ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION - 75627

Executive Service

This is a hybrid position

For more information, visit the link below:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/human-services/documents/HRC0018466_DHS_Prog_Dir3_VRTYES_31626.pdf

Background Check:

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Who we are and what we do:

DHS MISSION: Strengthen Tennessee by Strengthening Tennesseans DHS VISION: To revolutionize the customer experience by growing capacity to reduce dependency. DHS VALUES: High Performance Collaboration Continuous Improvement A Shared Vision Customer-Centered Solutions

Job Overview:

The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS), Division of Rehabilitation Services is seeking a dedicated visionary and dynamic leader to serve as an Assistant Director in the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program overseeing Transition and Youth Employment Services. This role is dedicated to leading the efforts of removing barriers to employment for students and youth with disabilities to achieve their career goals. The Assistant VR Director of Transition and Youth Employment Services is an essential leader within the VR program. This position assists the VR program in fulfilling the purpose of providing employment-focused services for individuals with disabilities consistent with their strengths, priorities, and resources with the ultimate goal of competitive, integrated employment through a customer centered approach. Under the general supervision of the VR Director, the Assistant VR Director of Transition and Youth Employment Services serves as the statewide leader providing strategic vision, public education, and programmatic oversight to ensure students and youth with disabilities receive the valuable services offered through the VR program. The Assistant VR Director of Transition and Youth Employment is responsible for leading the departments transition programs for students with disabilities to promote the successful transition to life after high school resulting in competitive integrated employment outcomes. The Assistant VR Director of Transition and Youth Employment serves as the principal liaison with the Department of Education and facilitates collaboration with the local education agencies across the state. This includes implementing processes to ensure high quality transition and youth employment services are delivered to students with disabilities across the state.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serves as the subject matter expert for all aspects of transition and youth employment services statewide.
• Leads, guides, and directs the transition and youth employment services team to ensure innovative service delivery opportunities exist for students with disabilities that lead to competitive integrated employment outcomes.
• Evaluates and oversees the organization, structure, and staffing of the transition and youth employment services team to achieve VR program goals including meeting the needs of students with disabilities, the local school systems, and compliance with the requirements of Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) in collaboration with the quality assurance team.
• Establish, maintain, and strengthen relationships with state education and workforce partners including the Department of Education, Economic and Community Development (ECD), and Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DLWD).
• Oversee the various contracts with providers of services that involve transition and youth employment services. As one of the three Assistant VR Directors, provide leadership and guidance to all VR field staff, to include topics specific to transition. This could include providing discussion sessions around best practices to the field in various areas within VR.
• Ensure policy and procedure compliance throughout the state in collaboration with the policy and case management system staff.
• Provide day to day oversight of 25 Transition Services staff, including conducting regular meetings and professional development plans and training opportunities for staff.
• Develop and implement innovative education and business outreach plans that targets geographic locations and business industries based on the needs of both VR eligible student customers and the business community based on labor market data and employment trends in Tennessee.
• Oversee the expansion of work-based learning sites available to VR eligible students across Tennessee.
• In collaboration with the Assistant VR Director of Business and Community Services, develop and implement pre-apprenticeship opportunities for students and youth receiving VR services in the state.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and seven years of full-time professional work in one of the following: social/human services, education, and/or social services grant coordination.
• Applicants for this class may be required to: Complete a criminal history disclosure form in the manner approved by the appointing authority; agree to release all records involving their criminal history to the appointing authority; supply a fingerprint sample prescribed by the TBI based on criminal history records check.

Preferred Skills:

• Master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling or a closely related human services field with a required academic emphasis on disability, vocational rehabilitation, and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
• Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and/or Certified Vocational Evaluator (CVE), demonstrating advanced expertise in rehabilitation counseling, vocational evaluation, and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
• Five years of progressively responsible professional experience within a public Vocational Rehabilitation program, including a minimum of three years in a supervisory or administrative role overseeing rehabilitation counselors and field-based service delivery.
• Demonstrated experience supervising senior field leadership (e.g., Area or Regional Directors) with responsibility for statewide or multi-region VR field operations, complex personnel matters, and achievement of RSA/WIOA performance outcomes.
• Demonstrated success using data-driven management and continuous quality improvement strategies to translate federal VR guidance into consistent field practice, corrective action, and staff development. Experience overseeing contracts, provider performance, and service delivery systems that directly support competitive integrated employment outcomes.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.