Human Services Director

Human Services Department Leadership

This position provides leadership, strategic direction, and supervision to the Human Services Department. The incumbent performs professional, managerial and leadership duties relating to planning, directing, organizing, implementing, and coordinating all programs, materials, sites, and activities of the Human Services Department including Child Welfare, Adult Services, Child Support Enforcement, Assistance Payments, Veteran's Services, and the Family Resource Center. Incumbent is committed to excellence in public service through leadership by example, teamwork, creative problem solving, fairness in service delivery, and sound financial management. Incumbent works to align the Department's culture with the County's organizational values.

Essential Job Functions:

• Serves as a member of the County's Department Head team; identifies and develops courses of action to respond to a wide variety of organizational needs; develops short and long range plans; provides staff with the appropriate tools and guidance in order to reach those goals.
• Provides professional advice on issues to the County Administrator and Board of County Commissioners. Reviews proposed ordinances, regulations, and plans for accuracy and feasibility. Makes presentations to the BOCC, boards, commissions, and the public.
• Researches, investigates and directs the resolution of complex problems, and conducts research on policy topics. Analyzes problems, identifies alternative solutions, projects consequences of proposed actions, and implements recommendations in support of goals.
• Ensure compliance with and maintain awareness of federal, state, and local laws, rules and regulations pertaining to the programs and services of the Department of Human Services. Coordinates and consults the County Attorney on legal issues and litigation involving the Department.
• Provides leadership, direction and is responsible for partnering with assigned staff in planning, developing, and implementing the overall vision, mission, programs, processes and projects of the department. Creates strategic plans, assembles staff resources, and coordinates and balances activities of the department with other County departments, consultants, developers, contractors, governmental agencies, community organizations, and the public.
• Manages and supervises operations to achieve goals within available resources; evaluates work completed by the department to determine effectiveness in meeting goals and objectives of the department; oversees division workloads and staff assignments; ensures that assigned staff works as a team to avoid duplication of service and to ensure that customer expectations are recognized and met.
• Hires, assigns, schedules, evaluates and directs work of subordinates, delegates tasks to assigned staff members. Recommends personnel actions including hiring, promotion, evaluation, corrective and/or disciplinary action, and separation. Responsible for complex fiscal management, including Federal, State, and County funding streams and budgets.
• Advocates for financial resources through various allocation committees and grant opportunities. Prepares, presents, and monitors the Human Services annual budget, ensuring fiscal responsibility and efficient use of resources. Controls costs, manages budgets, and ensures optimal use of personnel, capital improvements, and equipment to meet department objectives.
• Supports the County response to disasters and other emergencies by coordinating assistance to survivors and community members. Operates the County Disaster Assistance Center when activated, and assists with sheltering programs as requested.
• Attend community meetings and gatherings to conduct training and provide emergency preparedness and response information to residents and businesses as broadly as possible. Respond to inquiries, engage with residents and civic groups, and represent the organization at governmental and professional meetings. Build and maintains relationships with external agencies, other local governments, private stakeholders, community groups, etc to communicate planning goals, policies, and programs.

General Requirements:

• Performs additional tasks as assigned, including filling in for other staff as necessary and/or required.
• May be required to work alternate schedules and/or in other work locations.
• Possesses oral and written skills to communicate effectively, including but not limited to communicating actively, clearly, and regularly with supervisors and/or co-workers on all work-related topics.
• Understands, observes, enforces, and complies with all County and Departmental policies, procedures, and protocols when performing job duties both on and off County premises.
• Establishes and maintains professional working relationships with all County employees, customers, vendors, and community members.
• May be required to effectively manage multiple projects, deal with stressful situations, and adapt to sudden and unexpected changes in work assignments.
• Must reside within Huerfano County within 90 days of hire.

Other Requirements:

• Colorado Bureau of Investigation Proper System Usage Training within 30 days of hire.
• The following Incident Command System Training is required within one year of hire: ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800.
• Background check by employer during the hiring process.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Knowledge and level of competency commonly associated with completion of bachelor's degree in a course of study related to the occupational field, including but not limited to: public or business administration, human services, social work, or sociology. Master's degree preferred.
• At least 5 years of experience sufficient to thoroughly understand the diverse objectives and functions of the department's component units in order to direct and coordinate work within the department.
• At least 5 years of demonstrated managerial and administrative leadership experience.
• Years of related experience may be substituted for required education, however education cannot be substituted for the necessary work experience. Candidates must meet the minimum required years of work experience.
• Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid Colorado Driver's License.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of principles and practices of social casework, social welfare administration, social research and community, social and health resources.
• Mental illness, mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
• Therapeutic intervention principles and practices.
• Policies, procedures, philosophies, rules and regulations governing the services to clients.
• All applicable state, federal and local laws, rules and regulations.
• Case management, crisis intervention, therapeutic intervention, and counseling techniques.
• Basic budgetary and accounting principles and practices.
• Administrative principles and practices, including goal setting and program budget development and implementation.
• Administration of staff and activities, either directly or through subordinate supervision.
• Computer applications related to the work.
• Ability to using tact, discretion, initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Analyzing and resolving office administrative situations and problems.
• Researching, compiling, and summarizing a variety of informational and statistical data and materials.
• Organizing work.