Program Manager – Behavioral Residential Services

Apple Valley, MN
Full Time
Manager/Supervisor

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 adolescent and an adult 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 Site

The home is a split-entry home with an attached garage in a quiet, well-kept Apple Valley neighborhood. A park sits directly next to the property, and the home is close to local stores and community resources. The large backyard and deck get heavy use in the warmer months for recreation and structured yard activities.

  • Licensed for two female individuals, ages 14+ and 18+ — one adolescent, one adult
  • 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
  • Lead site-level preparation for DHS and county licensing reviews and internal audits, supported by the Compliance function
  • Review incident reports and related documentation (EUMR forms, BIRF, CPS/MAARC reports, Ombudsman) within 24 hours; escalate per BrightPath protocol
  • Maintain records for each person served per 245D documentation requirements

Team Leadership & Development

  • Recruit, onboard, and develop Behavior Technicians supported by HR and centralized recruiting
  • A 1:1 and 2:1 home carries a full roster even at two beds — building and holding that team is a core part of this job
  • Conduct regular 1:1s and Quarterly Conversations with direct reports per BrightPath leadership rhythm
  • Build site-level retention and development pathways

Cross-Functional Coordination

  • Participate in residential leadership team meetings (weekly EOS Level 10 / IDS rhythm)
  • Collaborate with the Crisis Program Manager on transitions of persons served moving from crisis stabilization to long-term residential
  • Maintain communication with families, guardians, case managers, and external providers

What Success Looks Like

  • Site-level documentation compliance ≥ 95%
  • Behavior support plan implementation fidelity tracked and documented
  • Site-level labor ratio at or below enterprise target
  • Incident response and escalation within 24 hours
  • Direct report retention at or below industry benchmark
  • The open bed filled and the placement stabilized

Required Qualifications

You must meet one of the 245D Designated Coordinator qualification pathways under MN Stat. § 245D.081 Subd. 2:

  • Bachelor's degree in a human services field + 1 year of direct care experience with persons with disabilities or persons age 65+, OR
  • Associate's degree in a human services field + 2 years of direct care experience, OR
  • Diploma in a human services field from an accredited postsecondary institution + 3 years of direct care experience, OR
  • A minimum of 50 hours of education and training related to human services and disabilities, plus relevant direct care experience, OR
  • 4 years of direct care experience working with persons with disabilities or persons age 65+ under the supervision of a staff person who meets the qualifications above

Strong candidates without a four-year degree are encouraged to apply if they meet one of the statutory pathways and can demonstrate documented experience implementing behavior support plans, supervising staff in a residential setting, and managing 245D documentation.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's in Social Work, Psychology, Behavioral Science, Special Education, or related field
  • Progress toward BCBA, BCaBA, LSW, or LICSW credentialing
  • 5+ years of progressive supervisory experience in 245D-licensed services
  • Experience supporting adolescents and young adults in a residential setting, including work with school districts and guardians
  • Experience supporting persons served with co-occurring mental health diagnoses, trauma histories, and significant emotional dysregulation
  • Experience with county lead agencies and DD/CADI case management coordination

Strongly Preferred Skills

  • Working knowledge of MN DHS 245D regulations, the Positive Support Rule, and behavior support plan documentation standards
  • Demonstrated ability to implement and adjust behavior support plans authored or signed off by a Clinical Director
  • Trauma-informed practice and de-escalation skill you can teach, not just perform
  • Strong written and oral communication; comfortable with county case managers, guardians, families, and external providers
  • Demonstrated ability to coach Behavior Technicians through high-acuity behavioral situations in the moment
  • Financial literacy: reads site scorecards, understands utilization, and can manage labor ratio at the site level
  • Passion for the BrightPath mission and the values we represent

Working Conditions

  • On-site in Apple Valley, with occasional travel between BrightPath sites
  • Driving for appointments, team meetings, community outings, and visits to the BrightPath corporate office in New Hope
  • Evening schedule with occasional weekend availability for incidents
  • Residential and community settings; ability to lift up to 50 pounds and physically support persons served during behavioral interventions where required
  • Use of standard office equipment

Why You'll Love This Role

One site, done well. You are not stretched across a portfolio. You get to know two people deeply, build one team, and see the results of consistency instead of constantly resetting.

Real clinical infrastructure. An Operations Manager authors your behavior support plans. A Director of Training and Compliance supports your audits. You're not the last line of defense on everything.

A leadership team that solves together. Our weekly EOS Level 10 / IDS rhythm means issues get surfaced, discussed, and resolved as a team — not pushed back down.

Career pathway. Clinical supervision toward licensure is available where applicable, and we actively support BCBA, BCaBA, LSW, and LICSW progress.

Mission that matters. You'll lead a team supporting two people with genuinely complex needs, and you'll see the impact of that work every single shift.

Benefits Package

  • Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) for healthcare. Some ICHRA-compatible plans allow for HSA and/or FSA contributions
  • Dental and vision insurance through Mutual of Omaha
  • 401(k) with 3.5% company match
  • Paid time off
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Ongoing professional development opportunities
  • Employee recognition programs
  • Team-building events
  • Paid holidays
  • Flexible scheduling options (when possible)

About BrightPath

BrightPath was established to enable the freedom to pursue joy by providing quality residential services for individuals with disabilities. We emphasize the benefit of self-determination so that each person has maximum opportunities to exercise choices that guide them on the path to maximum independence — embracing, supporting, and honoring each person's individuality in a setting integrated in the community.

Apply Today

If you're ready to lead one high-acuity home with the clinical and operational support to do it right, we want to meet you. Help us light the path to a brighter future.

BrightPath is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce. We provide a positive and supportive work environment that encourages professional growth and development. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Join us and be part of a team that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities.

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