Strategic Programs Leader: Performance & Impact

Living Resources Corporation; City of Albany (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Training

Health Insurance

Dental & Vision Insurance

Tuition Assistance

Retirement Programs

Job summary

Living Resources is seeking a Senior Director of Program Strategy and Performance to partner with the Chief Program Officer. The role drives data-informed decisions, aligns programs with strategy, and leads cross-functional initiatives across Finance, HR, Quality Assurance, and IT.

The successful candidate will translate strategic priorities into measurable actions, monitor performance, and deliver actionable insights that support budgeting, billing, and organizational growth.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience in human services, healthcare, nonprofit management, or related field.
• Experience managing strategic initiatives and cross-functional projects.
• Strong budgeting, financial analysis, and program performance management knowledge.
• Solid understanding of data analysis and performance metrics.
• Excellent written, verbal, organizational, and presentation skills.
• Ability to work effectively with senior leadership and multiple departments.
• Preferred: knowledge of OPWDD services, Medicaid billing, and utilization.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic partner to advance organizational priorities and translate strategic decisions into operational plans.
• Monitor progress, identify barriers, and evaluate effectiveness of strategic initiatives.
• Analyze program performance and develop improvement plans with program leaders.
• Collaborate with Finance to understand budgets and financial trends affecting programs.
• Develop program dashboards and reports with Finance and IT.
• Support cross-departmental initiatives and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Assist leadership with readiness for audits and regulatory reviews.
• Provide timely operational analysis to the Chief Program Officer and Executive Leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Budgeting

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services

Job description

Description

Living Resources is a non-profit agency dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities or other life-altering conditions to live with dignity, independence, and purpose. We work with, and for, families by providing peace of mind. All employees are to be respectful and supportive of families. We are working with them as partners, providing support and services.

To work for Living Resources is to make a difference in the lives of others. Living Resources employees provide individuals with disabilities and other life-altering conditions the support they need to thrive and lead active, full lives. For many employees, their work becomes an experience where they find fulfillment and develop both personally and professionally.

Our Values

Advocacy, Collaboration, Empowerment, Excellence, Inclusivity, Integrity, and Kindness are at the heart of everything we do. These values guide how we support those we serve, work together, and create a culture where everyone can thrive.

The Senior Director of Program Strategy and Performance serves as a strategic partner to the Chief Program Officer, helping to advance organizational priorities and strengthen program performance. The position uses operational, programmatic, and financial data to identify opportunities, address performance concerns, and ensure programs align with strategic, regulatory, fiscal, and person-centered expectations.

Working collaboratively across Program Operations, Finance, Human Resources, Quality Assurance, Compliance, Billing/Revenue Cycle, Information Technology, Intake, and Executive Leadership, the Senior Director translates strategic priorities into actionable plans, measurable objectives, and sustainable results. The position also analyzes the program operational factors that influence financial performance and provides programmatic information to support Finance-led budgeting, forecasting, billing, reimbursement, and financial analysis.

Strategic Planning and Execution:

• Serve as a strategic partner to the Chief Program Officer in advancing organizational and departmental priorities.
• Translate strategic program priorities into actionable plans, timelines, deliverables, measurable objectives, and accountability structures.
• Monitor progress, identify barriers, recommend solutions, and evaluate the effectiveness of strategic initiatives.
• Support organizational change and help program leaders translate strategic decisions into operational practice.

Program Performance and Improvement:

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to program quality, census, capacity, utilization, staffing, referrals, productivity, and service delivery.
• Analyze program performance, identify trends and areas of concern, and work with program leaders to develop and monitor improvement plans.
• Analyze program staffing and resource needs based on census, utilization, service needs, and operational requirements, and provide recommendations to the CPO and program leadership.
• Identify and recommend opportunities to improve service delivery, operational efficiency, resource allocation, and program sustainability.

Operational and Financial Program Analytics:

• Partner with Finance and program leadership to understand program budgets, financial expectations, and the relationship between program operations and financial performance.
• Analyze the operational factors affecting program revenue and expenses, including census, vacancies, staffing, overtime, service delivery, documentation, authorizations, and utilization.
• In collaboration with Finance, review program-level financial trends and identify the operational factors contributing to significant variances.
• Monitor program documentation, service delivery, authorizations, and utilization, and collaborate with Finance and Billing/Revenue Cycle to address issues that may affect billing or reimbursement.
• Provide programmatic, staffing, utilization, and capacity information to support Finance-led budgeting, forecasting, scenario modeling, and financial analysis.
• Help program leaders understand how operational decisions and performance affect departmental budgets and overall financial results. ·

Data Analytics and Reporting:

• Develop program operational dashboards and reports that measure program performance, staffing, census, capacity, utilization, referrals, and other key indicators.
• Partner with Finance and Information Technology to improve the accuracy, consistency, accessibility, and usefulness of organizational data.
• Work with Finance to appropriately connect operational activity with validated financial information.
• Identify trends, risks, and emerging concerns through data analysis and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Prepare briefing materials, presentations, dashboards, and analyses for the Chief Program Officer, Executive Leadership, and Board of Directors, ensuring that financial information is reviewed and validated by Finance.

Program Growth and Organizational Capacity:

• Analyze opportunities for program growth, expansion, restructuring, consolidation, or redesign and provide recommendations to the CPO and Executive Leadership.
• Develop or contribute to the operational and programmatic components of business cases for new programs, service expansions, and program modifications.
• Provide Finance with programmatic, staffing, utilization, and capacity assumptions to support its evaluation of financial feasibility and sustainability.
• Collaborate with Intake and program leadership to monitor referral pipelines, vacancies, admissions, and utilization of available capacity. · Identify opportunities to strengthen the organization’s response to referrals and appropriately improve program census and utilization.

Cross-Departmental Collaboration, Compliance and Executive Support:

• Facilitate assigned cross-departmental initiatives and collaborate with Program Operations, Finance, Human Resources, Quality Assurance, Compliance, Intake, Billing/Revenue Cycle, and Information Technology.
• Serve as a liaison between Program Operations and Finance by helping program leaders understand financial expectations and helping Finance understand the operational factors affecting financial results.
• Collaborate with Quality Assurance and Compliance to ensure that program operations and improvement initiatives support regulatory requirements, quality, health and safety, person-centered services, and the rights of people supported.
• Support program readiness for regulatory reviews, audits, surveys, and other oversight activities in collaboration with Quality Assurance, Compliance, and program leadership.
• Provide the Chief Program Officer with timely operational analysis and recommendations and report on the progress of strategic priorities.
• Represent the Chief Program Officer on designated committees and projects and lead special initiatives as assigned.

Requirements

• Minimum of 7 years of progressive leadership experience in human services, healthcare, developmental disabilities, nonprofit management, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing strategic initiatives and cross-functional projects.
• Demonstrated understanding of budgeting, financial analysis, and program performance management.
• Strong understanding of data analysis and performance metrics.
• Ability to analyze financial and operational information and translate it into actionable recommendations.
• Strong written, verbal, organizational, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with senior leadership and multiple departments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services or related field.
• Strong working knowledge of OPWDD service systems, Medicaid reimbursement, rate structures, billing, and utilization.
• Experience with OPWDD residential, day habilitation, employment, community-based, or other HCBS services.
• Experience working with data analytics platforms.
• Experience with strategic planning, organizational redesign and program development.

Benefits

We offer great benefits including Paid Training, Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Payment in Lieu of Health Insurance, Tuition Assistance, and Retirement Programs!

There are also opportunities to advance within our agency!