Aspire Child Program Manager
Massachusetts General Hospital(MGH)

General Summary

Under the general supervision of the Aspire Executive Director, the Program Manager develops and implements all aspects of Aspire's programs for children with social-cognitive deficits including autism spectrum disorder, Nonverbal Learning Disorder, and similar profiles. The primary responsibility of the position is management of all aspects of the year-round Aspire Child Services. Responsibilities include program development for and implementation of academic year groups and special events, the Aspire summer Camp program, curriculum design, safety team coordination, and program growth. Additional responsibilities include hiring, training, and supervision of 2 full-time staff and approximately 65 summer staff; management of all daily operations (coordination of care for program participants, American Camp Association accreditation, Board of Health approval processes, safety and crisis management, parent communications, and interactions with auxiliary site leadership and collaborating providers). Oversight of all programs includes coordination with Administration and Communications Coordinator to lead both participant and staffing recruitment. The Program Manager is responsible for coordination of care for all participants in identifying and designing appropriate programming based on developmental milestones and including the most up-to-date research and curriculum models to maintain the highest standards of programming fidelity.

Direct Service responsibilities of this role may include Consultation and Professional Development, Parent Coaching, parent and participant groups as needed or requested.

The Program Manager is part of Aspire's Leadership Team that meets weekly and works to further develop/implement new high-quality programs to meet and expand the individuals/families served by Aspire.

The incumbent participates in separate regular meetings with the Executive Director, the Operations Manager, the Communications Coordinator, the Administrative Director, and the Assistant Program Managers and group staff to monitor and analyze ongoing activities and ensure smooth communication and coordination across Aspire

The Program Manager supervises two year-round staff, a team of part-time academic year staff, as well as summer program staff. Supervision of these roles includes reviewing, assessing, and managing quality of care as well as training in supervision and management. The Program Manager also leads groups, as determined by overall need, and to provide training and quality assurance for junior staff.

The role may include weekend hours during the academic year.

Principal Duties

Develop, oversee, and implement year-round programming to support skills development for children between the ages of 5-13 in the areas of social competency, stress and anxiety management, self-awareness, executive functioning, and related areas. (50%)

Leads the development, implementation, and ongoing management of high-profile program within Aspire.

Plans, develops, implements, directs and evaluates strategic vision and plans for all aspects of the Child Programs.

Oversees coordination of care pertaining to participant goals, programming, and tracking of progress based on developmental milestones

Identifies and implements most current research in the field to maintain highest programming standards

Responsible for the development and meeting of participation and other program goals and semi-annual evaluation of goal achievement with Executive and Administrative Directors.

Accountable for the management of Child Program budgets with focus on increasing participation numbers while minimizing expenses. Regularly reviews revenue and expenses with the Executive and Administrative Directors.

Design schedules, curricula, activities, and programming. Create and maintain innovative staff and participant curriculum manuals. Develop and implement behavior and social intervention plans as needed.

Recruit, interview, and assess individuals/families in order to match program participants. Design and facilitate open house, recruiting events, and marketing for participants and professional referral sources.

Provide information to administrative leadership for creation of volume and expense budgets. Work collaboratively to resolve any revenue or expense issues.

Maintain strong communication with families and provide support for case management and generalization of skills.

Collaborate with schools and other professionals as needed.

Ensure the health and safety of the participants in all programs. Ensure staff maintain an organized and clean environment. Supervise site-based inventories.

Develop and implement new programs and services as needed. Keep up to date with best practices including technology integration.

Represent Aspire programming in meetings with Hale Reservation leadership, ACA, Board of Health.

Effectively manage safety events and crisis situations 'in the moment'

Staff Supervisory Activities

Recruit, hire, train, and supervise year-round (2 full-time and 10 part-time staff) and seasonal (approximately 65) staff.

Design and develop training for staff. Ensure staff is oriented to programs within the first week of employment. Conduct weekly supervision sessions and additional training workshops as needed.

Lead revisions of staff manuals based on current knowledge of national, state-wide, and site-specific regulations and standards.

Complete staff evaluations with input from others as needed, implement corrective action plans and terminate staff, if necessary.

Monitor internal learning development model (junior staff, senior staff, and corresponding roles and responsibilities) to facilitate staff retention and program growth.

Provide direct service to children, families and staff. (25%)

Lead social skills groups (during school year and/or summer, as needed) based on Aspire's philosophy.

Develop and implement parent coaching model as a new service for Aspire.

Develop and run parent groups attached to school-year groups for child participants

Provide consultation to local schools and community-based programming

Provide support groups, workshops, and training for families of program participants.

Conduct presentations of Aspire content (3S's) and programming to local schools, parent groups, and professional organizations around the Boston area.

Present at conferences and events on behalf of Aspire's models and services

Communicate with other Aspire and Lurie Center leaders and participate in meetings. (15%)

Coordinate with Development Office to further program assets and resources and key relationships of support

Communicate with Public Affairs offices to design and distribute public-facing content

Meet regularly with supervisor to discuss issues, get input and provide updates.

Work collaboratively with other members of the Aspire team to address operational issues and projects.

Participate in Aspire meetings as needed.

Serve leadership role in Safety and Crisis Management for Aspire and the Lurie Center (5%)

Respond to safety incidents and crises to provide in-the-moment support

Serve as a Team Leader and safety team member to oversee safety and crisis management procedures are done in accordance with best practices

Document safety incidents and crises in accordance with federal and organization-based policies

Coordinate consistent communication and record-keeping within Aspire and meet regularly with Executive Director to assess patterns and safety processes

5. Other tasks and responsibilities as needed. (5%)

Working Conditions

School-age care setting with indoor and outdoor locations. Need to be able to work independently in a fast-paced changing environment.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Responsible for hiring, training, and supervision of Seasonal staff (50 minimum) and up to 10 part-time academic year staff including corrective action, if required.

Fiscal Responsibility

Participate in revenue projections for annual budgets and manage expenses for child programs with support of Aspire administrative leadership.

Qualifications
Qualifications

Master's degree in related field required. Must have a minimum of 3-5 years experience working with children/families with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Skills/Competencies Required

• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, set priorities, work independently, and collaborate with Aspire and outside leadership.
• Superior organizational, written/verbal and presentation skills and the ability to work well with individuals at all levels within and outside the organization.
• Experience with social marketing and networking is desirable.
• Strong analytic and computer skills with working knowledge of MS office.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and foresee problems and follow problem through until resolution, including crisis situations that must be immediately resolved.
• Working knowledge of many of these areas of expertise: social thinking, sensory processing, group development, whole child philosophy, behavioral management, and child development.
• Desire to help ASD individuals develop and maintain social skills.
• Desire to work with disadvantaged youth and families.
• Strong interpersonal skills. Desire to work in team-based environment.
• Program design and development experience.

• Leadership skills (ability to provide feedback, modeling, and teambuilding).
• Problem Solving skills (ability to identify problems, recommend solutions, make effective decisions)
• Team Building skills (ability to supervise and build a strong working team)

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