Assistant Program Director - Clover Hall

Job Description

Job Description

Classification: Exempt 

Reports to:  Program Director 

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Status & Hours:  This is a full-time, exempt position with a regular daytime schedule that may include an evening shift and rotating on-call responsibilities with the Program Director. Lantern staff may be asked to change work schedule and hours depending on the operational needs of the site and the agency.   

Who We Are: Lantern Community Services helps New Yorkers impacted by homelessness move from surviving to thriving by pairing safe, supportive housing with wraparound services that build lasting stability and independence. If you believe a steady home can be the start of everything else, you’ll fit right in with our mission-first team. Lantern was also recognized as a Top 2025 Workplace by City & State New York—a great place to do meaningful work with people who care!  

Where You Will Work: Clover Hall

About The Role: 

We are seeking a dynamic and engaging Assistant Program Director (APD) to partner with the Program Director in overall program management, bringing experience in mental health service delivery with formerly homeless individuals and/or clients impacted by chronic medical conditions, substance use, and criminal justice involvement. The APD provides direct supervision to the case management team, ensures services meet regulatory and agency standards through supervision, reporting, and chart review, and leverages strong administrative, communication, and system-navigation skills to ensure high-quality program operations. This role also helps build a high-performing, learning-focused team and leads the integration of diversity, equity, belonging, inclusion, and justice into program culture.

In the absence of the Program Director this position may require availability outside of the standard workday, and as such must be ready and available at times to direct and support staff either by phone or in person if needed during the evenings, weekends and holidays.   

Essential Functions: 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.    

• Provide clinical supervision and coaching to the case management staff.
• Promote strategies that support learning and professional development.
• Review and approve documentation completed by the case management team and ensure high standards of care and high quality service delivery.
• Conduct internal chart reviews in collaboration with the Program Director.
• Review dashboards and monthly reports with staff to track outcomes.
• Participate in interviews with prospective clients and assess clients’ needs for safe transition to a supportive housing setting.
• Provide clinical supervision in the development of treatment plans and in assessing for safety planning with Case Managers.
• Identify community resources, facilitate referrals, and serve as a liaison with various care coordination agencies, health and mental health providers, substance use programs and employment providers to secure services.
• Develop supervision plans and accountability systems that manage reporting requirements and service standards.
• Ensure staff utilize a harm reduction approach to support residents around issues of substance use.
• Support staff in actively engaging residents through regular apartment visits, community outings, and escorts to appointments as needed.
• Develop and implement groups and programming that are appropriate for the residents’ needs and fosters a supportive and inclusive community.
• Collaborate with the Leasing and Compliance team to ensure housing stability; Assist in financial planning and budgeting to assist clients in meeting their financial needs and rental obligations.
• Assists the Program Director with hiring and training new staff, as well as managing the progressive disciplinary process in collaboration with Human Resources.
• Actively participates in staff meetings, clinical meetings, and community meetings with clients.
• Support staff in developing safety plans for residents, respond to and de-escalate crises as needed.
• Prepare, review, and manage follow-up of incident reports, as well as appropriate incident reporting to funders.
• Provide overall day to day program management in collaboration with, and in the absence of, the Program Director.
• Complete required reports as assigned.

Required Education and Experience: 

• MSW or MHC from an accredited school is required (license is required within one year of employment); LMSW/LMHC is preferred.  
• Minimum of one year of supervisory experience in a social services.
• Minimum three years of post-Master’s experience working in the field of social service, housing or emergency shelter.
• Supervisory, administrative, and/or management experience.
• Must possess strong clinical and interpersonal skills; be able to work effectively as part of a team and have the ability to make sound assessments of tenants’ strengths and needs.
• Comfort working within a harm reduction model with individuals actively struggling with ongoing substance use.
• Must have initiative, exercise good judgement, able to manage competing priorities, and able to work independently with high standards of integrity, as well as demonstrated competence in working collaboratively with others.
• Experience utilizing database to document and report work with clients and staff.
• Strong writing, communication, and organizational skills.
• Experience integrating values of diversity, equity, belonging, inclusion, and justice as part of program culture. 

Preferred Experience:

• Knowledge of HIV/AIDS, mental health, substance use or the chronically homeless population. 
• LMSW, LCSW or LMHC is preferred
• Experience working with DOHMH, HASA, OMH, DHS contract managers and knowledge of funders’ regulations, scopes of services, and standards. 
• Experience working with evidence-based models such as Motivational Interviewing is preferred. 
• Supervisory, administrative, and/or management experience specifically in a social service, supportive housing, and/or shelter setting.

Work Environment:  This job operates in a supportive housing site and works with a population who experiences mental illness, addiction, disability, HIV, and other chronic illnesses.   

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, stoop, climb stairs and/ or kneel.  They must also use hands to type, handle, or feel.  The employee is frequently required to talk or hear and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 5 pounds. 

Note: Lantern Community Services provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Lantern Community Services (Lantern) values the diversity of all our clients, staff, Board of Directors, and partners. By bringing diverse individuals and viewpoints together, we create more vibrant, healthy, and just communities.