Executive Leader, NYC & LI Residential Programs

MercyFirst; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance with dental andVision

403B retirement benefits

Employer-paid life insurance and long‑

Paid time off (vacation, personal, s

Employee assistance program

Wellness program

Training and development

Employee recognition activities

Job summary

MercyFirst in New York City seeks a Senior Director of NYC Residential Programs to provide operational and programmatic leadership for NYC residential programs and a Long Island program, including a Diagnostic Center and four PPP Mother-Baby homes.

The Senior Director ensures safe, trauma-responsive, high-quality services, with responsibilities across operations, case planning, family engagement, staff development, safety, and compliance.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Education, Human Services, Public Administration, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in child welfare, residential treatment, behavioral health, foster care, or related.
• At least 3 years of significant supervisory or program leadership experience.
• Experience managing multiple residential or community-based programs strongly preferred.
• Experience working with adolescents, families, and child welfare-involved youth required.
• Experience with pregnant and parenting adolescents or early childhood services is strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of OCFS, ACS, child welfare practice standards, and CONNECTIONS.
• Demonstrated ability to lead quality improvement, corrective action, staff development, and organizational change.
• Knowledge of trauma-responsive care, adolescent development, family engagement, and evidence-informed practice.
• Strong leadership, communication, analytical, organizational, and crisis-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and operational oversight for all assigned residential programs and establish consistent expectations across sites.
• Maintain a regular on-site presence, including leadership rounds, staff coaching, review of high-risk routines, and follow-up on safety or operational concerns.
• Supervise and develop program leadership through coaching, performance management, reflective supervision, and clear accountability.
• Ensure compliance with OCFS, ACS, contractual, licensing, agency, and other applicable requirements.
• Oversee case work supervisors around effective case planning, family engagement, education, permanency, independent living, discharge readiness, and resident participation in treatment planning.
• Strengthen treatment-team functioning by ensuring clear participation, documented action steps, responsible parties, timelines, and follow-up.
• Ensure meaningful integration of clinicians, case planners, parent educators, YSCs, medical providers, and other multidisciplinary staff.
• Establish and monitor consistent infant and child safety practices, including safe sleep, body checks, feeding, bathing, diapering, supervision, environmental safety, and required documentation.
• Ensure that staff understand both their caregiving responsibilities and the expectations placed on young mothers for safe parenting and supervision.
• Lead implementation of trauma-responsive and evidence-informed practices, including Sanctuary commitments, Nurturing Parenting, Motivational Interviewing, and restorative approaches to incidents and behavior.
• Promote staff psychological safety, post-incident support, transparent communication, and learning-focused responses to serious events.
• Partner with Quality Improvement to monitor safety, clinical services, developmental screenings, treatment planning, documentation, training completion, incidents, and corrective actions.
• Ensure that identified deficiencies result in measurable corrective action and sustained improvement rather than policy or training alone.
• Oversee case work supervisors around referrals, admissions, program transitions, and coordination with ACS, OCFS, DSS, schools, medical providers, and community partners.
• Represent MercyFirst at internal and external administrative, regulatory, and planning meetings.
• Responsible for being on-call and providing leadership support during emergencies.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Analytical

Organizational

Crisis management

Travel readiness

Education

Master’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Education, Human Services, Public Administration, or related field

Job description

MercyFirst in New York City seeks a Senior Director of NYC Residential Programs to provide operational and programmatic leadership for NYC residential programs and a Long Island program, including a Diagnostic Center and four PPP Mother-Baby homes.

The Senior Director ensures safe, trauma-responsive, high-quality services, with responsibilities across operations, case planning, family engagement, staff development, safety, and compliance.