Social Services Director

Cherokee Federal•Brooklyn, NY

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Site Director provides executive-level leadership and full accountability for the safe, compliant, resident-centered, and effective operation of a 24-hour New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelter. The position oversees social services, housing, operations, security, facilities, food service, administration, staffing, fiscal stewardship, performance management, and regulatory compliance. The Site Director serves as the principal on-site liaison to the DHS Program Administrator and ensures that all services are delivered in accordance with the DHS contract, New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) regulations, applicable laws, and Cherokee Federal policies. The Site Director is expected to establish a high-accountability culture, develop strong leaders, maintain inspection readiness, build community partnerships, and drive measurable outcomes, including timely documentation, client engagement, housing placements, and reduced returns to shelter.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in social work, human services, public administration, business administration, psychology, criminal justice, or a related field required; equivalent progressively responsible experience may be considered.
Minimum three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in homeless services, emergency shelter, supportive housing, residential services, social services, or a related regulated human-services environment.
Minimum three (3) years of management experience with responsibility for staff supervision, program performance, compliance, and multi-department or 24-hour operations.
Strong working knowledge of NYC DHS shelter operations, CARES, DHS incident reporting, SIU requirements, enhanced incident management, performance scorecards, census and vacancy reporting, and inspection standards.
Knowledge of OTDA regulations and population-specific requirements for Families with Children, Adult Families, and Single Adult shelters, as applicable.
Knowledge of child safety, mandated reporting, ACS, DOE requirements, immigration services, public benefits, behavioral health, substance use, housing subsidies, and community resources.
Exceptional leadership, judgment, accountability, coaching, delegation, conflict-resolution, and performance-management skills.
Ability to lead through emergencies, competing priorities, staffing shortages, inspections, and high-profile or sensitive incidents while maintaining composure and sound decision-making.
Ability to analyze data, identify trends and operational risks, establish corrective actions, and achieve measurable program outcomes.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare executive reports, incident narratives, corrective action responses, and professional correspondence.
Ability to build credible, collaborative relationships with DHS, government agencies, community partners, residents, staff, vendors, and executive leadership.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple departments, deadlines, projects, and regulatory obligations in a fast-paced 24-hour environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, CARES, Paycom or comparable HRIS systems, and other shelter or contract-management systems.
Must pass all pre-employment qualifications and background requirements established by Cherokee Federal and the applicable contract.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in social work, public administration, human services, or a related field preferred.
Demonstrated experience working within the NYC DHS shelter system and with OTDA regulations strongly preferred.
Experience serving Families with Children, Adult Families, Single Adults, migrants, asylum seekers, or other vulnerable populations preferred.
Experience managing budgets, vendors, inspections, audits, corrective action plans, and performance metrics preferred.
Bilingual English/Spanish skills preferred for sites serving predominantly Spanish-speaking populations.
F-80 Certificate of Fitness, Food Protection Certificate, CPR/First Aid, Naloxone training, or other required certifications must be obtained and maintained within the timeframe established by the program.

Responsibilities

Provide overall leadership, direction, and accountability for all shelter departments and services, including social services, housing, operations, security, facilities, food service, administration, and subcontracted services.
Ensure all program services are delivered in accordance with the applicable NYC DHS contract, scope of work, budget, policies, performance standards, and provider obligations.
Serve as the primary on-site point of contact and strategic partner to the DHS Program Administrator, Program Analyst, Serious Incident Unit, and other DHS representatives; maintain timely, transparent, and solution-oriented communication.
Maintain sufficient qualified staffing and leadership coverage across all three shifts to support continuous 24-hour operations, including required fire safety and food service certifications.
Directly supervise department leaders and ensure regular supervision, coaching, performance evaluations, professional development, corrective action, and succession planning are completed consistently.
Establish clear performance expectations and systems of accountability for all managers and staff; address performance, attendance, conduct, and compliance concerns promptly and in coordination with Human Resources.
Promote a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, equitable, and respectful environment for residents and staff, including families with children, adult families, single adults, migrants, and asylum-seeking populations, as applicable to the site.
Ensure residents receive timely intake, assessment, service planning, Independent Living Plans, progress notes, referrals, housing services, case conferences, and discharge planning in accordance with DHS requirements.
Oversee the quality and timeliness of CARES documentation, psychosocial assessments, ILPs, case notes, incident reports, housing packages, rosters, census reports, vacancy reports, and other required submissions.
Monitor program performance through daily, weekly, and monthly reports and key performance indicators, including census, vacancies, documentation completion, housing placements, length of stay, recidivism, incident timeliness, training compliance, staffing vacancies, and audit results.
Develop and implement performance improvement plans when metrics fall below expectations and report progress to Cherokee leadership and DHS.
Ensure accurate daily census, bed management, roster reconciliation, resident sign-in/sign-out, curfew, pass, admission, transfer, and discharge processes.
Ensure all incidents are managed, escalated, documented, investigated, and closed in accordance with DHS Incident Reporting Procedures, Enhanced Incident Management Guidelines, SIU requirements, and internal protocols.
Maintain continuous incident readiness, including preservation of evidence, review of surveillance footage, collection of statements, case-note follow-up, corrective action, and communication with DHS and executive leadership.
Ensure the shelter remains inspection ready at all times by conducting routine facility rounds, unit inspections, critical-file reviews, mock audits, case-record reviews, and quality assurance checks.
Lead preparation for and response to DHS, OTDA, FDNY, DOHMH, HPD, OSHA, and other regulatory inspections, audits, monitoring visits, and corrective action requests.
Oversee fire and life-safety compliance, emergency preparedness, evacuation planning, fire drills, emergency response, continuity of operations, and required certifications, including F-80/F-02 coverage as applicable.
Oversee security, access control, visitor management, contraband prevention, resident and staff safety, surveillance coordination, and adherence to approved post orders and emergency protocols.
Coordinate with building ownership, hotel management, maintenance, engineering, housekeeping, and vendors to ensure that residential units, offices, common areas, and building systems are safe, sanitary, functional, and repaired timely.
Oversee food service operations, including vendor performance, meal delivery, storage, distribution, special dietary needs, food logs, BCS entries, sanitation standards, food permits, and waste/discard reporting.
Ensure residents and staff follow applicable DHS Standards of Conduct, facility rules, resident rights and responsibilities, and agency policies; address noncompliance consistently, fairly, and in accordance with established procedures.
Oversee resident complaints, grievances, reasonable accommodation requests, and service concerns, ensuring timely investigation, documentation, response, and escalation.
Build and maintain partnerships with schools, DOE, ACS, healthcare providers, behavioral health organizations, immigration legal services, workforce programs, housing resources, elected officials, community boards, faith-based organizations, and other community stakeholders.
Engage the surrounding community proactively and represent the shelter professionally in community meetings, interagency forums, and stakeholder discussions.
Oversee the site budget, staffing plan, overtime, procurement, supplies, MetroCards, vendor utilization, and other resources; review expenditures and variances and ensure fiscal practices align with approved contract lines and organizational controls.
Monitor subcontractor performance, including security, food service, housekeeping, maintenance, and other vendors; document deficiencies and ensure timely corrective action.
Prepare and submit accurate operational, programmatic, fiscal, staffing, compliance, and performance reports to Cherokee leadership and DHS within required timelines.
Lead regular management, interdisciplinary, staff, and resident meetings to ensure alignment, problem-solving, communication, and continuous improvement.
Foster a positive, accountable, and collaborative workplace culture in which staff understand the purpose behind expectations, communicate across departments, and remain focused on resident outcomes.
Remain available for urgent operational matters outside standard business hours and participate in an on-call leadership rotation as required.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.