Assistant Director, Permanency

Position Summary:

JCCA's mission is to provide the highest quality child welfare and mental health services to New York's neediest and most vulnerable children and families to ensure that their safety, permanency and well-being leads to a life of stability and promise.

Our programs include foster and residential care, educational assistance and remediation, case management for young people with mental health challenges and services to families to prevent child abuse and maltreatment. JCCA offers safety, stability and lifesaving support to help our clients transform their lives. JCCA programs help more than 17,000 children and families annually.

The Assistant Director of Permanency will provide leadership, supervision, guidance and support to program staff and is responsible for communication of all policies and procedures. The Assistant Director is responsible for ensuring the mission and core values are incorporated to the day to day function of staff with direction with regard to excellence in practice utilizing a Family Centered and Strength-Based model of approach. This position is a critical part of our Campus Services Foster Care Department and will work closely with the Campus Interdisciplinary Team.

Summary of Job Duties:

• Lead with a family-centered, strength-based approach that reflects organizational values
• Oversee service delivery, ensuring early family engagement, concurrent planning, and aftercare support
• Ensure compliance with ACS, DSS, OCFS, federal regulations, and internal policies
• Monitor program performance, outcomes, and key deliverables
• Drive permanency outcomes (reunification, adoption, adult housing, and other safe discharge options)
• Partner across teams to support youth transitions to less restrictive settings
• Provide supervision, coaching, and performance management to staff
• Oversee clinical services, case planning, and treatment coordination
• Collaborate with Child Care leadership to ensure aligned programming
• Represent the organization in stakeholder meetings, community partnerships, and agency initiatives
• Lead and support key initiatives including Managed Care, Families First, and grant-funded programs
• Ensure timely and accurate documentation (FASPs, court reports, EHR, etc.)
• Conduct case record reviews to ensure quality and compliance
• Provide crisis intervention and facilitate internal and external meetings as needed

Qualifications:

• Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) required; Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) highly preferred
• Minimum 2 years of supervisory experience in foster care
• Strong knowledge of child welfare systems (ACS, OCFS, managed care)
• Clinical expertise with a trauma-informed, strength-based approach
• Experience working in 24/7 residential or behavioral health settings preferred
• Demonstrated ability to lead diverse teams and collaborate across disciplines
• Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills
• Proficiency in MS Office and ability to learn new systems
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus
• Commitment to understanding and addressing systemic inequities in child welfare

Salary:

$77K - $85K