Associate Director, Habilitation

bayada; Lebanon (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

BAYADA is launching a brand-new Habilitation office in the Sikeston Region of Missouri. The Associate Director will lead start-up activities, shape culture and operations, and build a strong local presence from the Lebanon office before Rolla becomes the permanent base.

The role focuses on relationship-building with clients and families, referral partners, and community organizations, while supporting marketing, outreach, staffing, and service delivery as the office grows.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience leading operations or day-to-day business activities.
• Significant experience working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Willingness to work onsite 100%.
• Ability to travel for training and events across PA and MO.
• Strong organizational, communication, judgment and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Launch the new Habilitation office and establish BAYADA in the Sikeston Region.
• Build relationships with clients, families, referral partners and community groups.
• Support local marketing, outreach and business development efforts.
• Learn and perform Client Services Manager responsibilities during the launch until fully staffed.
• Help manage office workflows, staffing, census growth and performance metrics.

Skills

Leadership

Operations

Relationship-building

Communication

Travel willing

On-site work

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Associate Director, Habilitation

Launch a new office. Build a lasting legacy.

BAYADA is seeking an experienced, mission-driven Associate Director to help launch and grow a brand-new Habilitation office serving the Sikeston Region of Missouri. This is an opportunity to shape the culture, operations, community presence, and future success of a new office from the ground up while helping individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities live with greater independence and dignity.

The Associate Director will initially work from the BAYADA Lebanon office while the new Rolla office is prepared. After approximately one year, the successful candidate must be willing to work from the Rolla office once it is ready to be occupied.

This is an onsite leadership role for a collaborative, resilient, and growth-minded professional who is energized by building relationships, developing teams, and creating dependable systems that support excellent client service.

Role details

• Practice: Habilitation
• Territory: Sikeston Region
• Office status: Brand-new office and expansion in Missouri
• Work model: 100% in office

What you will do

• Help launch the new Habilitation office and establish BAYADA as a trusted provider and employer in the Sikeston Region.
• Build relationships with clients, families, referral partners, community organizations, and prospective employees.
• Support local marketing, outreach, and business development efforts to grow awareness of Habilitation services.
• Learn and perform Client Services Manager responsibilities during the office launch and until the office is fully staffed.
• Support client and employee census growth, service coordination, staffing, and day-to-day office workflow.
• Manage the office using established workbooks, billed-hour expectations, key performance indicators, goals, and other operating metrics.
• Help create and maintain organized, reliable processes that support quality service, compliance, responsiveness, and a positive client and employee experience.
• Partner with the Division Director and other BAYADA leaders to identify priorities, address challenges, and move the office forward.
• Assist with hiring and onboarding the future Clinical Manager, Habilitation Manager, and Client Services Manager.
• Contribute to a culture grounded in compassion, reliability, and excellence.
• Remain on call initially while the office is being established and staffing is built.

Your first year

The first year will be focused on learning, building, and preparing for long-term growth. You will receive training in Client Services Manager responsibilities and will perform those duties while the office is being staffed. You will also help develop the local presence of HSK through outreach, relationship building, recruiting, and operational readiness.

This role requires comfort with evolving priorities. The Associate Director's schedule will generally align with office hours, but the workday may vary based on client needs, team needs, community outreach, hiring activity, and the demands of launching a new office.

What we are looking for

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• Experience in leadership, operations, or managing day-to-day business activity.
• Meaningful experience working with or supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Willingness to work onsite 100% of the time.
• Ability to work from the Lebanon office initially and transition to the Rolla office when it is ready to be occupied.
• Availability to participate in initial on-call responsibilities.
• Ability to travel for training and company events, including travel to Pennsylvania and throughout Missouri.
• Strong organizational, communication, judgment, and relationship-building skills.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience launching, growing, or stabilizing a new office, program, service line, or community-based operation.
• Experience hiring, developing, or coaching employees.
• Experience with Habilitation or other services supporting people with I/DD.
• Experience with census management, scheduling, staffing, budgets, billed hours, or operational metrics.
• Familiarity with community outreach, referral development, recruiting, or local marketing.

The qualities that will help you thrive

• Mission-driven and genuinely motivated by supporting individuals with I/DD and their families.
• Comfortable creating structure where processes are still being developed.
• A confident communicator who builds trust with clients, families, employees, and community partners.
• Accountable, organized, and able to follow through on commitments.
• Adaptable when priorities change and willing to step into hands-on responsibilities.
• A thoughtful problem s