Area Director

Caregiver; Knoxville (TN); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Caregiver is seeking an Area Director to lead field-based programs with accountability for safety, quality, and compliant service delivery across assigned markets. The role requires travel to sites and collaboration with multiple departments to ensure readiness and high performance.

The candidate will oversee staffing, training, and regulatory compliance, while driving client outcomes and program improvement initiatives in a hybrid work setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent; Master's preferred for advanced leadership.
• Experience directing field-based programs with a focus on safety, quality, and compliance.
• Proven ability to manage staffing, performance, and stakeholder communication.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operations across programs to ensure safe, compliant, person-centered care.
• Partner with teams to implement Individual Program Plans and ensure health and safety needs are addressed.
• Conduct routine site visits to verify life safety and policy adherence; drive corrective actions.
• Recruit, onboard, and develop staff; ensure training and competency are maintained.

Skills

Leadership

Strategy & ops

Communication

Coaching

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Services or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

MS Office

Healthcare software

Job description

Description

The Area Director (AD) is a field-based role accountable for safe, compliant, and high-quality service delivery across assigned programs (e.g., group homes/residential settings, host home, day programs where applicable). This position requires regular travel within the assigned markets to provide on-site leadership and ensure operational excellence. The Area Director owns responsibility for operational execution, staffing performance, client outcomes, plan/incident/authorization management, quality, compliance, and survey readiness in partnership with applicable Departments.

Requirements

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Comprehensive service delivery oversight: manage day-to-day operations across assigned programs/homes to ensure safe, compliant, person-centered care; intervene early to prevent escalation and service disruption. Monitor data sheets, progress toward goals, and changes in condition; identify regression/progression and recommend plan adjustments and clinical interventions as appropriate.
• Client care & plan execution: partner with appropriate stakeholders to ensure Individual Program Plans/Person-Directed Plans are implemented consistently by Residential Coordinators and DSP teams; ensure health and safety needs are addressed timely.
• Environmental and program assessments: conduct routine site visits (host homes/group homes/day services as applicable) to verify environmental conditions, life safety, and policy adherence; drive corrective actions.
• Onboarding, training, & development: recruit/interview/onboard new hires. Ensure they are properly trained, oriented, and equipped to meet company standards and provide quality care. Validate competency steps are completed, and staff are equipped to meet care and compliance expectations. Monitor and enforce timely completion of all required annual and ad-hoc company training to maintain regulatory and organizational compliance.
• Staffing & workforce management: recruit/interview/onboard, manage schedules/coverage, reduce overtime, and ensure timekeeping and payroll inputs are accurate and timely. Additionally, ensure all employees maintain required credentials for their job duties (e.g., valid driver’s license, CPR certification, and other role‑specific certifications).

Cross departmental collaboration: collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive area census growth and retention by ensuring seamless client onboarding and effective case management, fostering alignment across departments to deliver exceptional client experiences and operational excellence.

Care coordination: facilitate overall care coordination by collaborating with service coordinators, healthcare providers, behavioral health partners, and other internal and external stakeholders to ensure integrated, person-centered support. Monitor and ensure timely updates to personal inventory records in compliance with state regulatory requirements. Support temporary and permanent move processes for individuals (clinical planning, documentation, coordination with stakeholders) to ensure smooth transitions and continuity of services.

• Documentation compliance: ensure completion and quality of required documentation (e.g., shift notes, progress notes, MARs/med logs, vehicle logs, timesheets) in alignment with company standards and state requirements.
• Incident management: ensure incident reports are completed accurately and submitted timely; ensure mandatory reporting and abuse/neglect/exploitation (ANE) processes are followed and documented. Assist in conducting employee investigations in coordination with the regional HR team, gathering relevant information and ensuring adherence to company policies and legal requirements.
• Financial oversight: review/approve client trust fund requests and oversee client funds processes to ensure accuracy, policy adherence, and timely reconciliation; partner with finance/billing to resolve issues
• Regulatory compliance and surveys: maintain survey/audit readiness; participate in surveys/inspections, respond promptly to deficiencies, and develop/implement plans of correction in collaboration with Quality Assurance.
• Authorizations/utilization: monitor authorizations and service utilization; identify over/under-utilization risk and coordinate timely adjustments applicable clinical, billing, and operations partners.
• Stakeholder communication: maintain effective communication with guardians/families, service coordinators, and healthcare providers as needed; ensure contacts and key updates are documented appropriately.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Services, Healthcare Administration, Social Work, Psychology, Nursing, or a related field required (per market requirements); Master’s degree in a related field is preferred.
• Minimum 3–5 years of progressive leadership or supervisory experience required with demonstrated ability to manage staffing/scheduling, performance management, compliance, and stakeholder communication.
• Hands‑on experience with person‑centered planning, Individual Program Plans, or Person‑Directed Plans is preferred
• Experience supporting or participating in regulatory surveys, audits, or inspections
• Strong leadership and coaching skills with the ability to manage field-based teams
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Competency using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) or similar platform

Physical Requirements

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Duties of this job are performing the following:

• Must be able to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods of time;
• Standing, and walking is 30% of work time;
• Bending, pushing, pulling, stooping, reaching, and kneeling is 20% of work time;
• Grasping and finger/hand manipulation is 50% of work time;
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds;
• Ability to operate computer, facsimile, copier, shredder and calculator.

This is a hybrid role, however, an office setting, varying degrees of background noise, standard office lighting and ventilation, occasional temperature fluctuations are found in the work environment.

Normal business hours with flexibility as required during weekends and non-business hours or non-standard hours as required by special projects.

#INDADMIN