Permanency Program Administrator

Depelchin-Children; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Texans Together seeks a Permanency Program Administrator to provide executive leadership and operational oversight for permanency programs across the Community-Based Care region. The role focuses on safety, stability, belonging, and lifelong connections for children through high-quality permanency services.

You will lead teams, manage performance, and collaborate with DFPS, courts, caregivers, and providers to strengthen systems and outcomes for families and youth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 7+ years’ experience in child welfare, permanency, foster care, adoption, kinship, or related human services.
• 4+ years’ supervisory leadership overseeing managers or multiple programs.

Responsibilities

• Provides supervision, coaching, and performance management to senior managers and staff.
• Leads strategic planning, performance monitoring, and budget oversight.
• Ensures compliance with agency policies, contractual obligations, and standards.
• Forges partnerships with DFPS, courts, providers, and communities to strengthen permanency outcomes.
• Oversees quality assurance, reporting, and continuous improvement across service lines.

Skills

Executive leadership

Strategic planning

Change management

Coaching & development

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Position: Permanency Program Administrator
Comparable DFPS Position: Program Administrator (Manager IV)
Classification: Full-time, Exempt
Reports to: Director, Permanency
Company: Texans Together
Location: Regions 6a and/or 6b (Specific work locations will be assigned and communicated as staffing plans are finalized)

Position Description:

The Permanency Program Administrator provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for permanency programs across Texans Together's Community-Based Care service region. This position ensures that children and youth experience safety, stability, belonging, and lifelong connections through high-quality permanency services. The Program Administrator leads through a hope-centered and strengths-based approach, inspiring teams to identify possibilities, overcome barriers, and achieve meaningful outcomes for children and families. The position is responsible for program performance, contractual compliance, quality assurance, workforce development, stakeholder engagement, fiscal stewardship, and continuous improvement across multiple permanency-focused service lines. The Permanency Program Administrator collaborates closely with DFPS, courts, caregivers, providers, and community partners to strengthen systems that promote family well-being, permanency, and positive child outcomes. This position exercises extensive independent judgment and initiative and serves as a key member of the organization's leadership team.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provides supervision, coaching, mentorship, and performance management to senior managers and program leadership staff.
• Builds leadership capacity through reflective supervision, professional development, succession planning, and talent development.
• Establishes clear performance expectations and accountability measures that support high-quality service delivery and outcomes.
• Promotes a collaborative, strengths-based culture that supports employee engagement, retention, professional growth, and workforce stability.
• Ensures permanency programs promote safety, well-being, family engagement, lifelong connections, and timely permanency.
• Monitors permanency trends and outcomes related to reunification, kinship, guardianship, adoption, and other permanency goals.
• Promotes trauma-informed, culturally responsive, family-centered, and hope-centered practices across permanency programs.
• Ensures children and youth maintain meaningful family, sibling, and community connections when safe and appropriate.
• Identifies service gaps and barriers and leads strategies to strengthen permanency outcomes.
• Provides executive consultation and direction on complex, high-risk, or high-profile cases.
• Directs quality assurance, case review, and continuous quality improvement activities.
• Ensures compliance with agency policies, contractual obligations, licensing and accreditation standards, and applicable state and federal requirements.
• Establishes and monitors performance measures and analyzes program data to identify trends, evaluate outcomes, and implement improvement strategies.
• Ensures accurate and timely reporting to internal and external stakeholders and oversees corrective action plans when performance concerns are identified.
• Provides oversight of program budgets, contracts, staffing, expenditures, and resource utilization to support effective and responsible operations.
• Collaborates with Finance and executive leadership on fiscal planning, forecasting, funding opportunities, and program sustainability.
• Represents Texans Together in Community-Based Care implementation, system transformation, regional and state initiatives, and other collaborative forums.
• Develops and maintains partnerships with DFPS, courts, legal stakeholders, caregivers, providers, and community organizations to strengthen services, placement resources, family supports, and permanency opportunities.
• Provides executive consultation and decision-making during critical incidents, placement disruptions, safety concerns, and other child welfare emergencies.
• Supports organizational emergency response efforts and ensures timely communication, documentation, and follow-up regarding significant incidents.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum seven (7) years’ progressively responsible experience in child welfare, permanency, foster care, adoption, kinship, conservatorship, or related human services programs.
• Minimum four (4) years’ supervisory or senior leadership experience overseeing managers, supervisors, or multiple service programs.
• Experience developing strategic plans, monitoring performance outcomes, managing budgets, and leading organizational improvement efforts.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of organizational leadership, strategic planning, and change management.
• Knowledge of quality assurance, performance management, and continuous improvement processes.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed, strengths-based, and hope-centered practices.
• Knowledge of budget development, resource management, and program administration.
• Skill in executive leadership and organizational management.
• Skill in strategic planning and implementation.
• Skill in coaching, mentoring, and developing leaders.
• Ability to establish a clear vision and inspire others toward shared goals.
• Ability to evaluate organizational performance and implement improvement strategies.
• Ability to make sound decisions in complex and high-pressure situations.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships across systems and agencies.
• Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining focus on outcomes
• Ability to represent the organization effectively with executive leaders, governmental entities, courts, providers, and community stakeholders.
• Ability to travel throughout the service region as needed.

Work Conditions:

• Environment: Office-based
• Conditions: Frequent interaction with children, families, stakeholders, providers, and governmental agencies. Work may involve emotionally challenging, crisis-oriented, or high-stress situations.
• Schedule: Mon – Fri, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Occasional evening, weekend, and after-hours responsibilities may be necessary to meet operational needs.
• Travel: Frequent - Regular travel across Harris County and the 12- county service region. Reliable transportation required

DePelchin is Proud to be an Equal Opportunity Workplace.

DePelchin is committed to selecting and employing the best and most qualified person available for each job opening without unlawful discrimination of any kind. Additionally, DePelchin is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation and gender identity), marital or parental status, veteran status, religion, national origin, age, disability, family medical history, genetic information, or political affiliation.