Salem Program Manager - NorthWest Senior & Disability Services

MAKE A DIFFERENCE with us. 

Put your management skills to work in a mission-driven environment.

Northwest Senior and Disability Services is seeking an exceptional individual who exemplifies leadership, has solid management skills, and can think critically to manage teams of social services workers.

Recruitment #:     343-06-24

Location:              Salem, OR - Southside Unit

Salary range:       Starting at $5,656 per month, with excellent benefits (see below).

Closes:                 Open Until Filled

Benefits: Agency Sponsored: Medical/Dental 100% paid for employee and 90-98% for dependents, generous Paid-time off, Public Employee Retirement (PERS), Employee Assistance Plan, Long Term Disability, great culture. Employee paid: Deferred Compensation, Life Insurance, Short Term Disability, Colonial Life Supplemental Plans, Legal Shield

General Description

Responsible for leading and directing a team of social services staff who administer programs such as Medicare Savings Programs, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits, and Long-term Services and Supports to seniors and adults with disabilities.

The Program Manager is responsible for their team’s performance and accurate delivery of services necessary to meet the consumer needs within state and federal guidelines. Managers also must network and cultivate sustainable working relationships with community partners including minority communities.

Essential Functions

1. Manage Programs
2. Ensure that service delivery meets quality and compliance standards
3. Reduce Agency Risk
4. Ensure program success among community, including Non-English speaking consumers
5. Lead Others
6. Promote Person-Centered Care
7. Provide Excellent Customer Service

1.    Manage Programs

• Oversee the initial and ongoing eligibility determination and case management of Medicaid LTSS program, OPI Program, and other Older American Act programs
• Oversee the Eligibility Program Supervisor who is responsible for the Medicare Savings Programs, Medicaid, and SNAP programs.
• Monitors caseload activity and periodically reviews long-term service cases to ensure appropriate services and placements for long-term service consumers are provided
• Analyze, develop, recommend, and implement policies and procedures as needed to meet goals and requirements
• Participate and facilitate consultations with staff regarding consumer status
• Meet as needed with staff members from the state, other Aging and Persons with Disabilities agencies, area hospitals, medical professionals, prospective providers, Department of Corrections, Oregon State Hospital, and others to ensure consumer/resident safety and appropriateness of proposed services and/or placements
• Review and understand quality assurance reports and suggest specific, measurable employee improvement plans when needed
• Oversee the security of cash and benefit issuance documents
• Oversee the timely and accurate issuance of provider payments

2.    Ensure that service delivery meets quality and compliance standards

• Ensure that employees are trained in current policies and procedures, and that service delivery meets consumer needs within the Agency mission and values
• Effectively manage staff performance, including conducting individual supervision meetings and performance dialogues with staff
• Identify staffing needs, make hiring recommendations, and manage staff effectively applying human resource policies, etc.
• Meet quality standards in accuracy, timeliness, and follow policy and procedure
• Serve as technical and practical resource for staff to be successful.

3.    Ensure program success among community including Non-English speaking consumers

• Provide targeted outreach and engagement of Non-English speaking seniors and people with disabilities in order to increase awareness regarding services administered by NWSDS
• Understand the problems and issues confronting Non-English speaking seniors and people with disabilities in the community
• Work specifically to address the unique needs of the agency’s Spanish-speaking consumers
• Create and sustain team environment necessary for program success among Non-English speaking consumers
• Provide language assistance and translation within the scope of supervised classifications (bilingual only)

4.    Reduce Agency Risk

• Demonstrate excellent decision making and problem solving, especially when overseeing and guiding decisions on difficult and ambiguous situations
• Maintain a general knowledge of all agency programs
• Comply with ethical and professional standards; follow policies, regulations, and requirements of a program and document plans and progress as required
• Follow privacy regulations when maintain and share consumer information
• Serve as a mandatory reporter of suspected abuse of vulnerable populations as required by policy and regulation 

5.    Lead Others

• Embrace and exhibit agency mission and core values of integrity, professionalism, service, and compassion  
• Promote two-way communication by engaging others, listening, providing feedback, and expressing appreciation and praise
• Collaborate with individuals, teams, and others
• Review, assess, and assign workload
• Provides assistance to case managers in developing effective caseload management techniques to maintain timely service to consumers
• Maintain ethical standards 

6.   Promote Person-Centered Services

• Interact with the public, consumers, co-workers and others in a patient, respectful and culturally appropriate manner, and ensure employees exhibit the same behaviors
• Understand the role of consumer choice and how that translates to direct services, or support of direct service units, and area of management and care success
• Educate self and others of resources available for populations served include research electronic and written materials and Age and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon (ADRC) resource database
• Understand other agency resources and access resources and assistance as needed to assist consumers the public

7.   Provide Excellent Customer Service

• Manage the first impressions of our consumers and community partners by ensuring the front office staff provides professional and friendly service at all times.
• Manage the appearance, standards, and performance of the front office with an emphasis on continuous training for support staff, adherence to company policies and procedures, and teamwork.
• Ensure that all consumers and community partners are acknowledged and that Office Specialists operate with positive attitude that promotes agency core values.
• Consider the consumer’s needs first
• Perform the job well by providing excellent customer service, follow through, meeting deadlines, and interacting with others in a transparent, respectful, and culturally appropriate manner
• Exhibit good judgment, critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving skills
• Represent agency interests and needs professionally when dealing with outside entities
• Perform technical skills related to the work need to be done
• Exhibit good work habits, including organizational skills, regular attendance, working independently, seek and offer assistance when needed.

Job-Specific Skills Required

• Demonstrate exemplary management and leadership expertise
• Maintain a current knowledge of and apply Medicare Savings Programs, Medicaid, SNAP, and Older Americans Act programs according to regulations
• Develop relationships with and knowledge of available social services and community resources that assist staff to meet consumers’ needs
• Communicate with and influence staff from outside the agency and make the best use of each group’s strengths to benefit all involved
• Coordinate employee coaching, mentoring, and training to assure program goals are met
• Maintain a current knowledge of and apply Medicare Savings Programs, Medicaid, SNAP, and Older Americans Act programs according to regulations
• Train and coach staff to follow procedures to meet said regulations and agency policies
• Interpret regulations, articulate them to staff, and assure systems are in place to comply with rules and policies around mandatory reporting, privacy, and confidentiality
• Handle and coach others on dealing with potentially frustrated and upset consumers
• Lead a team of social services employees
• Demonstrate exemplary management and leadership expertise
• Be an effective facilitator between employee, management, and consumer needs
• Learn available services of agency and other community services
• Build relationships and network in the community
• Use many computer programs including Microsoft Office and programs associated with state social services assessment programs such as Client Assessment and Planning System (CAPS), Oregon ACCESS, etc.
• Demonstrate the required level of oral and written proficiency for bilingual duties in identified language pair (English/Spanish.) Bilingual applicants only 

General Skills Required

• Remain calm in potentially tense and/or adversarial situations
• Communicate well including the ability to understand, follow, and provide verbal and written instructions
• Facilitate groups, build consensus, and get diverse individuals to work together
• Work effectively with individuals
• Source information with regard to other available services
• Work independently and competently
• Be organized, efficient, and use resources wisely.

Secondary Outcomes

• Manage special projects and represent agency at committee meetings as needed.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Case Manager, Eligibility Specialist, Community Liaison, Administrative Assistant, Office Specialist 2, Program Supervisor, and others, as assigned, including Bilingual positions.

Minimum Qualifications - Education and Experience

A qualified applicant will have a minimum of seven (7) years of equivalent combination of education and/or experience which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities required. The following qualifications meeting the minimum requirements will be considered:

• Bachelor’s degree in human services, public administration, business, or any related field
• Three years of related experience, two of which should be in a supervisory or lead role.
• Experience and knowledge of services provided to and working with vulnerable populations, preferably seniors and adults with disabilities.

(For Bilingual positions only)
• Successful completion of a language proficiency test.

Work Environment/Physical Demands

This job is performed in the office and in the field. Office work will be conducted using general office equipment and includes substantial sitting. Office work is performed primarily in a cubicle environment, with noise and interruptions. Field work requires travel to clients in a variety of settings, homes, facilities, etc. of varying level of cleanliness and repair. Field work requires driving an agency car or employee car.

The essential outcomes requires regular sitting, talking, hearing, computer use; frequently required to use repetitive hand motion, handle or feel, and to stand, walk, reach, bend or lift up to 25 pounds. The candidate must understand, follow, and provide verbal and written instructions in English.

As a manager, requires additional or irregular hours on occasion, and responding to emergency situations. Contact with the public in home or office environments may risk exposure to irrational/hostile behavior, contagious diseases, or contact with domestic animals.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Other Requirements

To be successful, candidates must:
• Secure and maintain a valid Oregon driver’s license or have an acceptable alternative means of transportation
• Attend work regularly to meet the demands of this job and to provide necessary services
• Complete and pass a criminal background check

Classification: Program Manager

Position Number: 343

Salary Range: M25

FLSA Status: Exempt

Unit: Long Term Care Services

Location: Salem

Reports to: Area Program Manager

Union Status: Non-Represented

Last revision: June 2024

Reasonable accommodations will be made as needed.

Job descriptions are subject to change.

Agency Sponsored: Medical/Dental 100% paid for employee and 90-98% for dependents, generous Paid-time off, Public Employee Retirement (PERS), Employee Assistance Plan, Long Term Disability, great culture. Employee paid: Deferred Compensation, Life Insurance, Short Term Disability, Colonial Life Supplemental Plans, Legal Shield