Area Director

The Southeast Region of the Department of Developmental Services is seeking a person with excellent management skills and knowledge of the field of developmental disabilities to provide leadership to the Brockton Area Office, serving persons with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families. 

 The Area Director is the highest DDS management position at the local level, and the direct link for city and town officials, local directors of other EOHHS agencies, and an extensive network of provider organizations.  At an operational level, the Area Director has day to day accountability for managing all administrative, clinical, programmatic, and budgetary matters, including the provision of 24-hour emergency on-call response capacity. 

Job Responsibilities: (The duties and responsibilities stated are a general summary and not all inclusive.)

The Brockton Area Office Director has primary responsibility for the development, procurement, monitoring, and evaluation of a comprehensive array of residential, day, clinical, and support services and supports for approximately 1700 children and adults.  The Area Director is responsible for evaluating service needs within the catchment area and plays a leadership role in the procurement process, including developing Requests for Response (RFRs), evaluating responses to RFRs, and making award recommendations to the Regional Director.  The Area Director has delegated responsibility for negotiation of annual provider contracts, and for monitoring and evaluating vendors against stipulated performance outcome measures.  The Area Director is accountable for developing, prioritizing, and managing the Area Budget which includes over $68 million in contracted services and $2 million in personnel and related costs. 

The Area Director has primary responsibility for determining individual’s priority of need for available services, including the individual’s eligibility for the Federal Home and Community Based Services Waiver, and for maximizing Waiver revenue by appropriately matching Waiver- eligible individuals with needed services.  Through their oversight of the Individual Support Plan process, the Area Director ensures that individual service needs are identified and responded to within the limits of available resources.  This requires complex programmatic and budgetary planning skills to anticipate unplanned emergencies and changing individual needs, while remaining responsive to regulatory and litigation requirements. 

The Area Director has direct supervisory responsibility for 33 professional and support staff within the Area Office., including ensuring that they are formally evaluated utilizing stipulated performance evaluation processes, and that the work environment is maintained consistent with negotiated labor contracts and EOHHS policy.  This includes ongoing focus on the training and development needs of a diverse labor force, providing or arranging for ongoing skills development and training.  The Area Director oversees a comprehensive Management Information System (Meditech) that maintains client-specific and programmatic data that is critical for quality management. 

In addition to a variety of general quality assurance activities, the Area Director providers leadership in the implementation and oversight of the Department’s Risk Management System.  The system provides structured interventions and oversight for clients who behavior raises potential public safety concerns.  The Area Director is responsible for tracking all DDS and DPPC investigations, developing Action Plans to respond to investigatory findings, and ensuring follow- up on required actions.

As the  Senior Departmental Manager at the local level, the Area Director  must deal respectfully and professionally with a diverse group of citizens and public officials on a daily basis, including city and town officials, Housing Authorities, police and fire departments, the Social Security Administration, the court system, hospitals and other generic health care providers, local press and media, state legislators and other political figures, special education directors and other School Department officials, senior staff of other EOHHS agencies, and members of the local DDS Citizen’s Advisory Board.  In all these interactions, the Area Director must operate with a keen awareness of the responsibilities of public stewardship, and of their role as a public representative of EOHHS. 

The Area Director is a member of the Southeast Regional Management Team and is supervised directly by the Regional Director. 

The position covers the Brockton Area and requires travel through the area as well as to regional and statewide meetings.  The area includes the towns of Brockton, Easton, West Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Bridgewater, Rockland, Holbrook, Abington, Whitman, Avon, Stoughton.  The office is comprised of Service Coordinators/ Case Management, 2 Supervisors, an RN, 1 Program Coordinators, Program Monitor, Psychologist, administrative staff, and an Assistant Area Director.  The work week is 37.5 hours.  The workday may require flexibility in accommodating the tasks and activities you are asked to undertake.  For instance, there may be times when attendance is required at an evening meeting or event. 

PREFFERED QUALIFICATIONS:

·         Excellent organizational skills

·         Excellent communication skills

·         Experience working with individuals with intellectual disabilities

·         Experience with Federal and Community Based Waivers

·         Experience with multi-million dollar, budgets, and contract administration aspects

SCHEDULE INFORMATION:

Full-time – 37.5-hour weekly position. 

Schedule Monday through Friday, 8:45 AM to 5:00 PM

Days off – Saturday and Sunday

Work schedule flexibility may be required. 

About the Department of Developmental Services:

The mission of the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) is to create innovative and genuine opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder to participate fully and contribute meaningfully to their communities as valued members. DDS serves over 43,000 vulnerable individuals throughout their lifetimes, providing a spectrum of day, employment, and residential supports.

 The agency directly oversees and manages $3 billion in public funds ($2.7B+ operating budget) and approximately 5,500 staff, the largest state employee workforce of any agency in the Massachusetts executive branch of government.

For more information about our agency and programs visit: www.mass.gov/dds