Vice President of Programs- Vocational and Housing Services

 At Rise, we believe that everyone deserves opportunities to live a life filled with purpose and pride. In our employment, housing, and life-enrichment services, we support people in setting and achieving their personal goals. As a nonprofit, every Rise team member is driven by our mission. That shared commitment is the foundation of a workplace that embraces a culture of learning and growth by offering extensive training, competitive salaries, and a fun work environment. We are an inspiring leader in disability services that wants to make a real difference in people’s lives!

Job Summary:

The Vice President of Vocational Services is a strategic and visionary leader committed to empowering individuals with disabilities to achieve meaningful employment and independence through innovative and person-centered programs. This role oversees the development, delivery, and continuous improvement of vocational services, ensuring alignment with the organization’s mission, values, and strategic objectives. 

The VP collaborates with individuals served, families, staff, community partners, and funding agencies to design impactful programs, enhance service quality, and achieve measurable outcomes. They lead a team of professionals, fostering a culture of person-centeredness, collaboration, and innovation while maintaining compliance with all applicable standards and regulations. Through effective planning and advocacy, this role positions the organization as a leader in disability employment and housing services and creates opportunities for individuals to thrive.

Oversight includes, 

Budget: $18m 

# Staff: 160 

# CCs: 33

Essential Duties:

Key Expectations

• Standards of Excellence Commitment: All Rise employees are expected to commit to, sign and follow-through on Rise’s Standards of Excellence. Refer to “Standards of Excellence Commitment” document. In the Employee Handbook. 
• Person-Centered Practices: Learn and consistently perform person-centered practices: Identify those things that are important to people who receive support; implement strategies to assure they are present in day-to-day life. Identify areas where change can happen without permission. Act on those areas.
• Communication: All Rise employees are expected to communicate effectively with other staff, external stakeholders, and people we serve in a respectful and timely manner. This includes but is not limited to reading and responding to email in a timely manner, answering and responding to phone calls and voicemails, foster open communication; listening to others; preparing professional written communications as needed. 
• Safety: Participate in the development of a safe and healthy workplace. Comply with safety policies and procedures and adhere to safe work practices. Comply with state motor vehicle laws and regulations. Take reasonable care to ensure your own, co-workers and persons served safety and health. Report any hazards, injuries, or illnesses immediately to your supervisor. Will not place others at risk by any act or omission or interfere with safety equipment. Act as a role model by demonstrating safe work behaviors.

Essential Job Functions:

Program Development and Quality Enhancement 

• Lead the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of all Vocational and Housing support programs and services, ensuring alignment with Rise's mission, goals, and values. 
• Oversee the design, quality, and effectiveness of programs to meet the needs of persons served, with a focus on empowering individuals and fostering independence. 
• Monitor and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and policies (245D licensing, IPS, CARF, contract obligations, state and county requirements). 
• Develop innovative programming and services to respond to existing and emerging trends and challenges in the disability community. 

 Leadership and Team Management 

• Lead and mentor program directors, managers, and other staff to foster professional growth and performance excellence. 
• Provide supervision and support to include ongoing recognition, constructive feedback, tailored training, goal setting, performance management, and conflict resolution.  
• Build and maintain a positive and effective work environment, advancing our culture of person-centered thinking, accountability, collaboration, and innovation. 
• Ensure adequate staffing, training, and resources are available for high-quality service delivery. 
• Succession planning: develop future leaders to ensure long-term organizational success. 

Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy 

• Build and maintain excellent relationships/partnerships with funders, community organizations, government agencies, and other stakeholders. 
• Represent Rise at external events, advocating for disability inclusion and programmatic needs. Pursue opportunities to showcase Rise’s leadership in disability services. 
• Collaborate with governmental entities to influence policies that enhance services. 
• Participate in state associations and other industry workgroups to build partnerships and advance our common goals.  
• Monitor industry trends and activities. 

 Financial and Operational Oversight 

• Work closely with the CFO and finance team to develop and manage program budgets. 
• Identify new sources of revenue, efficiencies and other budgetary improvements to support program growth and financial sustainability. 
• Regularly report on program performance metrics and outcomes to the Rise senior leadership team and board of directors. Co-lead Quality and Innovation Committee. 

 Continuous Improvement and Innovation 

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success and inform decision-making. 
• Use KPI data and feedback from individuals served, families, and staff to drive continuous improvement. 
• Stay current on trends, technology, and research in the field of disabilities services to inform program innovation. 
• Explore and leverage technology to enhance service delivery and operational efficiency. 

Other Duties: This job posting is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the team member for this job.  

Reasonable Accommodation Rise will engage in an interactive process to provide reasonable accommodations that enable job candidates and team members to perform the essential functions of their jobs. Please contact the Rise Recruiting Team at hiring@rise.org if accommodation is needed during the hiring process.

 Key Competencies

• Service-focus – focus on customer (internal and external) needs
• Interpersonal skills – positive behaviors; build relationships; value diversity; manage disagreements; act with integrity; demonstrate adaptability; show work commitment
• Thinking skills – think strategically, analyze issues, use sound judgment, innovate
• Self-management – use time effectively and efficiently; concentrates efforts on the most important priorities; adeptly handles several tasks at once.
• Compassion – genuinely cares about people; is available and ready to help; demonstrates real empathy with the joys and pains of others
• Perseverance - pursues tasks with energy, drive, and a need to finish; does not give up before finishing, even in the face of resistance or setbacks; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
• Managerial Courage - tactfully dispenses direct and actionable feedback; is open and direct with others without being intimidating; deals head-on with people problems and prickly situations.
• Motivating Others - creates a climate in which people want to do their best; can assess each person’s strengths and use them to get the best out of him or her; promotes confidence and optimistic attitudes.
• Directing Others - Establishes clear directions; sets stretching goals and assigns responsibilities that bring out the best work from people; coach & develop others (including timely Performance Acceleration Discussions); establishes a good work plan and distributes the workload appropriately.

Required Education, Experience, and Other Qualifications

• Minimum BA/BS degree in the human services field. 
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in nonprofit program management, preferably in the disability services sector. 
• Deep knowledge of disability services, regulatory requirements, and funding mechanisms (e.g., Medicaid waivers, 245D licensing, accreditation standards). 
• Leadership and Communication Skills: Proven ability to lead and inspire diverse teams in achieving organizational goals; strong interpersonal and communication skills for engaging stakeholders and building partnerships. 
• Experience in change management and driving organizational transformation
• Strategic and Analytical Thinking; demonstrated success in strategic planning and execution: analytical skills for data-driven decision-making and performance improvement; creative problem-solving abilities to address complex challenges. 
• Passion for the Mission: A deep commitment to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families, empathy, and understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. 
• Technology skills: Proficient with Microsoft Office software (Outlook, Word, etc.) Case management – Learn software systems and become proficient
• Current, valid driver’s license
• A driving record that demonstrates safe, legal driving habits
• Compliance with Rule 11 and Rise MVR background check required 
• Reliable transportation to travel for work. 

Preferred Education, Experience, and Other Qualifications

• Previous experience working in a social services organization is preferred.
• Detail-oriented, results-driven, efficient, and communicative.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and prioritize appropriately.

Working Conditions and Environment:

Hours of Work: Hours are typically daytime, Monday through Friday. 

Travel: Must be able to travel to various locations throughout the day, in the Twin Cities area, Central and northern MN, and Western Wisconsin, to visit Rise Program sites and partner locations.

Work Environment: This job operates with flexibility for a hybrid environment, allowing for work from a home office and a Rise office setting. Office hours are required on-site weekly for meetings with the leadership team and Program teams. The person in this position will also have to travel and work at different DTH program sites for meetings. 

What we have to offer you:

• Wage: $111,153.47 - $137,226.50 per year, depending on qualifications
• Hybrid work option, with the requirement to work from the Rise Admin Office (Fridley, MN) 2 days per week
• Medical insurance - single employee coverage less than $90/month
• Dental insurance less than $17/month
• Vision insurance
• 401(k) with a 100% vested employer match
• Rise sponsored Basic Life & AD &D insurance
• Voluntary Life, Short Term, and Long Term Disability Insurance 
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Tuition reimbursement and Rise-sponsored training (i.e., CPR, First Aid, and more) to help you be successful in your role
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Time Off (PTO) starting at 16 days during your first year, plus 2 floating holidays and serious health condition PTO
• Employee Resource Groups (i.e., DEI, LGBTQ+, Recognition, and more).
• A fun team environment that supports your professional development and opportunities for career advancement
• Rise is a PSLF-eligible employer. Your qualified student loan balance may be forgiven after 120 covered payments.

Are you looking to work with a diverse team of professionals? Do you want to work in a fun environment while supporting others to live a life of possibilities? Then join Rise, Inc.! Visit our career page to apply for this and other positions, or email us at hiring@rise.org if you have questions.

Rise values being a person-centered organization. This impacts how we carry out services for the people we support and our organizational culture. We encourage people's unique individual differences and celebrate the ways our team members contribute to our community. We believe in a workplace informed by differing viewpoints and perspectives created from a diverse team and welcome people of all races, genders, ages, nationalities, religions, sexual orientations, and backgrounds to apply. Our goal is that those we serve and our team members always feel valued and respected.