50 lbs.
Regularly required to sit and stand
Requires the use of Safe Crisis Management (SCM) techniques, which include occasional physical interventions and will require assisting individuals to the floor, bending, kneeling, and lifting.
Required to pass physical examination.
Required to obtain and maintain training and certification as mandated by Licensing Regulations

Responsibilities

Support the Residential Treatment Director and participate collaboratively in program decision-making.
Assist in overseeing daily functions of the Dill Youth Development Center, ensuring maintenance and operational needs are met and adherence to organizational policies and state regulations are monitored.
Monitor program performance metrics and participate in continuous quality improvement initiatives including clinical risk prevention and key performance indicators.
Assist with managing clinical records, fulfill records requests for audits and reviews, and schedule peer record reviews.
Assist in budget planning, resource allocation, and tracking program purchasing.
Assist with supervision and mentoring, as needed, for direct-care supervisors and frontline staff, fostering a culture of accountability and professional growth.
Work with the Training Coordinator to advance and support staff training on behavioral health best practices, trauma-informed crisis intervention, and compliance with licensing and accreditation standards.
Participate in recruitment, onboarding, and performance evaluations or direct reports.
Supervise a team of 3-6 direct reports, maintaining responsibility for performance reviews, compliance with agency guidelines and policies, and providing regularly scheduled supervision meetings.
Ensure compliance with licensing requirements, accreditation standards, and payer guidelines.
Collaborate with clinical leadership to evaluate treatment plans, discharge planning, and client progress in their treatment.
Participate in the clinical team on-call rotation and respond to critical incidents to provide leadership and guidance during crisis situations.
Attend and contribute to committee meetings, including safety committee, senior leadership, residential leadership, and policy committees.
Act as liaison between residential treatment teams and external/internal support services, including psychiatry, nursing, facilities, IT, and contracted providers.
Coordinate with Children’s Division and Show Me Healthy Kids as needed.
Foster trusting, respectful relationships with youth, staff, and community partners.
Uphold ethical standards and maintain confidentiality, especially regarding trauma histories.
Participate in required training and promote a positive, inclusive youth culture that reflects ECH’s values.
Maintain open, respectful communication with staff via logs, email, and meetings to ensure collaborative care.