Social Service Assistant Director I

Role Scope:  Assistant Director I is a first-level management position responsible for overseeing the Family Services Unit within the LDSS. This role involves advising the Social Services Director on various issues and undertaking special projects. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Acting in place of the Social Services Director when absent.
• Planning, assigning, reviewing, and evaluating the work of Family Services supervisory staff.
• Monitoring service delivery and implementing organizational changes with the Director to achieve goals and objectives.
• Reviewing and evaluating program policy and the effects of new programs or revisions on the agency, its staff, and resources.
• Determining staffing needs and making recommendations to the agency director.
• Recommending hiring, transfer, promotion, and termination of personnel.
• Consulting with supervisors on unresolved case problems.
• Coordinating various program goals and efforts with other agency units.
• Collaborating with community partners.
• Preparing or approving correspondence and overseeing the recordkeeping system.
• Assisting in planning community resources.
• Leading special projects.
• Preparing budgets and monitoring expenditures related to program with the Director.
• Collecting and compiling data for long-range planning.
• Preparing ad hoc and regular reports for the agency director.
• Ensuring training and development of staff.
• Planning and coordinating the implementation of programs.
• Conducting necessary meetings.
• Managing and directing the activities and functions of assigned programs
• Schedules 24/7/365 for Family Services Unit
• Serve on-call for Family Services Unit based on scheduling needs

Qualifications:  (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities)  Considerable knowledge of: human services program delivery; assigned program areas’ policies, procedures and practices; the current social, economic, and health issues relating to clients in jurisdiction; Social Security Act; laws and regulations on administration of welfare services; human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; principles and processes for providing customer and personal services; business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, and coordination of people and resources; and principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, and personnel information systems.  Skills- Skilled in operating office equipment to include the personal computer and related equipment. Demonstrated ability to plan, direct, implement, and monitor assigned programs; supervise and direct the work of managers; communicate effectively both orally and in writing, with diverse groups of persons; interpret complex rules and regulations; work effectively with others; represent the Social Service Director before the Boards, staff, and other committee assignment or government meetings; and to analyze problems and develop logical conclusions.

Education and Experience:  Master's degree in social work, a behavioral science, counseling, business or public administration or related field supplemented with professional experience in social work or other human services field with some supervisory or other management work experience or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.
  VDSS is one of the largest Commonwealth agencies, partnering with 120 local departments of social services, along with faith-based and non-profit organizations, to promote the well-being of children and families statewide. We proudly serve alongside nearly 13,000 state and local human services professionals throughout the Social Services System, who ensure that thousands of Virginia's most vulnerable citizen have access to best services and benefits available to them.