Regional Director - Developmental Disabilities

Job Description

Job Description

Regional Director of Residential & Community Services – Program Development

Location: Belleville, Illinois

Job Type: Full-time, W-2

Work Setting: Primarily onsite in administrative, residential, and community-based settings as local services are established

Schedule: Typically Monday through Friday, approximately 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with flexibility based on operational and program-launch needs

Pay: $95,000 to $120,000 annually, based on experience and qualifications

Travel: Local travel within the Belleville area as programs and services are established, with mileage reimbursement

Relocation: Assistance may be negotiable at the time of offer

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Regional Director to lead the development and launch of new residential and community-based services in Belleville, Illinois.

This is a ground-floor leadership opportunity for someone who has successfully built, launched, or significantly developed human-services programs. The Regional Director will help establish the operational foundation for a new market, including program infrastructure, staffing, leadership development, compliance readiness, service quality, and sustainable growth.

The successful candidate must be comfortable creating structure in an early-stage environment. Rather than stepping into an established regional operation, this leader will play a central role in developing the systems, teams, processes, and accountability needed to launch and grow high-quality services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

This is not a psychologist, BCBA, or direct clinical-services position.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and launch of residential and community-based services in the Belleville market.
• Develop the operational structure, processes, workflows, and leadership systems required to support a growing regional program.
• Translate organizational goals into practical launch plans, priorities, timelines, and measurable operating expectations.
• Recruit, onboard, coach, and develop program, residential, clinical, and field leaders as the local team grows.
• Establish clear responsibilities, effective delegation, communication standards, and performance accountability.
• Develop staffing strategies and workforce plans to support new services and eventual 24/7 residential operations.
• Help establish processes for program readiness, service implementation, intake coordination, staffing, training, documentation, and ongoing operational oversight.
• Promote person-centered services that reflect individual goals, needs, support plans, dignity, choice, and safety.
• Ensure programs are developed in alignment with applicable Illinois developmental disability regulations, waiver requirements, organizational policies, and quality standards.
• Build systems for audits, reporting, documentation, billing processes, employee records, and required regulatory materials.
• Develop quality-improvement, staff-development, risk-management, and corrective-action processes as services expand.
• Collaborate with clinical professionals, program leaders, service coordinators, community partners, families, guardians, and organizational leadership.
• Support the opening and operational readiness of future residential and community-based service locations.
• Provide decisive leadership during staffing challenges, service concerns, behavioral incidents, and other urgent situations as programs become operational.
• Participate in leadership escalation processes for significant regional matters as 24/7 services are established.
• Oversee regional budgets, resource allocation, billing processes, and required financial documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in human services, social services, psychology, behavioral health, organizational leadership, or a closely related field.
• Exceptional candidates with a bachelor’s degree may be considered when they possess substantial directly relevant residential, developmental disability, clinical, program-development, or senior operational leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience developing, launching, building, or significantly scaling human-services programs, service lines, locations, or regional operations.
• Progressive management experience in residential services, developmental disability services, behavioral health, human services, or a comparable setting.
• Experience directly managing, hiring, coaching, or developing supervisors, managers, or department leaders.
• Ability to create operational structure and move a program from planning and development into successful implementation.
• Ability to establish responsibilities, delegate effectively, create accountability, and ensure critical work is completed.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills with the ability to manage competing staffing, operational, compliance, and service-development priorities.
• Positive and adaptable leadership style with the ability to build and develop multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and documentation skills.
• Valid driver’s license, current automobile insurance, reliable transportation, and the ability to travel locally.
• Ability to complete employer-provided CPR, safety, compliance, and program-specific training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Leadership experience in CILA, SODC, intermediate-care, residential I/DD, or community-based developmental disability programs.
• Experience opening new residential homes, program locations, service lines, or geographic markets.
• Experience supporting adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
• Knowledge of Illinois DDD waiver requirements and related regulations.
• Current QIDP qualification or previous QIDP experience.
• Experience developing referral, intake, staffing, training, and operational workflows for new programs.
• Experience supervising clinical and operational leaders.
• Experience with staffing strategy, regulatory audits, quality assurance, billing, and budget oversight.

Key Leadership Skills

• Program development and start-up leadership
• Building teams and developing managers
• Operational planning and execution
• Delegation and performance accountability
• Residential operations and workforce planning
• Regulatory compliance and quality improvement
• Budget, billing, and resource oversight
• Crisis leadership and sound decision-making
• Adaptability in a developing service environment

Work Environment

This position is primarily onsite in Belleville and will evolve as the local operation grows. Early responsibilities will emphasize program development, operational planning, recruiting, team development, regulatory readiness, and preparation for new services.

As residential and community-based programs are established, the Regional Director will spend time across administrative, residential, and community settings and will remain accountable for significant regional operational matters.

Some schedule flexibility may be available based on operational needs, but this is not a fully remote or primarily hybrid position.

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

• Ground-floor opportunity to build a new regional operation
• Meaningful ownership of program development from planning through launch
• Ability to shape staffing, leadership structure, processes, culture, and accountability
• Director-level influence across future residential and community-based services
• Opportunity to create scalable systems that support long-term regional growth
• Meaningful impact on services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Mission-focused environment centered on dignity, independence, and individual choice

Benefits

• Medical plan options, including PPO, Affordable Care Plan, Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC), and preventive-only coverage.
• Dental coverage through Lucent with access to the Aetna dental network.
• Vision coverage through EyeMed.
• Virtual primary care, virtual mental health, and telemedicine through First Stop Health for employees enrolled in a major medical plan.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• At least two weeks of paid time off during the first year of employment.
• Eight observed paid holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
• Employer-paid long-term disability and basic life/AD&D coverage for eligible employees after applicable eligibility periods.
• Voluntary life/AD&D coverage available through UNUM.
• Approved continuing education reimbursement or direct payment for professional-role-related education.
• Mileage reimbursement for approved work-related travel.
• Potentially negotiable relocation assistance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Avento Health recruits and refers qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. The hiring organization is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified applicants.

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