Fwd: Neighborhood Services director job description

[Guest guest]

IPADDers, if you know of anyone (or yourself) who might be interested in running

a small agency with great values, please spread this on. thanks, Ellen and Ed

McManus

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Executive Director, Neighborhood Services, Chicago, Illinois

http://www.neighborhood-services.org/

Search launch date 1.24.12

 

Introduction

Family photos on the walls and book shelves, handmade drawings proudly hung on

the fridge door, a kitchen table set for afternoon snacks – a home humming

with life.   This is the supportive home environment that Neighborhood Services

provides for their associates – adults with developmental disabilities.  

Neighborhood Services, a non-profit organization started in 1990, seeks an

Executive Director who can build on this tradition while facilitating innovation

that will advance the mission.

Whenever possible, associates live in homes in or near communities where they

grew up and where family members and friends are close by – creating an

expansive and supportive community.   Currently, Neighborhood Services provides

supportive homes for approximately 24 associates in 13 locations around

Chicagoland – Waukegan, ton, Wilmette, Forest Park, Chicago-Jefferson

Park and Oak Park – with an administrative office in Chicago’s Logan Square.

Neighborhood Services’ households are active and busy. One or two associates

live in each home along with one or two “supportive roommates.†Additional

staff are available who are certified and trained to help each associate enjoy

life to the fullest.   Most weekdays associates are out in the community at

jobs, volunteering, or attending programs that stimulate and broaden their

creativity and enrich their socialization skills. Evenings and weekends are

filled with normal household activities, occasional parties, church services,

and educational and recreational outings.

Neighborhood Services is financially sound and operates with an annual budget of

just over $1.3 million. The organization is staffed by one Executive Director,

an administrative assistant, and three field coordinators each of whom supports

8-10 direct support workers and roommates. Neighborhood Services receives most

of its revenue from the Illinois Department of Human Services Community

Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA), and the associates’ contributions from

Social Security and Supplemental Security Income or their own family resources.

The organization currently does modest fundraising with a year-end letter

inviting donations.

 

Responsibilities

The Executive Director is responsible for safeguarding the well being of

associates, managing all staff and the day-to-day operations of the

organization. This includes:

•             Ensuring policies and practices are in place to

guarantee a constructive, respectful, healthy and safe home environment for all

associates;

•             Facilitating ways that the associates, individuals

who live in the surrounding community, and local institutions such as churches,

retail establishments, scouts, sports leagues, and other youth and adult groups

can interact with each other and contribute to each other’s betterment;

•                   Hiring and managing staff, which includes

not only maintaining performance standards but also encouraging a spirit of

teamwork in Neighborhood Services’ intentionally collegial environment;

•                   Maintaining relationships with government

agencies and ensuring that Neighborhood Services is operating at or beyond

compliance with all federal, state and local requirements;

•             Preparing operating budgets for board approval,

keeping expenses on budget and exploring opportunities to increase the revenue

stream and contain costs;

•                   Serving as public spokesperson for the

organization and cultivating partnerships to promote Neighborhood Services’

values concerning living options for people with developmental disabilities;

•                   Ensuring the apartments and homes owned,

rented or managed by Neighborhood Services are well maintained and provide

healthy, safe and pleasant environments for associates and staff;

•             Working with the board and staff to develop and

implement strategic plans; and

•             Staffing the board and board committees.

 

Skills and Qualifications

The responsibilities described above require an Executive Director who has

passion for the work and an authentic appreciation for creating supportive homes

for adults with disabilities. The new Executive Director will be professional

and confident with an easy-going sense of humor. He or she will be an

experienced manager that holds themself and staff to well articulated and high

standards. The Executive Director will be capable of handling all planned and

unplanned circumstances with great intellect, creativity and decorum. Patience,

appreciation and respect for enormous differences in the human condition, and

fairness are essential.

Additional qualifications include:

•             5-10 years of experience managing programs or

agencies, including managing staff and budgets; and

•             Ability to deal constructively with parents and other

family members of associates.

•             Familiarity with regulations and policies concerning

CILA, SS, SSI and other sources of government support is desirable.

 

Benefits and Rewards of the Position: Neighborhood Services offers challenging

and personally satisfying work along with a competitive salary and benefits

package.

 

How to Apply : This is a board-run search and Neighborhood Services staff should

not be contacted. All inquires and applications can be sent confidentially to

neighborhoodservicesed@... with a subject line that reads your name

Executive Director. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Applications must include:

1.          Cover letter that outlines your interest in the mission and

work of Neighborhood Services and how your experience and skills meet the

requirements outlined above, and

2.          Résumé.

 

Diversity Policy : Neighborhood Services highly values a diverse staff and

actively seeks a diversity of applicants for this position. It is an equal

opportunity employer.

 

 

V05

On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 11:03 PM, < mcmanus06@... > wrote:

thanks art. our little laptop won't allow us to access the attachment. can you

paste it into an email for us? thanks much. ed and ellen

From: " Neighborhood Services " < neighborhoodservicesed@... >

dwpisani@... , mcmanus06@... , moconnellchgo@...

, jahernandez2@... , " vita reid " < vita_reid@... >,

lupitazg@... , tonyscott33@... , sarahball85@... ,

dare2chacha@... , julievns@...

Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 2:37:39 PM

Subject: NS director job description

Greetings to all,

   First, thank you to everyone who responded to our earlier request for

advice about improving the job posting for the next director of NS.

   Attached to this is a version of the job description that we're asking you

to post as widely as you can. If you have access to internet posting sites,

paper bulletin boards in appropriate places, and anyplace else where you think a

good candidate might see the description, please post it and do not worry about

possible double-posting by us on the search committee. No site is too obvious or

too obscure for your attention!

   At least as important as posting the description, and possibly more

important, is for you to think about the people you know. Personally talk with

people you think might make a good director and encourage them to apply.

Instructions are toward the end of the job description.

   Even if you know someone who themself might not want the director's job,

but you think they might know someone else who would be good, please call the

person you know and ask them to assist us by calling their contacts.

   Finally, we ask all NS staff to circulate this email and the job

description to any of your fellow employees whose email addresses are not

included as recipients of this note. If we had their addresses, we would send

the description to them directly. It goes without saying that we're looking for

your new boss, and if you-all know the perfect candidate and can get them to

apply, we all win.

      Thank you,

          Arthur Lyons, for the NS director search committee