Director of Social Services
Share this Job
City of Newton
Posted September 21, 2020
Employment Type Full-time
Compensation $85,440-$90,641
Company City of Newton
Location 1000 Commonwealth Ave, HHS Dept., Room 107
Newton, MA 02459
US
DESCRIPTORS
WELCOME
We recognize and respect the amount of time you are about to invest by applying to this open position. If you complete this job application, you will be kept informed via email status updates (and text messages, if you opt in) throughout the evaluation process.

By continuing with this job application, you will be asked to answer job-specific questions. Please note that the questions contained in this job posting are our sole intellectual property.

Upon receipt of your responses, we will evaluate your submission. If selected for a personal interview, you will receive an email/text with scheduling instructions.

Thank You,
The Human Resources Department

COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Settled in 1630, Newton, Massachusetts is a vibrant community comprised of 13 distinctive villages. Located just outside of Boston, Newton is well respected for the quality of education, community life, exceptional homes, and beautiful open spaces. Newton has frequently been voted as one of the 10 best communities to live in. 

We place high value on diversity and on ensuring that City employees are representative of the multi-cultural community we serve, so we encourage you to continue with this applicant friendly, online job application!

The City of Newton is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.
JOB DESCRIPTION

This senior leadership position provides critical management of the social services division to implement programs and identify resources to maximize assistance to Newton residents. The division is designed to be wide ranging and the Director must be able to address various types of needs including but not limited to: housing, financial assistance, workforce development, access to benefits, mental health support and referral, substance use referrals, and general case management across the life span.

The Director manages a small division, focusing on both short-term case management and community programming designed to educate and support Newton residents. The Director conducts regular analysis of community needs and keeps up to date on current trends and best practices in the field, using this information to set divisional goals and track achievement. The Director also provides consultation and support across city departments and with a wide range of community partners on social service issues. This includes facilitating working groups and building and leading coalitions around social service issues. It also includes public presentations and in-service training on various topics. The position serves to bridge other public health related activities with human services related activities, promoting a holistic approach to community health in Newton. The position is also responsible for identifying funding opportunities, applying for them and overseeing grants awarded. A visible leader in the community, the position requires strong professionalism, an exemplary work ethic, a solution-oriented attitude, and a willingness to be flexible and collaborative as the needs of our City change over time.







RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Provides strategic analysis of the needs of residents and develops cost effective proposals for how to enhance current social service delivery approaches and create new systems to better serve current and potential recipients.
  • Works with and supervises a small social services team to determine the needs of residents and to coordinate mental health and social services directly with clients and through referrals.
  • Develops and implements clear, responsive protocols to serve client needs in a timely and effective manner, leveraging limited social service personnel and resources to their greatest potential.
  • Leads, consults and actively participates in emergency and/or crisis situations.
  • Researches and compiles resources for clients for referrals.
  • Identifies areas of unmet need, advocating for more comprehensive services when necessary.
  • Convenes and facilitates goal-oriented working groups consisting of diverse stakeholders from across city departments, Newton Public Schools, nonprofits, health care institutions, resident advisors and more, to identify areas of need and develop and implement impactful responses. These might include issues such as: hoarding, substance abuse, elderly abuse, utility advocacy, human trafficking, emergency shelter, housing, transportation, workforce development, access to quality child-care and more
  • Provides presentations to community members and/or in professional settings to promote education and dialogue on a wide variety of social services. Must be comfortable with public presentations.
  • Assigns social services caseloads and provides social work supervision to employees in assigned social service program areas. Provides direct service to residents when needed.
  • Carries out supervisory responsibilities consistent with city policies and applicable laws. Supervisory responsibilities include performance evaluation/management of social service staff.
  • Establishes and maintains close working relationships with other city departments, nonprofits, school personnel and more to effectively create collaborative approaches to serving residents.
  • Supervises, oversees and provides advocacy and needed social work services, medical and financial assistance for individuals and families, based on highly sensitive, confidential and personal information.
  • Interprets and explains rules and regulations governing eligibility for public benefits and assistance resources.
  • Supervises the Citys participation in the Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) fuel assistance program to assist low-income individuals and families during heating season. Works cooperatively with ABCD to provide emergency heating service such as system repair/replacement and weatherization.
  • Maintains working knowledge of current and new resources that social work staff utilize in assisting clients, including, but not limited to fuel assistance, SNAP (food stamps), housing options, emergency relief, transportation, Medicaid/Mass Health, Medicare, SSI, SSDI.
  • Researches, writes and manages grant funding to provide additional resources to the Newton community as well as participates in funding decisions as needed.
  • Maintains working knowledge of all local, state and Federal legislation and educates/advises Executive Office, City Council, and other city departments about its potential impact on Newton and its residents.
  • Advocates at local, state, and federal level for affordable and appropriate housing, financial resources, access to health care, and community resources that support optimum quality of life for Newton residents.
  • Maintains knowledge of trends and developments in the field of social services.
  • Recruits/supervises/mentors undergraduate and graduate level student interns in the field of social work and other social service areas.
  • Participates in the budget planning and implementation process relevant to social services.
  • Participates in departmental planning and management as requested to promote a unified and strong department.
  • Provides ongoing evaluation of social service program goals and objectives.
  • Develops, implements and leads community-based programs.
  • Assures adherence to confidentiality policies, procedures and laws.
  • Ensures records, reports, documents, forms and other data are prepared and protected as necessary.
  • Performs other related duties as required.
QUALIFICATIONS
  • Master's Degree in Social Work from an Accredited MSW Program/LICSW, MA psychology, LMHP; 5-10 years of management and clinical experience.
  • Supervisory experience is a must.
  • Experience developing and overseeing community programs strongly preferred.
  • Community based needs assessment experience preferred.
  • A strong commitment to public service required.
BENEFITS
  • City Retirement (Mandatory)
  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Deferred 457 Plans (Optional)
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Metro Credit Union
  • Tuition Reimbursement