Program Manager – Central MA Area

Job Description: Program Manager – Central MA Area

Job Type: Full Time (40 hours/week)

Location: Central MA

Have you traveled or are you traveling the mental health journey with your child or young adult? Do you feel passionate about helping similar families and advocating for better systems and services? Do you lead with compassion? If so, then this job may be for you!

Parent/Professional Advocacy League, Inc. (PPAL) is a vibrant, impactful nonprofit organization working to improve life for families of children and young adults with mental health needs. PPAL works throughout Massachusetts helping families navigate services in mental health, juvenile justice, and school, at no cost. We closely partner with other community and state agencies to support families, nurture parent leaders, and improve systems. More information about PPAL can be found at https://ppal.net.

The responsibilities of the Program Manager for the Central MA DMH Area are varied, challenging, and require positivity and creativity, in a fast-paced, often changing environment.

The Program Manager must:

• have experience raising a child, youth, or young adult with emotional, behavioral or mental health needs

• have a steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

• embrace and celebrate all cultures, ethnicities, languages, gender identities, sexual preferences, ages, lifestyles, and abilities - all families are important and treated with respect

• have a strong desire to support PPAL’s mission of improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and families

• have leadership skills to strengthen and create positive change in the organization

• be able to work some evenings and weekends, including an on-call rotation for internal issues

• have a valid MA driver’s license, and access to a car (driving is required)

This position is currently hybrid – office (Westborough, MA), home, and community-based - generally during Monday – Friday business hours. You must be flexible in your ability to be in the office, in the community, and at required meetings. Bilingual candidates preferred.

Interested? Here are some of the things you would be doing:

• Planning, overseeing, and administering the operation and contract deliverables of the Community and School Therapeutic Supports for Families Program, funded by DMH Central MA Area (Program), to best support families. The contract deliverables include caregiver support groups, family information and referrals, trainings, workshops, events, community and school outreach and marketing. You will also be providing direct one-to-one family support on a regular basis.

• Providing strengths-based leadership, training, modeling, coaching, and support for team members in alignment with PPAL’s mission, vision, and senior leadership team objectives, and across all areas of service delivery, to build a strong, mutually-supporting team, advance the skills of team members, and strengthen the organization as a whole. You must serve as a model for positivity, creativity, warmth, and energy in your work.

• Providing regular strengths-based supervision, workload management, and positive energy to the Assistant Program Manager (APM) and, in conjunction with APM, to family support specialists and other Program team members. You are expected to work closely and collaboratively with the APM.

• Building effective and robust family support groups, referral networks, consultative services, training, and workshops focused on family support, and developing family involvement and leaders in children’s and youth mental health.

• Designing and conducting effective and robust presentations, public speaking events, trainings, workshops, panels, and support groups aligned with the Program’s and PPAL’s goals.

• Developing and implementing effective family voice-centric marketing and outreach campaigns to generate awareness and accessibility of the Program offerings in the applicable communities, schools, and psychiatric and medical provider offices.

• Networking with relevant local partners and stakeholders through direct contact, speaking engagements, participation in mental health related meetings and community events.

• Generating inclusion of and support for families navigating the mental health system with their children; and developing and maintaining partnerships with relevant community partners.

• Identifying and regularly reporting to senior leadership areas of suggested improvement in the Program, organization, and system supports for families with children, youth, and young adults with mental health challenges; making recommendations for improvement.

• Monitoring the Program budget, expenses, staff scheduling, and payroll.

• Providing timely reporting of Program activities as determined by PPAL’s senior leadership team.

• Participating in PPAL’s data collection and reporting efforts.

• Stepping in to help Program team members with service deliverables, including on-call rotation for after hour internal emergencies, and weekend/evening Program activities.

• Adhering to and implementing PPAL’s policies and procedures to support the efficient and effective operation of the Program and PPAL.

• Working across departments to advance the Program goal, PPAL’s mission and vision, and senior leadership team objectives.

• Representing PPAL and family voice always in a positive and professional manner; consistently communicating PPAL’s mission and vision as a representative of family voice in mental health.

• Embracing diverse cultural norms and regularly demonstrating cultural awareness, humility, and a desire to learn.

If this describes you, let’s talk! Submit your resume and cover letter (including your personal experience with children’s mental health) to PPAL at apply@ppal.net.

This is a full-time, 40 hour/week salaried position with a salary range of $50,000-$56,000, depending upon experience. Benefits include generous PTO, holidays, and contributory health/dental insurance.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $50,000.00 - $56,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Application Question(s):

• PPAL has a steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Bilingual candidates are preferred. Do you speak another language other than English?
• Driving is required for this job. Do you have a valid MA drivers’ license, and access to a car?
• Do you have a child with mental health challenges? Please tell us about your lived experience.

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Westborough, MA 01581

Salary : $50,000 - $56,000