Chief Program Officer: Lead Program Strategy (Relocation)

Lantern Community Services Inc; City of Niagara Falls (NY); On-site; USD 200,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation package

Job summary

Lantern Community Services in Manhattan seeks a Chief Program Officer to shape the future of its emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing programs. You will partner with the Executive Director to set strategy, oversee program portfolios, and drive organizational impact across NYC sites.

The role leads about seven senior program leaders, builds outcomes-based metrics and dashboards, and champions trauma-informed, equity-focused practice while representing Lantern externally.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in the human services sector, including at least 10 years in a leadership capacity.
• Experience working in a shelter environment.
• Demonstrated experience in program innovation, supervision, clinical oversight, funder relationships, and fiscal management.
• Expertise in developing and monitoring outcome metrics for homeless services, mental health/substance use services, housing services, or related fields.
• Strategic vision paired with sound judgment in prioritizing investment in people and systems with the greatest quality and impact.
• Excellent writing and interpersonal skills, and the ability to collaborate with a dynamic leadership team in a rapidly growing organization.
• Adaptable and comfortable in a fast-moving environment, while driving toward clarity and solutions.

Responsibilities

• Set the vision: Define the short- and long-term strategic direction for Lantern's emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing programs, including case management, integrated service programming, and evidence-based models.
• Grow what's working: Identify Lantern's most promising programs and innovations, decide which to scale, and champion new initiatives that benefit clients and staff.
• Bring the outside in: Track sector trends and emerging best practices and translate them into organizational strategy.
• Shape the whole organization: Partner with the Executive Director on agency-wide strategy, funding priorities, and partnerships with philanthropic organizations, corporations, and local service providers.
• Lead with data: Establish program success metrics with senior staff, quality assurance, and developers of evidence-informed practices; build a transparent, agency-wide data dashboard; foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Prove the impact: Present outcomes to executive leadership and the fund development team, ensuring programs are effective and aligned with contracts.
• Elevate a strong leadership team: Guide and mentor approximately seven senior program leaders, empowering them to run their areas while you focus on the bigger picture.
• Invest in people: Work with Human Resources to assess staff development needs and shape training.
• Champion the culture: Embed trauma-informed, client-centered practice and Lantern's commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
• Be Lantern's voice: Represent Lantern on committees, task forces, conference panels, and speaking engagements.

Job description

Lantern Community Services in Manhattan seeks a Chief Program Officer to shape the future of its emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing programs. You will partner with the Executive Director to set strategy, oversee program portfolios, and drive organizational impact across NYC sites.

The role leads about seven senior program leaders, builds outcomes-based metrics and dashboards, and champions trauma-informed, equity-focused practice while representing Lantern externally.