Director, Jobs (National)

Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Best Buddies is the largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people worldwide with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our programs empower people with IDD to form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure jobs, improve communication and advocacy skills, and live independently, while also offering support for their families.

Job Title: Director, Jobs (National)

Department: State Programs and Operations

Reports to: Senior Director, Jobs

# of direct reports: 2-3

Position Overview:   The Director, Jobs (National) provides leadership, coaching, and resource development to strengthen field performance and consistency across all Best Buddies Jobs offices. This role focuses on empowering state and local teams by providing the tools, training, and guidance needed to deliver high-quality employment outcomes for participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Working in partnership with the Senior Director of Jobs, the Director will translate national priorities into clear, actionable field support—building systems, resources, and feedback loops that help offices thrive. This position plays a vital role in promoting best practices, streamlining operations, and ensuring that every Jobs team has the knowledge and confidence to achieve sustainable success.

Job Requirements – Qualified applicants must have:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, with a minimum of 2 years’ relevant experience.
• Proven ability to coach and develop staff, providing constructive feedback that builds skill and confidence.
• Demonstrated experience supporting individuals with IDD in employment or related programs, addressing sensitive topics with empathy and professionalism.
• Strong project management, organization, and facilitation skills with the ability to turn data and feedback into actionable solutions.
• Skilled in developing tools and training materials that simplify complex requirements for field staff.
• Experience working within SSA, VR, or CARF-accredited environments preferred.
• Highly dependable and adaptable, with a strong track record of relationship-building and collaboration across multiple stakeholders.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and motivate others.
• Familiarity with Office 365, SharePoint, and program management databases such as SETWorks and Salesforce
• Must be comfortable with frequent local and national travel, use of personal cell phone, and occasional evening or weekend work.
• Access to an automobile with applicable insurance or reliable transportation.

Job Duties include, but are not limited to:

Programs

• Lead the execution of the Jobs program expansion plan, working with Sr. Directors, State Directors and the Expansion team as appropriate to identify new markets and provide guidance on stewarding employment partners 
• Lead strategy and execution of the expansion of Jobs offices and states 
• Stay up to date with local and national best practices in supported employment and trends in local Jobs office markets.
• Maintain a working knowledge of marketplace options and innovations relative to supported employment technology – virtual job coaching, database systems, assistive technology 
• Develop and maintain data tracking system tailored to each Jobs office that identifies yearly programmatic, billing, and grant deliverable goals
• Collaborate with Jobs offices to identify and report on metrics that best communicate program impact
• Collaborate with state offices to monitor for issues; work with relevant state staff to develop plans to address identified issues through national support and local staff action 
• Partner with Director, Online Programs to maintain and improve Set-Works database, working to identify efficiencies and innovations to ensure Set-Works continues to suit BB and program needs
• Work with grants team to understand opportunities for national Jobs grants 

Operations

• Maintain a thorough understanding of Jobs policies, procedures, and processes to ensure consistency and compliance across all program operations.
• Conduct annual reviews of all forms, manuals, and training materials to ensure contract compliance, integration of the latest best practices, and development of new resources based on field needs
• Ensures strong communication and relationships between the national team and state offices and staff, including State Directors 
• Work directly with Jobs state staff to ensure support provided by the National team is consistent with state needs and meets those needs quickly and effectively
• Oversee all field training of new and existing offices; provide direct training, as needed 
• Manage, update and provide access to SharePoint, Jobs 101 Hub, Adobe Pro and SETWorks
• Guide National Job staff in Position Onboarding as well as identifying where retraining is needed 
• In partnership with Director, Jobs Operations, lead creation of Jobs track and content for Leadership Conference and Staff Leadership Conference, overseeing all logistics related to both events 
• Serve as Jobs liaison to all departmental compliance partners 
• Understands CARF standards and processes – manages national team and CARF states through ongoing requirements and 3-year audits
• Understands and supports audit requirements for non-CARF states, manages audit process through collaboration with state leaders on ongoing requirements
• Engage in ongoing and open communication with government relations about existing contracts and potential for new contracts in expansion states as well as existing states
• In partnership with the compliance team, ensure states are held accountable to deliverables in contracts 

Finance

• Serve as the point person to the grants team for reporting on Jobs specific grants
• Develop, maintain and oversee a nationwide plan for state billing – including tracking progress towards state budget and contract expenditure goals, collecting relevant data required for reporting, and ensuring compliance with all Best Buddies and government agency reporting requirements
• Document this process for each Jobs office, and create a process for maintaining these guidance documents to preserve institutional knowledge as agency requirements evolve over time
• Maintain oversight to billing and accruals; work with states as address issues as they arise 
• Ensure appropriate staff in each Jobs office is trained on their respective billing process; working with government relations as necessary

Human Resources

• Provide direct leadership to the Manager, Jobs and Manager, Partnerships
• Lead performance management processes for their direct reports, including goal setting, development planning, coaching, and performance evaluations.

• Responsible for all human resources activities within the team.  Understands, follows, and reinforces human resources policies in a consistent manner.
• Ensures that all supervisors within the team understand their human resources responsibilities Inspires and motivates staff by demonstrating personal integrity, accountability and commitment to the mission and providing proactive training, support, and recognition.

• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team culture that values innovation, continuous improvement, and professional development.

Best Buddies® is an affirmative action employer, in addition to an EOE and M/F/V/PWD/PV employer. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are foundational to Best Buddies International’s core values and help the organization continue to achieve its mission. Here at Best Buddies, our goal is to lead and advocate for a more inclusive world.

Best Buddies offers a comprehensive and generous benefits program that include financial security, health and wellness and time off.