Director of Residential Services

Job Details: Job Location: Clarence Fischer Center - Vassar, MI, Education Level: Graduate Degree, Salary Range: Undisclosed, Job Shift: Any, Director of Residential Services

Location: Vassar, Michigan
Organization: Wolverine Human Services
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Key Leadership Partners: Executive Clinical Director and Director of Client Services
Classification: Full-Time, Exempt

Position Summary

Wolverine Human Services is seeking an experienced and mission-driven Director of Residential Services to provide leadership and operational oversight for its residential programs at the Vassar campus.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director is responsible for safe, effective, and compliant 24-hour residential operations, including direct-care staffing, supervision, program implementation, youth safety, contract performance, and regulatory compliance.

The Director will collaborate closely with the Executive Clinical Director and Director of Client Services to ensure that residential operations, clinical treatment, case management, education, family engagement, and transition planning are coordinated and responsive to each youth’s needs.

The successful candidate must have direct experience leading or managing a licensed Child Caring Institution and comprehensive knowledge of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Division of Child Welfare Licensing requirements, residential-provider contracts, licensing investigations, corrective action plans, and compliance monitoring.

This is a visible, hands-on leadership position requiring regular engagement with youth, direct-care staff, supervisors, program leaders, licensing representatives, contract partners, and other stakeholders.

Essential Responsibilities

Residential Operations

Direct and oversee all residential programs and daily operations at the Vassar campus.

Ensure consistent, safe, structured, and youth-centered programming across all residential units and shifts.

Maintain a visible presence throughout the campus and regularly engage with youth, supervisors, and direct-care staff.

Oversee staffing coverage, shift operations, staff-to-youth ratios, youth supervision, transportation, activities, and campus safety.

Ensure residential services are delivered in accordance with approved program statements, agency policies, licensing requirements, and contractual obligations.

Establish clear operational expectations and ensure consistent implementation across all shifts.

Participate in the administrator-on-call rotation and respond to critical incidents, emergencies, staffing concerns, and significant operational issues.

Coordinate residential operations with clinical, medical, education, case management, training, human resources, food service, and facilities departments.

Monitor the physical environment to ensure residential areas are safe, clean, welcoming, and appropriately maintained.

Ensure operational supplies, equipment, vehicles, and other resources are available and used responsibly.

Leadership Collaboration

Report directly to the Chief Operating Officer regarding residential operations, staffing, safety, compliance, and program performance.

Collaborate with the Executive Clinical Director to align residential practices with treatment plans, clinical recommendations, behavioral interventions, trauma-informed care, and therapeutic goals.

Collaborate with the Director of Client Services to coordinate case management, educational services, family engagement, court and CMO communication, placement stability, and discharge planning.

Maintain clear lines of responsibility while promoting communication and shared accountability across residential, clinical, and client-services functions.

Participate in interdisciplinary leadership meetings, case reviews, critical-incident follow-up, and program-improvement planning.

Promptly elevate unresolved safety, licensing, staffing, clinical, or client-service concerns to the Chief Operating Officer.

CCI Licensing and Regulatory Compliance

Ensure continuous compliance with Michigan DCWL requirements and all applicable Child Caring Institution licensing rules.

Maintain program readiness for licensing visits, special investigations, audits, contract monitoring, and other external reviews.

Work closely with the Child Caring Institution Administrator, licensing consultants, MDHHS, CMOs, courts, and other governmental partners.

Ensure licensing violations, contractual deficiencies, and performance concerns are addressed promptly and thoroughly.

Lead or support the development, implementation, monitoring, and validation of corrective action plans.

Establish systems to verify that corrective actions are consistently implemented and sustained.

Review residential policies, procedures, training materials, and operating practices to ensure alignment with licensing rules and contractual requirements.

Monitor staff compliance with youth-supervision requirements, documentation standards, incident reporting, mandatory reporting, youth rights, behavior management, restraint, and emergency procedures.

Ensure required reports and notifications are accurate, complete, and submitted within established timeframes.

Review incident documentation and video footage when required by policy, licensing expectations, or corrective action plans.

Ensure staff understand the requirements of applicable licensing rules and can demonstrate competency in required practices.

Contract Management and Performance

Maintain a thorough working knowledge of all residential-service contracts and performance expectations.

Ensure residential programs meet contractual requirements related to admissions, staffing, service delivery, documentation, reporting, safety, programming, and youth outcomes.

Monitor contract deliverables, census, utilization, staffing commitments, performance measures, and program capacity.

Identify potential compliance or performance risks and develop timely mitigation plans.

Prepare for and participate in contract evaluations, provider reviews, audits, monitoring visits, and performance meetings.

Ensure requested contract documentation and compliance responses are accurate and submitted by established deadlines.

Collaborate with the Chief Operating Officer and finance leadership to evaluate contract performance, operational costs, staffing needs, and program sustainability.

Maintain positive and professional relationships with contracting agencies and referral partners.

Staff Leadership and Accountability

Provide direct leadership, supervision, coaching, and support to residential managers and supervisors.

Establish clear performance expectations and ensure consistent accountability across programs and shifts.

Strengthen supervisory practices, shift communication, documentation, decision-making, and follow-through.

Monitor staffing levels, schedules, attendance, overtime, vacancies, turnover, and workforce stability.

Ensure each shift has appropriate leadership and staffing coverage.

Partner with Human Resources and Training to support recruitment, onboarding, competency development, coaching, retention, and corrective action.

Ensure staff complete all required training and demonstrate competency in supervision, documentation, crisis prevention, de-escalation, trauma-informed care, emergency procedures, behavior management, and youth protection.

Address performance concerns promptly, fairly, and consistently.

Promote a professional workplace culture grounded in accountability, teamwork, communication, respect, and continuous improvement.

Recognize positive staff performance and create opportunities for leadership development and advancement.

Youth Safety and Program Quality

Ensure residential services are trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, and individualized.

Promote a safe, structured, and supportive environment that protects youth rights, dignity, confidentiality, and well-being.

Ensure youth receive consistent schedules, supervision, programming, education, recreation, and opportunities for positive development.

Monitor critical incidents, restraints, AWOL events, grievances, medication concerns, injuries, allegations of abuse or neglect, and other significant trends.

Ensure immediate and appropriate responses to safety concerns, including all required internal and external notifications.

Review incidents for contributing factors, patterns, policy compliance, staff performance, and opportunities for prevention.

Ensure appropriate follow-up occurs after critical incidents, including debriefing, staff coaching, youth support, documentation review, and corrective action.

Participate in case conferences, treatment-team meetings, placement-stability discussions, and discharge-planning activities as needed.

Promote residential programming that supports emotional regulation, education, family engagement, life skills, positive behavior, community involvement, and successful transitions.

Ensure youth and family feedback is considered in program development and improvement.

Continuous Quality Improvement

Use operational and performance data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

Conduct routine program observations, shift reviews, documentation audits, staffing reviews, and compliance assessments.

Monitor the effectiveness of corrective actions, staff training, supervisory practices, and program improvements.

Develop measurable goals related to youth safety, staffing, licensing compliance, program quality, contract performance, and youth outcomes.

Prepare regular reports and recommendations for the Chief Operating Officer and executive leadership.

Participate in root-cause analyses and develop corrective strategies following significant incidents or identified system failures.

Carry forward unresolved action items and ensure owners and completion dates are clearly identified.

Support implementation of Wolverine Human Services’ Back-to-Basics—Stabilize, Revive, Thrive framework.

External Relations

Represent Wolverine Human Services during meetings with licensing officials, contract agencies, courts, CMOs, schools, law enforcement, and community partners.

Maintain professional, responsive, and collaborative relationships with external stakeholders.

Address partner concerns promptly and communicate significant issues to the Chief Operating Officer.

Support program development and partnerships that enhance services and opportunities for youth.

Perform other duties consistent with the responsibilities and leadership level of the position.

Qualifications: Required Qualifications

Master’s degree in social work, psychology, counseling, public administration, criminal justice, human services, or a closely related field.

A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in residential treatment, juvenile justice, child welfare, behavioral health, or a related human-services setting.

Demonstrated experience directly leading or managing the daily operations of a licensed Child Caring Institution.

At least three years of experience supervising managers, supervisors, or multidisciplinary residential teams.

Comprehensive knowledge of Michigan DCWL licensing rules and Child Caring Institution requirements.

Demonstrated experience interpreting and implementing residential-provider contracts and performance requirements.

Experience preparing for licensing reviews, special investigations, audits, contract evaluations, and monitoring visits.

Experience developing, implementing, monitoring, and sustaining corrective action plans.

Knowledge of trauma-informed care, adolescent development, positive behavior support, crisis prevention, youth supervision, and residential best practices.

Demonstrated ability to oversee 24-hour operations and respond effectively to high-risk situations.

Strong leadership, communication, organizational, analytical, decision-making, and conflict-resolution skills.

Ability to communicate effectively with youth, families, staff, executives, licensing officials, and contract partners.

Ability to meet all applicable licensing, background-check, driving, and agency employment requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

Licensed Master Social Worker or another applicable Michigan professional license.

Experience serving youth involved in both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.

Knowledge of PREA requirements and continuous quality-improvement practices.

Experience stabilizing or improving a residential program experiencing licensing, staffing, safety, or performance challenges.

Experience working with MDHHS, county agencies, courts, CMOs, public schools, and behavioral-health providers.

Experience developing supervisors and strengthening direct-care workforce performance.

Leadership Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

Visible and hands-on leadership

Strong knowledge of residential operations

Regulatory and contractual expertise

Clear and timely communication

Consistent follow-through and accountability

Sound judgment during crises

Commitment to youth safety and dignity

Ability to develop supervisors and direct-care teams

Collaborative problem-solving

High ethical and professional standards

Cultural humility and responsiveness

A solutions-focused approach to organizational change

Physical and Scheduling Requirements

Ability to work at and travel throughout the Vassar residential campus.

Ability to regularly enter residential units and observe programming across all shifts.

Ability to participate in an on-call rotation.

Ability to work outside traditional business hours when required by program needs, licensing matters, or emergencies.

Ability to complete all required crisis-prevention, safety, and agency training.

Ability to travel to meetings, court hearings, contract reviews, and other agency-related activities as required.

Why Join Wolverine Human Services?

Wolverine Human Services is committed to providing safe, stable, and meaningful opportunities for children and youth. We believe sustainable change begins with strong relationships, consistent expectations, accountable leadership, and the belief that everyone matters.

The Director of Residential Services will have an important opportunity to strengthen operations, develop staff, improve service quality, and help position Wolverine Human Services as a premier provider of residential care.

Wolverine Human Services is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.