DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM SPECIALIST
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Supportive Concepts for Families, Inc. seeks a Director of Program Specialist Services – PA IDD to lead program specialists across PA IDD services.
This role provides regulatory guidance, audits, and professional development to ensure person-centered outcomes and compliant practice. You will establish standards, drive quality, and collaborate with residential, nursing, and quality teams to support individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required; Master’s degree preferred.
- Must meet or exceed applicable 55 Pa. Code §6400.44 Program Specialist qualification requirements.
- Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or autism.
- Significant experience within Pennsylvania ODP-funded IDD services.
- Demonstrated experience performing, supervising, auditing, or providing technical oversight of Chapter 6400 Program Specialist functions.
- Strong working knowledge of PA ODP requirements and Chapters 6100 and 6400.
- Leadership or supervisory experience with the ability to coach, develop, and hold professional staff accountable.
- Travel to SCFF programs throughout Pennsylvania as organizational needs require.
Responsibilities
- Provide direct supervision, coaching, development, and performance management for assigned Pennsylvania Program Specialists.
- Serve as SCFF's internal expert regarding 55 Pa. Code Chapters 6100 and 6400 and applicable PA ODP requirements.
- Establish consistent Program Specialist standards, workflows, expectations, tools, templates, and accountability across programs.
- Monitor Program Specialist caseloads and assignments to ensure regulatory requirements are maintained.
- Maintain oversight of critical Program Specialist timelines, including assessments, individual-plan activities, reviews, revisions, and required documentation.
- Review the quality and completeness of assessments and other Program Specialist documentation.
- Strengthen the connection between assessments, needs, outcomes, services, and measurable progress.
- Develop an effective Program Specialist onboarding, orientation, training, and competency program.
- Provide ongoing technical education and coaching as regulations evolve.
- Conduct routine programmatic and documentation audits to identify risk.
- Identify trends, deficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.
- Develop corrective-action strategies and monitor compliance.
- Participate in licensing preparation, regulatory reviews, Plans of Correction, and follow-up activities.
- Partner with other disciplines to ensure coordinated support for individuals.
- Promote meaningful community integration and person-centered practices.
- Build dashboards and reporting on caseloads, compliance, deadlines, and risks.
- Develop succession and coverage plans for vacancies.
- Serve as a resource on complex programmatic and regulatory matters.
Skills
Education
Job description
Supportive Concepts for Families, Inc.
Pennsylvania | Full-Time | Leadership
At Supportive Concepts for Families (SCFF), our work is about more than providing services. It is about supporting people with intellectual disabilities and autism to live meaningful lives with choice, dignity, independence, inclusion, and opportunity.
We are seeking an experienced Pennsylvania IDD professional to serve as our Director, Program Specialist Services – PA IDD.
This is a critical leadership position responsible for providing direct supervision, technical leadership, regulatory guidance, and professional development to our Program Specialists supporting Pennsylvania IDD residential programs.
Program Specialists hold one of the most important programmatic roles within Pennsylvania's Chapter 6400 service system. We believe professionals carrying that responsibility should be supported and supervised by a leader who understands the work firsthand.
If you know Pennsylvania ODP services, understand Chapters 6100 and 6400, recognize the importance of quality assessments and person-centered individual plans, and know what excellent Program Specialist practice should look like, we want to hear from you.
The Director of Program Specialist Services will serve as SCFF's subject-matter expert and functional leader for the Program Specialist discipline across our Pennsylvania IDD services.
This leader will directly supervise our Program Specialists and create a consistent, accountable model of Program Specialist practice across SCFF.
This is not a general residential operations position.
It is a specialized leadership role focused on program quality, individual outcomes, regulatory compliance, documentation integrity, professional practice, and the development of highly effective Program Specialists.
As Director, Program Specialist Services, you will:
Provide direct supervision, coaching, development, and performance management for assigned Pennsylvania Program Specialists.
Serve as SCFF's internal expert regarding 55 Pa. Code Chapters 6100 and 6400 and applicable Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs requirements.
Establish consistent Program Specialist standards, workflows, expectations, tools, templates, and accountability across programs.
Monitor Program Specialist caseloads and assignments to ensure regulatory requirements are maintained.
Maintain oversight of critical Program Specialist timelines, including assessments, individual-plan activities, reviews, revisions, and required documentation.
Review the quality and completeness of assessments and other Program Specialist documentation.
Strengthen the connection between assessments, identified needs, individual outcomes, services, implementation, and measurable progress.
Ensure individual plans are understood and implemented as written throughout the service environment.
Develop an effective Program Specialist onboarding, orientation, training, and competency program.
Provide ongoing technical education and coaching to Program Specialists as regulations, ODP guidance, or organizational practices evolve.
Conduct routine programmatic and documentation audits to identify risk before it becomes a licensing finding.
Identify trends, systemic deficiencies, overdue requirements, documentation gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
Develop corrective-action strategies and monitor sustained compliance.
Participate in licensing preparation, regulatory reviews, Plans of Correction, and follow-up activities involving Program Specialist responsibilities.
Partner with residential operations, nursing, behavioral supports, quality/compliance, learning and development, and other disciplines to ensure coordinated support for individuals.
Promote meaningful community integration, relationships, choice, independence, and person-centered practices.
Build dashboards and management reporting that provide leadership with visibility into Program Specialist caseloads, compliance, deadlines, documentation quality, and identified risks.
Develop succession and coverage plans so Program Specialist responsibilities remain supported during vacancies, leaves, or transitions.
Serve as a resource to organizational leadership on complex programmatic and regulatory matters involving Pennsylvania IDD services.
We are intentionally creating a leadership structure where Program Specialists are supervised by an experienced professional who understands the Program Specialist function.
Our Program Specialists should have a leader who can review their work, answer complex regulatory questions, coach their practice, identify problems early, and help them become stronger professionals.
The Director's primary responsibility is to lead and strengthen the Program Specialist function. This position is not intended to routinely carry a full Program Specialist caseload.
We are looking for someone who combines regulatory expertise with strong leadership.
The ideal candidate understands that compliance is important—but great Program Specialist practice goes beyond checking boxes.
You should understand how assessments, individual plans, services, documentation, staff implementation, community participation, individual rights, and quality outcomes all connect.
You should also be comfortable holding professionals accountable while simultaneously teaching, coaching, and building their confidence.
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required; Master's degree preferred.
Must meet or exceed applicable 55 Pa. Code §6400.44 Program Specialist qualification requirements.
Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or autism.
Significant experience within Pennsylvania ODP-funded IDD services.
Demonstrated experience performing, supervising, auditing, or providing technical oversight of Chapter 6400 Program Specialist functions.
Strong working knowledge of PA ODP requirements and Chapters 6100 and 6400.
Demonstrated knowledge of assessments, individual-plan development and implementation, person-centered planning, documentation requirements, individual rights, community integration, and regulatory compliance.
Leadership or supervisory experience with the ability to coach, develop, and hold professional staff accountable.
Experience supporting licensing inspections, regulatory reviews, corrective-action plans, or quality-improvement initiatives.
Strong analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
Ability to identify systemic issues and translate regulatory requirements into practical operational processes.
Ability to travel to SCFF programs throughout Pennsylvania as organizational needs require.
This is an opportunity to do more than manage a department.
You will have the opportunity to build the standard.
You will influence how Program Specialists are trained, supported, supervised, and developed. You will strengthen consistency across programs, improve regulatory readiness, and help ensure that every individual receives services that reflect their needs, goals, choices, and individual plan.
Most importantly, you will lead professionals whose work directly influences the quality of life of the people we support.
SCFF offers a mission-driven environment focused on both the people we support and the professionals who make that work possible.
Our benefits include:
Competitive leadership compensation
Medical, dental, and vision coverage
401(k)
Paid time off
Employee Assistance Program
Wellness resources
Employee referral opportunities
Training and professional development
Career advancement opportunities
The opportunity to help shape the future of Pennsylvania IDD services within SCFF
Supportive Concepts for Families, Inc. provides person-centered services designed to support individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism in achieving greater independence, inclusion, choice, and quality of life.
Our professionals are more than service providers.
They are advocates.
They are mentors.
They are problem-solvers.
They are leaders.
And every day, they have the opportunity to be the reason someone has a better day.
Creating a Better Tomorrow... Today.
Apis Services, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and providing employment opportunities without regard to protected characteristics under applicable federal, state, or local law.
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