The Highland County Department of Social Services Administrative Board is seeking an energetic, passionate individual to lead Virginia’s smallest local social services department. Highland County is the least populous county in the Commonwealth and is located in the Allegheny Mountains along the Jackson River. The county is bordered by West Virginia on two sides and is one of four frontier localities in Virginia. The department’s mission is Building Brighter Futures for the Families of Today by providing quality services and support to promote the health, safety, and self-sufficiency of all Highland County residents. The Social Services Director I position is responsible for all social services and financial programs and directly supervises line staff and/or supervisors. Additionally this position manages all human resource functions as prescribed by the local board of social services.
Specifically, the Director: develops and amends the department budget; analyzes and monitors department expenditures; plans and coordinates implementation of programs; ensures quality of services and maintenance of records/files; develops policies, procedures, rules and regulations to meet the needs of clients and the department; develops plans to meet changing regulations and program requirements; supervises staff, including performance planning and evaluation; collaborates with community partners, such as County Administrator, department heads, and other social service agencies; prepares reports and makes presentations as necessary; researches and develops agency resources, such as grants; conducts staff conferences; plans case studies, and plans and directs staff development projects; conducts program appeals hearings and renders written decisions; makes recommendations for changes in the interest of improving operations; interprets and explains programs, regulations, procedures and eligibility requirements. This Director will also need to perform casework duties in the areas of Child and Adult Protective Services from time to time, and participate in emergency (after-hours) on-call rotation.
Considerable knowledge of: management practices and principles of supervision; program planning; personnel and fiscal management and program funding sources; organization and structure of local, State and Federal government, and volunteer agencies, particularly regarding human services, and research methods and statistical analysis; current social, economic, and health issues relating to clients in the jurisdiction; Social Security Act; laws and regulations on administration of welfare services; social services offered in the county; available public and private resources for the needy; social work case load management; the methods and techniques of counseling clients; business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership techniques, and coordination of people and resources; principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, and personnel information systems; literature, trends and developments in the field of human services administration; and basic principles of community organization and supervision.
Demonstrated Ability to: work effectively with others; communicate effectively both orally and in writing with a diverse group of persons; conduct research; plan and direct social services programs of varied natures; interpret and implement policies and regulations and enforce local, state, federal laws, ordinances, rules and regulations; manage a complex human services agency with significant management demands having multiple service, benefit, financial and administrative programs and small and diverse staff; mobilize community support and generate community awareness of programs offered in the county; establish and implement effective management and administrative programs and procedures; represent the agency before the Highland County Board of Supervisors and other Boards or Councils as necessary; provide reasoning and application of logical thinking for problem solving; provide leadership in system designs, personnel management, and budget formulation; negotiate contracts to support program and policy objectives; and analyze, initiate, concentrate and be creative with ingenuity.
Prefer a bachelor’s degree in a human services field, public administration, or related field. Prefer professional work experience in budgeting, management and/or human resources OR any equivalent combination of training and/or experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Prefer strong leadership and interpersonal skills.
Prefer comprehensive knowledge of the needs of citizens of the community.
Master’s degree in a related field supplemented with professional experience in social work with some supervisory or other experience is preferred.
Applicants will be subject to a Criminal History Background search, Central Registry search, DMV/Driving Record check, and/or pre-employment drug screen. The investigation may include: fingerprint checks (State Police, FBI), local agency checks, employment verification and references, verification of education (relevant to employment), credit checks (relevant to employment), and other checks requested by the hiring authority. All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory results of the required checks and screenings.
Employee must be willing to work in the community emergency shelter in the event of a natural disaster or emergency.
This position is covered under Code of Virginia §63.2-1720 requiring applicants to submit to fingerprinting and provide personal descriptive information for a criminal history record check through the Central Criminal Records Exchange and a search of the Central Registry.
APPLICATIONS AND/OR RESUME FOR THIS POSITION MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY THROUGH THIS WEBSITE. MAILED, EMAILED, FAXED, OR HAND-DELIVERED APPLICATIONS AND RESUMES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
This website will provide a confirmation of receipt when the application is submitted.
Consideration for an interview is based solely on the information provided within the application application, supplemental questions and resume.
To be considered for this position, you must indicate an email address on the application.
Please refer to your RMS account for the status of your application for this position.
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