Opportunity Snapshot

In this position you will enjoy the "best of both worlds." On the one hand, you will assume a key leadership role in an organization that is performing very well: we consistently place at the top of Kentucky's performance indicators. On the other hand, you'll be able to make a significant impact as you help us make great programs even better.  We have just completed a highly successful capital campaign and you'll help us grow in a number of ways. In addition, you'll lead a team of strong and enthusiastic professionals who are open to the development opportunities and fresh ideas you'll bring. In fact, you will oversee some 70% of our total staff and 70% of our overall budget.

You will provide administration and direction to Brooklawn's program services, including program development, strategic planning, and day-to-day operations. To be a good fit for this opportunity you will have at least five years of supervisory/managerial experience in an administrative position, and a background in organizations supporting children or adolescents with emotional problems. Hands-on clinical experience is strongly preferred. We're looking for a professional with outstanding leadership skills, including both a strong understanding of organizational systems and the ability to inspire and motivate others who are working in challenging and stressful situations. You also will need to take an open door approach to leadership, acting as a resource and coach/mentor to your people.

At Brooklawn Child & Family Services our outlook is huge and our roots run deep. We've been providing hope and healing to young minds and hearts since 1851. The children who come to us are victims of abuse (physical and sexual), neglect or other trauma with serious emotional and behavioral problems. We help them turn their lives around and become positive and contributing citizens, and you will help us become even better at achieving these outcomes. If you're new to Louisville, KY, it consistently ranks as one of the nation's most desirable cities, and our cost of living is lower than the national average.

What Else You'll Bring to the Table

This is an excellent opportunity for a variety of professionals. For example, if you are a Director at a larger agency in which opportunities for advancement are limited, this is a chance to take your career to the next level. If you are heading up programs at a smaller agency, you'll step up to one of the largest residential treatment programs in Kentucky.

In addition to the qualifications detailed above, you'll need:

• A master's degree in Psychology, Education, Social Work, Counseling, Human Services, Social Service Administration, or a similar field.
• A demonstrated ability to work effectively with clinical, medical, and (ideally) residential professionals.
• Proven success in assessing organizational systems and, where appropriate, driving positive change.
• A solid understanding of care for emotionally disturbed children, from individual treatment goals to best practices and research in the field.
• The ability to develop new programs and to balance program growth with program improvements.
• Budget management experience.
• A working knowledge of government funding.
• A desire to make the most of sophisticated IT systems.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to interact effectively with children and adolescents, and to influence and motivate professionals.
• Effective problem-solving skills.
• Solid organizational and time management abilities.
• Polished public speaking skills.

What's in It for You

High impact -- while we are one of the largest and best performing treatment centers in Kentucky, we will welcome your ideas to help us become even more sophisticated. For example, we have excellent relationships with graduate schools in Louisville, including a strong internship program, but we'll encourage your initiative in expanding our involvement in research.

Strong team, growing programs -- you'll find competent professionals who are strongly committed to Brooklawn's mission. The Directors and others who will report to you are highly competent and still early in their careers, meaning you'll help this team develop. In addition, we're building on an outstanding program record, and you'll help lead exciting new projects. For example, we are preparing to open our first girls' Psychiatric Residential Treatment Program.  With generous support from the community, we're also investing $8,000,000 in new facilities and capital improvements.

Excellent outcomes in a beautiful setting -- Brooklawn is ranked among the best programs in Kentucky and we are highly regarded by referring agencies at the state and local levels; we have achieved this status in large part because of our people's passionate commitment to our mission. Our attractive, spacious 28-acre campus currently has 20 buildings, 12 of which are residential cottages. We also have a group home about a mile away.

Excellent compensation -- in addition to a competitive salary, we offer comprehensive benefits including health, dental, vision, retirement, and more.

Great place to live and work -- situated on the Ohio River, Louisville was established in 1778 and offers diverse amenities. In addition to being home to several major corporations, we also host a variety of well-known events, including the Kentucky Derby and the Humana Festival of New American Plays. The Jefferson County Public School District is known for award-winning students, teachers, and schools. We also have a number of colleges and universities, one of which is home to a highly regarded culinary program; as a result, Louisville boasts many great restaurants.

More About Your Role

Reporting to the President/CEO, you will become one of four Vice Presidents and provide leadership to the Directors of Adolescent Residential Services, Children's Services, and Clinical Services, as well as the Manager of Community Based Services, Nurse Manager, Admissions Coordinator, Administrative Assistant, and Horticulture Instructor. In addition you'll oversee and support two contracted child psychiatrists.

While this is a very broad role, in a nutshell you will lead and develop your staff to ensure Brooklawn's services are designed and implemented to meet the needs of residents, community-based clients, their families, and referral sources. This will include referral development, admissions, milieu structure, behavior management, program development, discharge planning, and much more. In general you will divide your time among three key areas:

Overseeing day-to-day operations, helping staff solve problems and make decisions in a wide variety of areas, including care for individual residents, employee performance, government policies, and more. We'll look to you to get out of your office to "see and be seen," interacting with people throughout the organization.

Developing and improving programs, processes, and policies, with a goal of expanding and improving residential and outpatient services. This will include conducting organizational assessments to identify ways to build on strengths and improve systems. You'll need to maintain a strong understanding of state and federal policies and funding and manage many of our relationships with public agencies.

Helping drive projects and initiatives, and there is a lot going on:

• We're scheduled to open our first cottage for girls in February 2009, and you'll help us transition from a single-sex campus to a comprehensive one.
• Very soon we'll open a new elementary school building for our clients.
• In an effort to help our clients transition even more effectively into less restrictive environments, we're moving from a token economy system to a relationship or restorative model, a demonstrated best practice.

This description is intended to give you an overall picture of the position, but is not exhaustive.

Keys to Success

While you will help lead a good deal of change, we are not looking for a bull in a china shop who is ready to implement sweeping changes on day one. We'll expect you to spend a few months learning and understanding our programs, and then making prudent changes where necessary. To excel in this role you will embrace the mission, vision, and philosophy of Brooklawn and, perhaps even more importantly, envision the potential we can achieve. In addition you will be tough-skinned, willing to invite feedback and use it constructively. You also will need to remain flexible in your schedule.

If this sounds like the right mix of challenge and opportunity for you, and you meet the minimum qualifications, we want to hear from you!

Who We Are

Brooklawn's residential programs serve emotionally and behaviorally troubled boys ages 6 to 18 without regard to race, creed, or national origin; we have a licensed capacity of 121. Brooklawn also provides case management, outpatient therapy, and in-home support services to children of all ages and their families. Children are referred to Brooklawn by psychiatric hospitals, public agencies, case management organizations, private practitioners, and families.

Brooklawn is committed to providing services that are cost effective and responsive to the unique needs of each child, always in close cooperation with the parents or guardians, referring agencies, and funding sources. Brooklawn is accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Children and Family Services, and the Brooklawn School is accredited through Jefferson County Public Schools.