Program Manager - Behavioral Residential Services

Job Description

Job Description

Program Manager – (Behavioral Residential Services)

Location: Apple Valley, MN (on-site, single site)

Salary: $75,000-$85,000

Reports To: Residential Operations Manager

Schedule: Full-time exempt | PM/evening shift, with on-call rotation

BrightPath is hiring a Program Manager for a two-person high-acuity residential home in Apple Valley supporting an adolescents with complex behavioral and mental health needs.

This is a single-site role. You are not splitting your attention across a portfolio of homes. You lead one house, one team, and the support for two people — which means you will actually know the people you serve, know your staff, and be able to build something consistent rather than triaging from a distance.

This is not a standard 245D Program Manager role. The individuals at this site have documented behavior support plans, trauma histories, and emotional regulation needs that require structured intervention and real clinical oversight. We've designed the support structure around this position to reflect that.

If you're an experienced 245D leader who's been looking for a site where you can do the work well — with real clinical infrastructure behind you and a leadership team that solves problems together rather than handing them down — this is that role.

About the Home

Located in a quiet Apple Valley neighborhood near a park, this home has plenty of space for connection and downtime, including two living areas and a large backyard and deck that get regular use for activities and time outdoors. It's a lively home — music, movement, and everyday moments of joy are part of daily life, alongside the structure and consistency that help things run smoothly.

• Licensed for two female adolescents
• One bed currently open on the upper level
• Two living rooms, giving the team real space for activities, quiet time, and de-escalation
• Full bath on the main floor, ¾ bath in the basement
• Staff/direct care office on the main floor for accessibility and oversight
• The home layout supports supervision while still allowing personal space and separation when it's needed

The atmosphere at the home is lively. There's frequent music, dancing, and movement-based activity, and the team leans into engagement, creativity, and positive social interaction. Structured routines are in place to support predictability and emotional stability.

Who You'll Support

The individuals supported present with mental health needs, behavioral challenges, emotional regulation difficulties, and trauma-related responses. Common presentations include:

• Verbal escalation — yelling, cursing, and slurs directed at staff
• Physical agitation
• Significant difficulty with transitions
• Self-injurious behavior, including head banging
• Physical aggression — pushing, hair pulling, biting

Staffing is 1:1 or 2:1 depending on each person's supervision requirements and behavior support plan, and levels are adjusted as needs change. The team is trained in mental health support, trauma-informed care, behavioral intervention and de-escalation, person-centered planning, and crisis prevention.

Outside of escalation, this is a home where people cook for themselves, play games with staff, watch YouTube, spend time with family, and get out into the community. The work of this role is protecting that — keeping the good hours good and the hard hours safe.

What Makes This Role Different

We've intentionally built the support structure around this position so you can focus on what you do best: leading your team, implementing behavior support plans with fidelity, and supporting the people who live at the site.

• Residential Operations Manager is your direct supervisor — weekly 1:1s, scorecard review, primary escalation pathway, and operational coaching
• Director of Training and Compliance supports audit preparation, corrective action coordination, and training resource development
• Centralized scheduling support maintains the staffing system and coordinates after-hours coverage
• BrightPath leadership team — you'll participate in our weekly leadership meeting, where issues are surfaced, discussed, and solved as a group

You will function as the 245D Designated Coordinator for the site. Clinical decision-making — including behavior support plan authorship and FBA signoff — sits with the Clinical Director. Your role is implementation, operationalization, and site-level leadership.

What You'll Do Site-Level Operational Leadership

• Lead day-to-day operations — staffing, scheduling, person-served supports, household operations
• Maintain the site staffing schedule; approve overtime in coordination with the Residential Operations Manager and centralized scheduling support
• Conduct daily walk-throughs; respond to person-served and staff issues in real time
• Hold the evening block, which is when transitions, escalations, and community outings concentrate
• Maintain on-call availability for after-hours incidents and emergencies

Behavior Support Plan Implementation

• Implement behavior support plans
• Track interfering behaviors and intervention outcomes; provide data and recommendations to the Clinical Director for plan updates
• Train Behavior Technicians on plan implementation, including elopement and transition protocols
• Identify training gaps and emerging assessed needs and raise them to Operations for resource development
• Document staff competency assessments per 245D.09

245D Designated Coordinator Duties

• Serve as the 245D Designated Coordinator for the site
• Oversee implementation of person-centered support plans and outcomes
• Ensure direct observation of service delivery sufficient to assess staff competency
• Evaluate the effectiveness of service delivery, methodologies, and progress on outcomes for each person served

Supporting Both an Adolescent and an Adult Under One Roof

• Coordinate supports that meet the distinct needs of a minor and an adult living in the same home, including differences in schooling, guardianship, programming, and community access
• Partner with school teams, guardians, and county case managers on the adolescent side
• Support planning for child-to-adult service transitions, in coordination with Operations
• Maintain documentation supporting funding and rate exception applications or renewals where applicable
• Track length of stay and service outcomes for each person served
• Maintain communication with county case managers and lead agencies

Compliance & Documentation

• Ensure all site-level documentation meets DHS 245D and Positive Support Rule standards