Deputy Director of Social Services

Deputy Director of Social Services

The Deputy Director of Social Services serves as the second-in-command of the Social Services Department, working in close partnership with the Executive Director of Social Services to provide divisional leadership, continuity, and accountability across the department. The Deputy Director helps advance department-wide strategy, planning, and priorities across all department capacities – Program Operations;
Mission Investment Management; and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning. In addition, the Deputy Director provides direct supervision to the three Regional Directors of Social Services serving Northwest Illinois, Central Illinois, and Chicago, ensuring consistent program oversight and site support across a large, geographically diverse Division by holding Regional Directors accountable for program quality, compliance, community engagement, and staff development within their regions.

Areas of responsibility include but are not limited to the following:

• Serves as second-in-command to the Executive Director of Social Services, acting on the Executive Director's behalf and exercising delegated authority in their absence to ensure continuity of divisional leadership and decision-making.
• Partners with the Executive Director on divisional strategy, planning, and department-wide priorities, and supports the setting of direction across all department capacities.
• Represents the Executive Director and Social Services Department in internal and external settings as delegated, including with divisional leadership, funders, community partners, and committees.
• Supports coordination and alignment across the divisional Senior Directors of Program Operations;
  Mission Investment Management; and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning to advance shared department objectives.
• Contributes to the development of departmental policies, procedures, and processes, and supports their consistent implementation across the department.

• Provides oversight of social services delivery across the Division's three geographic regions – Northwest Illinois, Central Illinois, and Chicago – ensuring Regional Directors connect program sites to Program Operations support, Mission Investment Management, and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning.
• Provides direct supervision to the Regional Directors of Social Services, holding each accountable for the effectiveness of their regional team and the quality of support delivered to program sites.
• Establishes and maintains the standards, expectations, and accountability structures that guide Regional Directors in delivering consistent, high-quality support across their regions.
• Ensures clear role clarity across regional teams, resolving escalation questions as they arise and facilitating effective matrix relationships between Regional Directors and the divisional functional heads of Program Operations, Mission Investment Management, and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning.
• Coordinates with the Senior Directors of Program Operations, Mission Investment Management, and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning to ensure regional counterparts are effectively connected to divisional resources, standards, and tools.
• Anticipates and responds to changes in the regional operating environment and ensures Regional Directors are positioned to adapt their teams accordingly.

• Ensures Regional Directors serve as effective partners with site advisory boards, providing strategic guidance on program planning and community-responsive program development within their impact areas.
• Ensures every active program site in each region has a clear and accessible regional point of contact for administrative support, program development, and capacity building.
• Monitors the effectiveness of Regional Directors and their teams across all three geographic regions for consistency, responsiveness, and quality of site support.
• Identifies patterns of field need across regions, ensures regional teams have what they need to support sites effectively, and escalates systemic issues to the Executive…