Residential Counselors - Part Time

Department of Community and Human Services Developmental Disabilities Residential Services Part‑Time Residential Counselors

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work.

If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Residential Counselor positions.

Are you driven by compassion and a desire to help others reach their full potential? Do you find purpose in advocating for the people you support and helping them build meaningful connections within their communities? Are you committed to ensuring health, safety, and a sense of home for those in your care? If you’re someone who enjoys solving problems, works well both independently and as part of a team, and has experience supporting individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities, we’d love to meet you.

Join our team of Direct Support Professionals. Our mission is rooted in the belief that every person deserves dignity, respect, self‑direction, and recognition of their unique worth.

As a member of the Residential Support Team, you will play a key role in supporting adults with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities in a residential environment. Responsibilities include completing assessments, documenting daily progress notes, and preparing incident reports. In this role, the Residential Counselor or Direct Support Professional (DSP) oversees daily living activities within a group home setting and helps individuals develop and carry out their person‑centered plans.

All duties are performed in accordance with Department Policy, City of Alexandria Administrative Regulations, State Regulations, Human Rights guidelines, and applicable state policies and best practices. This position requires flexibility, including availability for various shifts such as evenings, overnights, and weekends.

The Residential Counselor should have foundational knowledge of supporting adults with developmental disabilities in ways that promote individual choice, community inclusion, and self‑determination. This includes familiarity with person‑centered practices, the use of respectful and universal language, and positive behavioral support strategies.

Ideal Candidates should understand techniques that foster meaningful relationships, community engagement, and participation in recreational and social activities. Strong interpersonal skills are essential, including the ability to build effective working relationships with individuals, families, and colleagues, as well as the ability to communicate clearly in both written and verbal formats.

Ideal Candidates should also have solid understanding of coordinating and maintaining a large household is important, along with knowledge of mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and developmental delays, and the role residential support services play in enhancing quality of life. The ideal candidate demonstrates empathy for the challenges individuals may face and can recognize behaviors that signal a potential crisis. Additional abilities include teaching basic living skills, identifying progress and learning needs, gaining cooperation in difficult situations, and exercising sound independent judgment within established policies, regulations, and guidelines.

• Support residents in developing and carrying out individualized service plans grounded in person‑centered practices.
• Provide instruction and guidance to help residents build skills in daily living activities, including personal hygiene, household cleaning, laundry, financial management, planning social and leisure activities, grocery shopping, meal preparation, making healthy choices related to nutrition and safety, and accessing community resources. Transport residents using a city vehicle as needed.
• Observe…