THIS TITLE IS IN A CIVIL SERVICE COMPETITIVE CLASS THAT IS SUBJECT TO EXAMINATION.  POSITION IS ONLY OPEN TO APPLICANTS WHO ARE PERMANENT AS ADMINISTRATIVE EDUCATION OFFICER, OR PERMANENT IN AN EQUIVALENT TITLE THAT IS ELIGIBLE FOR 6.1.9 TO ADMINISTRATIVE EDUCATION OFFICER, OR CANDIDATES WHO TOOK THE MOST RECENT ADMINISTRATIVE EDUCATION OFFICER CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION.

POSITION SUMMARY:  The New York City school system is the largest in the country, composed of approximately 1.1 million students and 75,000+ teachers in over 1,800 schools.  Each year there are over 100,000 students who are homeless and placed in temporary housing, including shelter, foster care, and domestic violence safe housing. Research indicates that students in temporary housing are more likely to be chronically absent than their housed peers, and face unique academic challenges.

The Department of Education (DOE) created the Office of Community Schools (OCS) to develop and implement one of the pillars of the education agenda of Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza. Community Schools are places where children have opportunities to learn, gain skills, create joy, and have the experiences that ignite curiosity and allow children discover their passions and talents. Community Schools are committed to bringing equity, and using a “whole child, whole community” approach – looking holistically at students, families, and communities to ascertain their most pressing needs and decide together which services will best address those needs.   

Reporting to Office of Community Schools Director of Students in Temporary Housing (STH), the STH Regional Manager will spend roughly two-thirds of their time leading a team of shelter-based Family Assistants, and school-based STH Coordinators and Bridging the Gap social workers to provide equity-based, whole child supports to students who are temporarily housed (STH) and schools with large numbers of these students. This includes conducting hiring, providing regular, one-on-one supervision for non-clinical staff, leading training sessions, conducting site visits to support program compliance, and implementing individual and team goals for achieve success in reducing chronic absence, and related tasks. 

The STH Regional Manager will spend the remainder of their time developing and implementing programs designed to meet the unique needs of STH, escalating and problem-solving complex STH needs, strengthening the coordination of case management between shelters and schools, using data to understand trends in STH attendance and achievement to support continuous improvement, responding to crises in schools, and advocating for the needs of STH. 

The STH Regional Manager will be an integral part of a borough-based team that coordinates and monitors services provided in shelters and schools, and will ensure consistent adherence to Department of Education (DOE) polices and federal law/regulations regarding Students in Temporary Housing. This includes policy decisions to ensure program compliance with the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and Chancellor’s Regulation A-780. Performs related work.

REPORTS TO: Director of Students in Temporary Housing with the Office of Community Schools

DIRECT REPORTS: Approximately 10-15 Family Assistants and STH Coordinators; also coordinates the work of Bridging the Gap social workers.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS:  The STH Regional Manager works closely with borough-based and central STH staff, including the Director, Senior Program Manager, Program Coordinator, and Senior Data Analyst; colleagues in the Department of Homeless Services, Human Resources Administration, Administration for Children’s Services, and other agencies; school principals and personnel providing support to STH; Office of Pupil Transportation staff; and community-based organization (CBO) partners.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Hire, supervise, and support a team of regional staff including shelter-based Family Assistants and school-based STH Coordinators. Support hiring and oversight of Bridging the Gap social workers.
• Lead or support hiring as noted above, coordinating with STH team management, divisional Human Resources and Operations staff to track vacancies, post openings, interview candidates, recommend finalists, tender offers, and onboard new staff.
• Provide weekly supervision meetings and monthly professional development series to ensure staff support students to receive timely interventions, services, supplementary education, and counseling.
• Support clinical supervision of Bridging the Gap social workers to ensure compliance.
• Conduct site visits to schools and shelters regularly to evaluate the implementation of policy and programming, ensure compliance with program elements, documentation, and recordkeeping, and meet with school staff to resolve challenges or offer training.
• Provide professional development for team members, schools staff, Field Support Centers, and others, in order to foster understanding important issues such as the McKinney-Vento Act, trauma-informed practices, etc.
• Provide compliance focused annual training for team members and school personnel to ensure alignment with City, State, and Federal regulations.
• Serve as one of the regional leaders driving towards divisional goals in reducing chronic absence and advancing student achievement, and resolving escalated needs for all matters related to students in temporary housing.
• Make recommendations regarding resource allocations for programs and services designed to meet the unique needs of STH, aligning these to meet centrally established success measures.
• Support oversight of contracted service providers to insure quality programming and adherence requirements.
• Facilitate case conferences and manage escalations on STH cases, in collaboration with shelter- and school-based staff, Field Support Center staff, and others working with STH.
• Work with other City agencies to maintain optimal service delivery for homeless students and their schools, such as the Department of Homeless Services, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Administration for Children’s Services, Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Human Resources Administration, and Department of Youth and Community Development, as well as the New York State Education Department and New York State Technical and Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

MINIMUM

1. A master’s degree from an accredited college or university in education, educational psychology, educational leadership, public administration, public policy, social work, or a closely related field, and two years of satisfactory, full-time progressively responsible professional experience in education administration, in such areas as: portfolio planning, educational grants/funding, student enrollment, assessment and accountability, youth development, special education, early childhood, program evaluation, policy research, college and career readiness, health and wellness, immunization, diagnostic and treatment services for parents and children, out of school programs, career and occupational education, curriculum development, evaluation and testing, educational planning, and educational statistics, or a related field, at least 18 months of this experience must have been in an executive, managerial, consultative, administrative or supervisory capacity in education administration; or
2. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and four years of satisfactory, fulltime progressively responsible professional experience, in one or more of the areas as described in “1” above, at least 18 months of which must have been in an executive, managerial, consultative, administrative or supervisory capacity; or
3. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and six years of satisfactory, full time professional experience, in one or more of the areas as described in “1” above, at least 18 months of which must have been in an executive, managerial, consultative, administrative or supervisory capacity; or
4. Education and/or experience equivalent to “1”, “2”, or “3” above. Undergraduate education above the high school level may be substituted for professional experience, in the areas described in “1” above, at the rate of 30 semester credits from an accredited college or university for each year of experience, up to a maximum of 4 years. Graduate education in areas other than those mentioned above, may be substituted for the professional experience, at the rate of 15 graduate semester credits from an accredited college or university, for 6 months of experience, up to a maximum of 1 year of professional experience. However, all candidates must have a high school diploma or its educational equivalent and 18 months of experience in an executive, managerial, consultative, administrative or supervisory capacity in education administration as described above.

PREFERRED

• A strong understanding of the complexities of systems that homeless students and their families face, and of the intersections of issues, including trauma, mental health, and domestic violence.

• Background in social work or understanding in trauma informed best practices.

• Knowledge of DOE policies, Chancellor’s Regulations, and federal laws pertaining to Students in Temporary Housing.

• Understanding of promising practices in the field of child development, especially implementation of afterschool programming.

• Strong project management, organizational, data analysis, and presentation skills.

• A systems thinking approach, with the ability to make connections and align services to better support students in temporary housing.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with various stakeholders.

• Familiarity with community-based programs serving homeless youth and families and related youth development programs.

• Strong customer service orientation.

• Strong facilitation skills.

• Experience with budget planning and forecasting.

• Ability to travel within an assigned borough and/or within New York City.

• High level knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, e.g., Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

• Internal candidates preferred.

SALARY: $72,962+

(Internal candidates who are selected for this position and who currently hold comparable or less senior positions within the DOE will not make less than their current salary.)

PLEASE INCLUDE A RESUME AND COVER LETTER WITH YOUR APPLICATION. 

APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH NOVEMBER 14, 2018 UNTIL 3:00 P.M.

NOTE: THE FILLING OF ALL POSITIONS IS SUBJECT TO BUDGET AVAILABILITY AND/OR GRANT FUNDING. 

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

It is the policy of the Department of Education of the City of New York to provide educational and employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, age, marital status, partnership status, disability, sexual orientation, gender (sex), military status, prior record of arrest or conviction (except as permitted by law), predisposing genetic characteristics, or status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual offenses and stalking, and to maintain an environment free of harassment on any of the above-noted grounds, including sexual harassment or retaliation.  Inquiries regarding compliance with this equal opportunity policy may be directed to: Office of Equal Opportunity, 65 Court Street, Room 1102, Brooklyn, New York 11201, or visit the OEO website at http://schools.nyc.gov/OEO

Required Skills Required Experience