Southwest Human Development (SWHD) is seeking a passionate and creative Director of the Services for Children with Disabilities (SCD) Department.

This individual will have clinical experience and expertise in working with young children ages 0-5 (and their families) who have a wide range of developmental delays and disabilities. The candidate will also have experience with grant writing, as well as the development, implementation, and monitoring of programs which serve this population. This includes budget development and oversight. The candidate will be knowledgeable about and committed to family-centered, team-based, culturally-responsive and trauma-informed service delivery models. He/she will also have experience with an integrated medical, developmental, and mental health/behavioral health approach to supporting young children and their families. The candidate will likewise be knowledgeable and experienced in designing programs which incorporate diversity-informed practices and promote full inclusion through access, participation, and systems level support. 

This individual will be responsible for clinical and administrative oversight of Services for Children with Disabilities Department programs which include the: Children’s Developmental Center; First Things First Inclusion Coaching Program; Nurse Family Partnership Program; Arizona Department of Health Services High Risk Pregnancy Program; Smooth Way Home Program (support for NICU babies and families transitioning home from the hospital); and Head Start/Early Head Start Disabilities Services. Ideally he/she will have experience with the Reflective Supervision model, and the principles of relationship-based work.

We are looking for a candidate who can help the Services for Children with Disabilities Department grow and develop – to reflect and incorporate current trends in the fields of disabilities services, inclusion, early care and education, and infant mental health.

The candidate will be part of the Southwest Human Development Director’s group and as such will participate in agency planning and development activities as well as a variety of intra-agency collaboration and professional development projects. He/she will also have responsibility building collaborative relationships with community partners to advocate for and develop policies, programs, and service delivery systems which meet the needs of all children.

About Southwest Human Development;

Southwest Human Development’s mission is to strengthen the foundation Arizona’s children need for a great start in life: our vision is a positive future for every child.

Southwest Human Development is Arizona's largest nonprofit dedicated to early childhood development, with a staff of almost 900 serving 140,000 young children and their families each year. The agency’s overall goal is to help children establish a healthy foundation by preventing problems before they arise, or when they already exist, intervening as early and effectively as possible. The agency has long been recognized as a leader in providing comprehensive services for children ages birth through five and their families in in six primary categories: Child Development and Mental Health; Easterseals Disabilities Services; Early Communication, Language and Literacy; Head Start and Early Head Start; Family Support and Child Welfare; and Professional Education and Training.

Southwest Human Development’s Core Values embody the agency’s commitment to services that uplift the lives of children, families and other care providers, and the communities in which they live. These values are intended to guide the professional development, ethical conduct and skilled practice of all of our staff, whatever their specific role within the agency. All staff are valued as making essential contributions to strengthening the foundation that Arizona’s children need for a great start in life.

 Core Values:

·         High Quality and Ethical Services

·         Learning as a Lifelong Process

·         Promoting Social Justice, Equity and Inclusion

·         Working in Partnership with Families, Caregivers and Community Providers

·         Reflective Practice in Support of Relationship-Based Work

·         Innovative Responsiveness to Community Needs

·         Responsible Stewardship

Qualifications:

·         Minimum MA/MS degree in psychology, speech/language pathology, mental health, early childhood education, special education, or related field. Ph.D. preferred.

·         Minimum 5 years direct experience providing clinical/educational/special education services to young children ages 0-5 and their families. To include work with children who have developmental delays and/or disabilities. Preference for experience with children with or at risk for autism and with fragile infants.

Minimum 5 years experience supervision, program management (including grant writing and budget development/oversight), and program development. Minimum 5 years experience in senior leadership position. Experience with Reflective Supervision model preferred

SWHD takes the health and safety of our employees and the communities we serve very seriously. We strongly believe vaccination is a critical safety measure to protect each of us and the communities we serve. The COVID vaccinations have proven to be highly effective at protecting people from getting COVID-19 or from getting severely ill from it.

All candidates must meet SWHD vaccination standards, including the COVID vaccine, for their program.

Compensation: DOE