Program Director - Individual Assistance

SPAN Parent Advocacy Network - Empowered Families: Educated, Engaged, Effective!

Are you interested in supporting a non-profit group seeking to provide families of children with and without disabilities in the education system?

The SPAN Parent Advocacy Network is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower families and inform and involve professionals and others interested in the healthy development of children in New Jersey and throughout the country. SPAN is funded through private contributions and grants from government, foundations, and corporations.

SPAN is seeking a skilled and experienced full-time Program Director for our individual assistance program. The individual assistance Program Director manages a talented team of Family Resource Specialists, who work to enhance the involvement of empowered and educated parents and caregivers in improving academic and health outcomes for children in New Jersey.

The Program Director position is a full-time, salaried, exempt position at 37.5 hours per week. This is a hybrid position, with three or more days per week in our Newark office. This position may require Saturday and Sunday hours to support SPAN events and conferences. The Project Coordinator is also expected to attend quarterly meetings of SPAN staff, as well as various state and national training conferences. All SPAN staff are also required to complete SPAN’s Resource Parent (SRP) training program within one year after date of hire.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Oversee all aspects of SPAN individual assistance program activities, consistent with responsibilities and deliverables under federal and state grants and contracts
• Supervise the work of family resource specialists, who provide timely, accurate and effective individual assistance to parents of children with special needs and other stakeholders, to ensure that all project responsibilities are met or exceeded
• Utilize the Salesforce content management system to coordinate data collection, analyze data for trends, manage the process for reporting data to funding agencies, and use data to develop resources and tools for families
• Ensure that individual assistance is provided in a timely manner by reviewing Salesforce data on a regular basis and acting to improve response time for callers to the SPAN Warmline
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Understanding and support of the mission and vision of SPAN and the role of the individual assistance program within SPAN
• Thorough knowledge of federal and state laws, regulations, and rules regarding the provision of special education, early intervention, and other services provided to students with disabilities throughout New Jersey, including laws affecting the civil rights of students
• Thorough knowledge of resources and programs available to assist parents and caregivers of students with disabilities
• Experience in supervising program staff
• Outstanding leadership in the areas of program management and professional development
• Knowledge and experience of contact management systems such as Salesforce preferred

Job Requirements

• Experience in a leadership role within the non-profit or educational sector, ideally with a concentration on disability issues preferred
• In-depth understanding of the needs of parents in the special and general education system
• Experience interacting with diverse populations; bilingual candidates a plus
• Experience with computers and knowledge of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, database software, and internet is essential
• Ability to work flexible hours
• Capacity to exercise independent judgment and sound decision-making
• Demonstrated commitment to the goals of the project and organization

www.spanadvocacy.org