Director of Programs and Services Position Description
About St. Francis House
St. Francis House (SFH) is the largest day shelter in Massachusetts. Located in the heart of downtown Boston, SFH serves an average of 500 men and women who are homeless or vulnerable to homelessness each day, 365 days a year. We provide a wide range of services from refuge services that meet immediate needs for food, clothing, and daytime shelter to recovery services, focused on individual goals and longer-term stability, including case management, clinical services, employment and housing.
We measure our success by the number of people we are able to help obtain permanent housing and achieve overall housing, income, and behavioral health stability in their lives. We recognize that each guest is unique, most have experienced or are experiencing trauma, and all can benefit from a sense of renewed hope for a better life. Therefore, we deliver our services according to our philosophy of care which is person centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented.
The Opportunity
St. Francis House is in the midst of a strong period of growth including the development of new programs and major expansion of its facilities. A recently completed restructuring of its top leadership is designed to support these and future new initiatives. The Director of Programs and Services will be an important member of the agency’s senior leadership team and play a critical role in facilitating communication, in both directions, between program staff and agency leadership. SFH is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity within our organization and assist in building an equitable and inclusive community.
Position Summary
The Director leads the Programs and Services division, which consists of approximately 80 employees. The Director will supervise and support a leadership team consisting of:
- Associate Director of Day Shelter Services
- Associate Director of Workforce Development
- Associate Director of Safety, Security, and Community Services
- Associate Director of Clinical Supervision
- Associate Director of Housing & Stabilization Services
The Director of Programs and Services is responsible for ensuring SFH remains a welcoming community. With a strong focus on the operational needs across all departments ensure that the policies, practices, and approaches within all Programs and Services are aligned with the agency’s values and its goals of ensuring housing, income, and behavioral health stability for individuals who are homeless or are vulnerable to homelessness. The Director supports an environment that emphasizes the importance of being trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, and person-centered, and understands, and has a commitment to, harm reduction principles and Housing First models.
Responsibilities & Duties:
- Provides operational direction and leadership to all programs and services of St. Francis House including refuge services (food, clothing and emergency services; safety and security), “readiness” services (in-reach and general engagement programming) and “recovery” level services (case management, clinical services, employment services, housing & stabilization services, and emerging recovery and substance use disorder treatment programming.
- Integrates the skills and expertise of a talented team of professionals: Inspires, motivates, and supports Associate Directors, Managers, Supervisors, and staff in ways that reinforce and support the mission and goals of the organization. Help staff to grow professionally, as individuals and as a unit.
- Supports an environment of collaboration and accountability, where roles and expectations are clearly established, but flexibility is highly valued and creativity is welcomed.
- Supports and models an environment of learning and reinforces the value of continuous quality improvement. Regularly reviews program performance to determine the effectiveness of program models and interventions against stated goals. Ensures that all programs further the goals of housing stability, income and employment stability, and behavioral health stability.
- Ensures that programs are well run, meet program and contract deliverables, and operate within their budgets. Creates, implements, and upholds policies and procedures to meet these goals.
- Serves on planning committees and task forces as appropriate. Works collaboratively with current funders and contracting agencies.
Requirements & Qualifications
- Master’s degree required in relevant area such as Social Work (preferred), Public Health, or Nonprofit Administration.
- Minimum of 10 years of successful management experience overseeing a wide variety of programs in a complex human services environment and leading a diverse group of professional staff.
- Strong leadership skills based on emotional intelligence, commitment, integrity, and sense of humor.
- Prior experience providing direct services to adults experiencing poverty and homelessness, including those with substance use disorders, mental illness and/or histories of criminal activity.
- Proven successful experience in strengthening program delivery and aligning services toward overall outcomes.
- Knowledge of the homeless services system, including HUD priorities for homeless-focused programs and the Continuum of Care process, a plus.
- Experience working in or with an organization that provides behavioral health services, particularly in a substance use disorder treatment setting, a plus.
Compensation and Benefits
We offer a competitive salary and extensive benefits including:
- Medical and dental insurance (Employee pays 10% of the premium for individual coverage or 20% of the premium for family coverage)
- Employer paid life, short/long-term disability insurance
- Four weeks paid vacation per year
- Twelve paid holidays per year
- Twelve paid sick days per year
- 403(b) Retirement Plan with 5% Employer Match