Community Living Program Director

United Cerebral Palsy Heartland; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

United Cerebral Palsy Heartland is seeking a Community Living Program Director in the Saint Louis area. The role leads multiple 24-hour residential programs, ensuring high-quality, person-centered services, regulatory compliance, and strong fiscal performance.

Manage Home Managers, train staff, and collaborate with internal departments and external partners. The Director reports to the Vice President of Community Living and drives program strategy, staff scheduling, and onboarding while

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university or equivalent relevant experience.
• Minimum 2+ years supervisory experience managing personnel and budgets.
• Experience monitoring quality and outcomes in care programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple Community Living programs in line with mission and person-centered approach.
• Ensure staffing, training, and regulatory compliance across sites.
• Develop and manage annual department budget and program growth.
• Supervise Home Managers and coach staff for performance and development.
• Maintain 24/7 program coverage and coordination with internal/external stakeholders.

Skills

Staff supervision

Regulatory compliance

Budget management

Program development

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Setworks

Scheduling software

Payroll systems

Digital reporting tools

Job description

Community Living Program Director

VP Allocation Full Time Professional Saint Louis, MO, US

Salary Range: $75,000.00 To $85,000.00 Annually

Salary: $75,000-85,000 Annually

LOCATIONS: North County, Mid County and South County

POSITION SUMMARY

Drive Strategy. Empower Leaders. Thrive at UCP Heartland.

At UCP Heartlandwe provide children and adults living with differing abilities the extraordinary care and support they need to thrive in school, at home, at work and in their community. The Program Director provides strategic and operational leadership for multiple Community Living programs, ensuring high-quality, person-centred services and daily continuity across all assigned residential sites. In this senior-level role, you are accountable for regulatory compliance, workforce performance, financial results, and program growth. Step into a role where your vision and accountability position UCP Heartland as a provider of choice while protecting the health, safety, rights, and choices of every individual we serve.

POSITION SCOPE

Reporting directly to the Vice President of Community Living, the Program Director serves as the departmental leader, directly supervising Home Managers (Program Managers) and indirectly overseeing all frontline Direct Support Professionals.

The Director manages multiple 24-hour programs and collaborates extensively with internal departments (Quality, HR, Nursing, Business Office) and external stakeholders (funders, regulators, support coordinators, and families).

As outlined within the DD Waiver requirements (Degreed Professional Manager), the Professional Director is directly responsible for the training, scheduling, supporting, evaluating, and coaching of the Home Manager position. Consistent with agency policy, the Director holds full authority to hire, evaluate, coach, implement corrective action, and recommend terminations.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Serving as the strategic and operational leader for their assigned caseload of ISL homes, the Program Director focuses on the following essential pillars of program management:

• Leads multiple Community Living programs in strict alignment with UCP Heartland's mission and person-centered philosophy.
• Establishes program goals and service standards, identifies opportunities to expand appropriate services, and maintains current knowledge of developmental-disability services, HCBS requirements, and emerging service-delivery trends.
• Directly supervises Home Managers, providing clear expectations, performance evaluation, coaching, and professional development.
• Ensures Managers maintain approved staffing patterns, client-to-staff ratios, and 100% compliance with required training and role-specific competencies.
• Ensures sweeping compliance with Missouri requirements, Medicaid, DMH, SB-40 Boards, HIPAA, and accreditation standards. Implements operational controls to protect client access to person-centered services, ensuring all client records, service documentation, and program files are accurate, timely, and review ready.
• Develops and administers the annual department budget, remaining fully accountable for program revenue, expenses, and financial performance. Implements fiscal safeguards that protect client assets and ensures efficient scheduling, resource allocation, and home operations across assigned programs.
• Maintains systems supporting client and employee safety, including crisis prevention and emergency preparedness.
• Participates in and leads accountability for the agency on-call system, remaining available for emergencies and providing direct shift coverage when necessary to protect client health, safety, and program continuity.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The Program Director role combines executive administrative duties with active field leadership. Work is performed in administrative offices, client homes, vehicles, and community locations, requiring frequent travel among program sites.

• The position supports 24-hour operations and requires on-call availability, emergency response, and work during evenings, overnights, weekends, or holidays.
• The ability to obtain and maintain all required training and certifications (CPR/First Aid, Level 1 Med, HIPAA, abuse/neglect) with full compliance.
• The role requires regular computer use, driving, standing, walking, bending, and occasional hands-on direct support.
• Must be physically capable of lifting at least 50 pounds and supporting transfers of individuals weighing more than 150 pounds using approved techniques or mechanical lifts.
• Must confidently operate agency vehicles, including large ADA-accessible vans.
• Subject to exposure to confidential health information, medications, bodily fluids, and changing residential conditions.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university—OR equivalent relevant experience sufficient to meet Missouri DMH/DD Professional Manager qualification requirements (typically 5 years or more of relevant experience in the field).
• Two (2) or more years of professional administrative and supervisory experience involving personnel management, fiscal management, and business planning.
• Two (2) or more years monitoring quality enhancement initiatives and tracking progress toward personal goals.

Core Operational Requirements

• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate cooperatively and effectively, both verbally and in writing, with all stakeholders.
• A valid driver's license, an exceptional driving record, reliable personal transportation, and the ability to safely operate agency accessible vans in accordance with organizational policy.
• The capability and willingness to manage a 24/7 program, participate in a rotating on-call schedule, respond decisively to emergencies, and step in to provide hands-on direct care coverage when required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Special Education, Psychology, Rehabilitation, Social Work, Human Services.
• Two (2) or more years of supervisory experience specifically within intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) services.
• Demonstrated experience managing accreditation standards, HCBS guidelines, and DMH requirements.
• Strong background in overseeing Support Plans, medication administration protocols, incident management, and comprehensive documentation audits.
• High-level proficiency in managing electronic health records (such as Setworks), dynamic workforce scheduling software, payroll systems, and digital reporting tools.
• Current, valid credentials in CPR/First Aid, Level 1 Medication Administration (L1MA), and/or recognized crisis intervention training (e.g., MANDT or CPI).

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) translate our strategic goals into measurable outcomes. For the Program Director, these metrics define successful caseload management, ensuring that UCP Heartland remains financially healthy, strictly compliant, and a provider of choice.

• Financial Performance: Department revenue, expenses, utilization, and staffing costs remain within approved targets, with variances identified and addressed promptly.
• Regulatory & Audit Readiness: Client documentation, medication records, financial safeguards, and program files remain accurate, timely, confidential, and consistently audit-ready.
• Workforce Optimization: Program vacancies, turnover, overtime, and employee‑engagement concerns are actively monitored and improved through documented action plans.
• Compliance & Training: Employee training and certification compliance is maintained across the department, with supervision, coaching, and performance evaluations completed on time.
• Incident & Risk Management: Incidents, complaints, safety concerns, and audit findings are reported, resolved, and followed through within required DMH and agency timelines.
• Person‑Centered Outcomes: Program services consistently meet individual plans, person-centered expectations, and quality standards, demonstrating high‑quality community participation and goal progress.

CLASSIFICATION STATEMENT

This position is classified as exempt under the Executive Exemption provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and applicable Missouri law, subject to satisfaction of all salary‑basis and duties requirements. The primary duty is management of Community Living operations and the customary and regular direction of two or more full‑time employees (or their equivalent). The position exercises independent judgment in matters of significance and holds the authority to hire, discipline, evaluate, and terminate employees.