Department: | Social Services
|
Reports To: | Senior Vice President of Social Services |
Location: | Varied |
Employment Type: | Full Time |
FLSA | Exempt |
About Us
Founded as an orphanage in 1831, Rising Ground has been at the forefront of evolving community needs. Driven by the belief that each of us can thrive when life has hope and opportunity, Rising Ground provides caring support and proven paths to positive change, helping children, adults, and families rise above adversity, and each year, Rising Ground is a positive force in the lives of more than 72,000 individuals annually. We do this through 101 programs across 138 sites, throughout New York City and Westchester. Our strong belief and commitment to diversity is shown not just through our work with supported persons but is integral to the building of a strong staff that reflects the communities we serve. Rising Ground is headquartered in New York City.
Overview
The Director of Social Services provides strategic leadership, clinical oversight, and administrative supervision across four program areas: Residential Treatment Center (RTC), Youth Reception Center (YRC), Supervised Independent Living Program (SILP), and Justice for Youth and Families (JYF).
This role is based at the RTC in Yonkers, which serves as the primary site with regular travel to other sites. The Director is responsible for direct supervision of RTC Social Workers, Case Planners, and Case Workers, while providing supervisory oversight to a Social Services Supervisor who oversees both the SILP and YRC programs, as well as the Social Services Supervisory team within the JYF program.
The Director of Social Services ensures that all casework practices are trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate, family-centered, and fully compliant with all regulatory requirements. The Director provides oversight and guidance to support the distinct goals of each program model, including clinical treatment, stabilization, and comprehensive case planning and permanency, and assessment and service coordination in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide leadership and supervision to social services staff across the Residential Treatment Center (RTC), Youth Reception Center (YRC), Supervised Independent Living Program (SILP), and Justice for Youth and Families (JYF) programs.
- Ensure effective staff supervision, performance management, professional development, and adherence to best practices in social services.
- Oversee the delivery of case management, treatment planning, family engagement, permanency planning, and discharge services across all programs.
- Ensure timely, accurate, and compliant completion of all required documentation, including Connections records, FASPs, court reports, psychosocial assessments, and progress notes.
- Monitor compliance with ACS, OCFS, LDSS, CSE, and other regulatory and contractual requirements.
- Collaborate with clinical, educational, residential, legal, and community partners to support positive youth and family outcomes.
- Support permanency planning, visitation, independent living preparation, transition services, and community reintegration efforts.
- Provide oversight of complex cases, crisis intervention, court involvement, and cross-system coordination with external stakeholders.
- Maintain audit readiness, quality assurance standards, case record integrity, and incident reporting compliance.
- Participate in agency leadership initiatives, quality improvement efforts, intake coordination, and strategic partnerships to enhance program effectiveness and service delivery.
Key Responsibilities Continued
- Other related duties as assigned by supervisor.
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
RequiredQualifications
- Master’s degree in Social Work or related field required; LMSW preferred.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in child welfare, juvenile justice, or residential treatment, including 2–3 years in leadership/supervisory roles.
- Knowledge of OCFS, ACS, DSS regulations, permanency planning, and court systems.
- Experience in RTC, YRC, SILP, and juvenile justice programming.
- Strong clinical, crisis management, leadership, communication, and documentation skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and collaborate effectively with youth, families, schools, and external partners.
- Proficient in case documentation systems, data tracking, and reporting.
- Valid NYS driver’s license with a safe driving record.
- Must maintain or obtain SIFI certification within the required timeframe to supervise social work interns.
Supervisory Responsibilities
Yes
Core Leadership Intangibles
- Emotional Intelligence- Reads the room, understands people, and responds with empathy and awareness
- Ownership Mentality- Takes full responsibility—no excuses, just solutions
- Calm Under Pressure- Grounded, steady presence in high-stress or crisis situations
- Integrity- Does the right thing—even when no one is watching
- Resilience- Pushes through challenges, adapts, and keeps moving forward
- Other related duties as assigned by supervisor.
WorkEnvironment
Primary location is the Residential Treatment Center (RTC) in Yonkers (home base). The program will be transitioning from a campus-based model to a scattered-site structure with multiple residences. This role requires regular travel across YRC, SILP, and JYF sites, as well as court, home, and community-based work to support case management, supervision, and service coordination.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time position. The standard work schedule is Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the assigned work location. Due to the nature of the role, occasional evening hours, emergency response, and travel between program sites may be required to support program operations, staff supervision, and organizational needs.
Additional Requirements
Authorized to work in the U.S.
- Ability to work in-person in New York City (NYC)
- Ability to travel to other Rising Ground Sites (if required)
Benefits & Compensation
- Competitive salary structure
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- PTO policy (11 Paid Holidays, Paid Sick Time, Paid Vacation & Paid Personal Days)
- Remote / flexible work options (If applicable)
Equal Employment Opportunity
It is the policy of Rising Ground that the Agency wholly complies with equal treatment of all employees and applicants for employment without unlawful discrimination as to an individual’s perceived or actual race, creed, color, national origin, alienate, citizenship status, gender, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or veteran status in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, layoff and termination and all other terms and conditions of employment.
