Program Specialist - Pittsburgh

Title: Program Specialist 
Service Line / Department: Residential 
Reports To: Associate Director, Residential 
Status: Exempt 

Mission Alignment 
The Program Specialist advances the mission of Barber National Institute (BNI) by ensuring individuals receiving residential supports experience safe, consistent, person-centered care that promotes belonging, independence, and quality of life. Through strong care coordination, regulatory compliance, and team alignment, this role helps make dreams come true by strengthening daily practices that support each individual’s goals and community integration. 

Overview / General Description 
The Program Specialist (PS) provides oversight of individual programming, documentation, regulatory compliance, and team processes across residential Community Homes. This exempt role is generally scheduled Monday through Friday with weekend and on-call responsibilities as needed. The PS serves as an internal lead for care coordination—programmatic, health, behavioral, and social—ensuring services align with each individual’s Individual Support Plan (ISP), Chapter 6400, and 6100 regulations. The PS partners with Residential Supervisors, Lead Direct Support Professionals, and Associate Directors to promote consistent, person-centered practices, documentation quality, and regulatory readiness. 

Essential Functions / Key Responsibilities 

• Serve as the internal lead for individual care coordination—programmatic, health, social, and behavioral—ensuring continuity of supports and clear communication with staff, families, and external partners.* 

• Develop, implement, and monitor individualized supports aligned to each individual’s ISP to strengthen independence, belonging, and meaningful community engagement.* 

• Ensure individual needs, preferences, and outcomes are implemented in accordance with the ISP; verify staff demonstrate competency in individual-specific supports and protocols.* 

• Coordinate and complete assessments and ISP responsibilities under Chapter 6400, including plan lead responsibilities, implementation monitoring, documentation of progress, and communication with Supports Coordinators and plan team members.* 

• Review daily documentation for narrative quality, timeliness, and accuracy; provide corrective feedback and follow-up to improve consistency and regulatory readiness.* 

• Review and sign required monthly documentation of progress toward ISP outcomes; ensure updates are shared with the Supports Coordinator and plan team members per requirements.* 

• Oversee health and safety follow-up, including medical appointments, transportation coordination, medication administration oversight, adaptive equipment monitoring, and risk escalation per policy.* 

• Maintain accurate, timely, and regulation-compliant documentation including assessments, quarterly reports, service notes, MARs, health records, behavioral documentation, and electronic health systems entries.* 

• Conduct in-person visits to each Community Home at minimum twice weekly at varied times to monitor service quality, documentation accuracy, and staff implementation of plans.* 

• Prepare for licensing inspections and contractual reviews; ensure program components, documentation, and physical sites meet regulatory standards.* 

• Enter critical events into the Enterprise Incident Management system and immediately report suspected abuse to ensure individual safety and regulatory compliance.* 

• Support internal audits and complete plans of correction as required; ensure completion of Health Risk Screening tools, inventories, Self-Inspection packets, and fire safety monitoring.* 

• Coordinate intake, admission, discharge, and annual meetings; support “Every Day Lives” principles by promoting community integration, communication, and meaningful engagement.* 

• Manage individual benefits in collaboration with the Benefit Specialist, including spend-down processes, documentation of safeguarded funds, and verification of financial transactions to ensure regulatory compliance and protection of individual assets.* 

• Ensure timely and accurate completion of Health Risk Screening tools, required inventories, and Self-Inspection packets; review for completeness and initiate corrective action when deficiencies are identified.* 

• Foster a culture of learning and development by supporting onboarding and reinforcing individual-specific care standards and ISP requirements.* 

• Collaborate with Residential Supervisors, Lead Direct Support Professionals, and Associate Directors to promote consistent care practices and team alignment.* 

• Maintain professional working relationships with inter-agency partners to support continuity of care and timely coordination. 

• Participate in committee work and cross-functional initiatives that strengthen residential quality, consistency, and regulatory readiness. 

• Participate in weekend on-call rotation and maintain availability during weekdays to stabilize services and respond to emerging program needs.* 

• Translate organizational and service-line priorities into clear program-level goals, team expectations, and measurable outcomes to ensure consistent execution and accountability. 

• Maintain collaborative working relationships with internal departments and community partners to support coordinated, responsive services for individuals and families. 

• Monitor operational trends, local challenges, and regulatory updates that impact the program; communicate relevant observations to leadership to support continuous improvement. 

• Foster a culture of psychological safety, continuous learning, and accountability by encouraging open dialogue, shared problem-solving, and professional growth within the team. 

• Invest in personal leadership development by engaging in Learning and Development opportunities, seeking feedback, and modeling the Core Commitments in daily practice. 

• Prioritize leader-level responsibilities, including supervision, coaching, scheduling, performance feedback, and operational oversight; delegate appropriately and limit routine frontline coverage to emergent situations. 

• Reinforce mission-centered communication, confidentiality, and professional conduct to ensure alignment with organizational values and a respectful, inclusive team environment. 

• Create a safe, supportive environment by modeling and reinforcing safety practices, ensuring staff participate in required safety learning, and escalating risks promptly to protect individuals, families, and team members.* 

• Partner with core administrative teams—including Governance, Risk, and Compliance; Human Resources; Information Technology; Finance; and Strategic Communications—to meet requirements, uphold policies, support recruitment and staff development, ensure technology and data security practices are followed, align to budget processes, and strengthen timely, mission-centered communication across the organization.* 

• Model BNI’s Core Commitments, collaboration, transparent communication, problem-solving, adaptability, and ethical judgment, and maintain confidentiality of sensitive information in accordance with policy and applicable laws.* 

• Performs other related duties consistent with the scope and intent of the role to support program operations, regulatory compliance, and quality of care. Understands that responsibilities may evolve based on program needs, regulatory changes, or organizational priorities. Recognizes that additional work or extended hours, including evenings or weekends, may be required to meet program demands. Completes all required annual in-service hours and additional Learning and Development activities in compliance with applicable regulations and agency standards.* 

*Essential function of the job as designated by Barber National Institute for ADA purposes (used to support ADA compliance and the interactive process).

Core Commitments (Leader) 
 

Core Commitments define how the work is done. Team members in this role demonstrate collaboration, transparent communication, problem-solving, adaptability, confidentiality, and ethical judgment. 

• Result Driver: Sets SMART goals, monitors progress, and holds team members accountable for results and expectations. 

• Insightful Decision Maker: Gathers and interprets data, evaluates risks, and considers multiple perspectives when making decisions. 

• Problem Solver: Breaks down issues, identifies root causes, applies structured solutions, and engages staff in resolution. 

• Compassionate Influencer: Builds trust, responds with empathy, addresses conflict fairly, and creates an inclusive team culture. 

• Talent Cultivator: Develops team strengths, coaches performance, supports learning, and builds bench strength. 

• Change Navigator: Explains the “why” behind change, supports staff through transitions, and reinforces expectations. 

• Transparent Communicator: Provides clear expectations, timely feedback, and open communication; avoids gossip and inconsistency. 

• Business Strategizer: Manages resources responsibly, uses data to inform decisions, and balances service quality with operational efficiency. 

Qualifications 
Education: Master’s degree with one year working directly with individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism; OR bachelor’s degree with two years working directly with individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism; OR associate’s degree or 60 credit hours with four years working directly with individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism. 
Experience: Demonstrated experience supporting person-centered planning, documentation quality, and regulatory compliance in residential or community-based services strongly preferred. 
Equivalency: Equivalent combinations of education and substantial residential services experience may be considered when the candidate demonstrates capability in ISP/Chapter 6400 responsibilities, documentation accuracy, risk escalation, and coordination of individual supports. 
Licensures/Certifications: Medication Administration certification and CPR and First Aid certifications upon hire. Valid driver’s license and ongoing compliance with all agency and insurer driving eligibility requirements are required for any role-related travel. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Maintains accurate, timely, and regulation-compliant documentation across health, behavioral, and programmatic domains. 

• Demonstrates strong communication and collaboration skills with families, staff, and interdisciplinary partners. 

• Applies person-centered planning principles to ensure individualized, holistic care. 

• Supports onboarding and ongoing Learning and Development efforts to strengthen service consistency. 

• Responds effectively to incidents and emergencies with sound judgment and urgency. 

• Proficient in electronic documentation and incident management systems. 

Physical & Environmental Requirements 

• Work occurs primarily within residential Community Homes and community-based environments, including indoor and outdoor settings.* 

• Frequent standing, walking, bending, kneeling, reaching, and assisting individuals with mobility and daily living activities as required by support needs.* 

• Ability to lift, transfer, reposition, or assist individuals weighing up to 50 lbs. independently and up to 100 lbs. with assistance or adaptive equipment, consistent with safe lifting practices.* 

• Ability to safely assist individuals with ambulation, wheelchair mobility, transfers, and positioning, including the use of lifts or other assistive equipment where applicable.* 

• Ability to respond quickly to behavioral or medical emergencies, including the physical capability to implement approved safety or behavioral support interventions when necessary.* 

• Ability to perform repetitive physical tasks associated with daily living support, household activities, and community participation (e.g., meal preparation, cleaning, shopping, and transporting individuals).* 

• Ability to enter and exit vehicles, drive agency vehicles, and assist individuals entering and exiting vehicles for community activities and appointments.* 

• Ability to navigate community environments including uneven surfaces, stairs, curbs, and public spaces while supporting individuals safely.* 

• Ability to remain alert and responsive during shifts, including overnight or extended shifts if applicable to program needs.* 

• Exposure to typical household environments including cleaning agents, cooking equipment, varying noise levels, and pets may occur in residential settings.* 

• ADA: Barber National Institute provides reasonable accommodation to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. 

Regulatory Statement 
This position requires successful completion of all regulatory and agency-mandated clearances, including criminal background checks, child abuse clearances, and fingerprinting, as applicable. Ongoing compliance with all required clearances, professional development, and certification requirements outlined in applicable laws, regulations, and agency policies is required. 

All staff must maintain confidentiality and uphold Barber National Institute’s mission, values, and ethical standards.