Boston Public Schools seeks a Director of Social Work to work collaboratively with various stakeholders, including schools, district staff, community partners, parents and youth to support the planning, development, and implementation of trauma, healing and resiliency focused school social work services that support students in achieving their full potential --academically, socially and emotionally. (S)he will also assess and provide professional development and other support needs of school social workers and social work interns across the district such as access to community partners, technical assistance, systems (e.g. case management, data) or additional resources (e.g. obtained through grants). The Director of Social Work will ensure alignment between district goals and school social workers' service delivery and remain informed of needs by serving on various internal and external committees.

REPORTS TO: Chief of Accountability

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Management

• Coordinate and supervise the development and implementation of prevention, and early intervention focused school social work services in compliance with district, state, and federal policies and regulations
• Facilitate the use of culturally and linguistically sustaining, resilience and empowerment focused practices in the delivery of school social work services
• Assess and map local social services and coordinate with community agencies to ensure available services are accessible to families
• Lead planning activities and program evaluations of the department
• Develop work and project plans and chart progress against them
• Appropriately update supervisor regarding progress towards project goals, and supports needed
• Manage assigned duties within budget, including school assignment of staff

Professional Development Design, Delivery and Continuous Improvement

• Assess professional development needs to inform professional development design and delivery
• Regularly convene and support the professional development needs of school based Social Workers
• Organize and provide in-person and virtual professional development opportunities (trainings, convenings, and presentations) for school staff, families and community partners focused on trauma sensitive schools, healing and resiliency
• Utilize the district structures to evaluate the effectiveness of professional development offerings and use data obtained to support continuous improvement
• Stay current with best practices and research; share information and knowledge with schools through various means
• Contribute to the development of tools and repositories for school staff access and use
• Support the recruitment, on-boarding and continuous development of a cadre of social work interns from local colleges and universities

School Site Technical Assistance

• Build and maintain relationships with school staff, students, families and community partners focused on the creation of a safe, healthy, and sustaining school climate and culture dedicated to eliminating structural opportunity gaps that negatively impact students
• Work with partners in other district departments to develop structures and systems to guide school based Student Support Teams in the implementation of approaches or concepts such as multi-tiered systems of academic and behavioral support for students in order to ensure linkage of services and intervention strategies to the classroom to enhance the child's overall educational development

Partner Cultivation and Continuous Engagement

• Develop and maintain relationships with key personnel and agencies in K-12 schools, post secondary education institutions, community organizations, and
  relevant social service systems, collaborative groups and work groups in order to leverage partnerships, build capacity, and/or connect to resources that meet the needs of schools and students.
• Work collaboratively with other relevant district departments, committees and personnel as needed.
• Lead or support grant writing and management efforts related to school social work services

Staff Supervision and Support

• Obtain information from school leaders on progress of staff in meeting goals and objectives
• Utilize best practice coaching models to work staff in team and one-on-one settings; observe and model practice; and provide debrief and feedback sessions focused on continuous improvement of practice
• Provide support to school leaders to hire, onboard and evaluate high quality Social Worker/ Coordinators

Records and Data Collection, Analysis and Management

• Coordinate and assess record keeping, including centralized student case management records and related data
• Analyze data and identify areas of need (i.e. gaps in services to marginalized sub-groups) to inform training, evaluations, and successful implementation of promising practices
• Develop and maintain case management systems; Determine mechanisms to ensure services are effectively deployed and monitored using data
• Provide information for reporting purposes as needed

Other

• Supervise staff as assigned by supervisor
• Complete other duties as assigned by supervisor

QUALIFICATIONS - REQUIRED:

• Master's Degree in social work, counseling or other related field
• Licensed Social Worker (LICSW)
• MA DESE School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor License (All Levels)
• Three (3) or more years of experience supervising social work services including coaching and evaluating staff
• Minimum of three years professional experience in an urban setting with diverse populations with demonstrated knowledge of the impact of stresses of poverty on students and their families
• Ability to design, develop and implement programs and tasks autonomously
• Thorough understanding of child and adolescent development (emotional, social, physical and intellectual)
• Knowledge of legal protections for students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, as well as system involved youth as a whole
• Knowledge of adult learning theory and social & emotional learning competencies
• Proven experience developing innovative programming, incorporating the best practices in the field
• Outstanding presentation and facilitation skills with demonstrated ability to deliver professional development
• Superior interpersonal skills including but not limited to the ability to express disagreement tactfully, sensitively and with cultural insight
• Compassionate and inclusive leader who exhibits the ability to empathize with others in stressful situations
• Demonstrated ability to successfully work with diverse groups of people
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with a variety
  of diverse stakeholders

• Effective organizational, oral and written communication, and planning skills
• Possession of a growth mindset orientation
• Skilled in the use of technology to support effective communications, presentation design and delivery, and data management
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office programs including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, as well as Google Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Drive
• Experience using spreadsheets, data and creating graphs
• Experience with managing the production of printed material, including presentations, reports, brochures, leaflets, flyers

• Able to professionally represent department/ office to partners both within and outside of the BPS
• Ability to travel between multiple school sites/ district offices
• Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment

QUALIFICATIONS - PREFERRED:

• Five (5) or more years of successful experience as a social worker in a public school setting
• Three (3) or more years of experience supervising school social work services
• Fluent in one of BPS' official languages: Spanish, Creole (Cape Verdean), Creole (Haitian), Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, or Somali
• Familiarity with Boston and Boston Public Schools

TERMS:

• BASAS 11B, 225 days

Please refer to www.bostonpublicschools.org/ohc (under "Employee Benefits and Policies") for more information on salary and compensation. Salaries are listed by Unions and Grade/Step.

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals' dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.