Program Administrator – Enhanced Behavioral Support Home
Location: Escondido, CA
Schedule: Full-Time | On-Call Responsibilities Required
Compensation: $80,000 - $85,000 Based on experience
Make a Difference Every Day
Join Merakey as a Program Administrator and lead the daily operations of an Enhanced Behavioral Support Home serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and behavioral health needs. In this leadership role, you will oversee program quality, staff development, regulatory compliance, and person-centered supports that help individuals thrive at home and in their communities.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide leadership and oversight for residential program operations and service delivery.
- Supervise, coach, and develop Direct Support Professionals and Lead DSPs.
- Partner with Behavioral Health professionals, including BCBAs, to support individualized treatment plans and behavioral programming.
- Ensure compliance with state regulations, licensing requirements, Individual Support Plans (ISPs), and behavioral support plans.
- Coordinate medical, behavioral, and community-based services to support individual outcomes.
- Monitor health, safety, medication administration practices, incident reporting, and individual rights.
- Manage household operations, including staffing, scheduling, transportation, maintenance, and budgeting.
- Foster positive relationships with families, interdisciplinary teams, day programs, and community partners.
- Participate in an on-call rotation to support program needs and emergency situations.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Human Services, Psychology, Social Work, Special Education, or a related field preferred.
- Minimum of 2 years of experience supporting individuals with IDD, behavioral health, or mental health needs.
- At least 1 year of supervisory or leadership experience in a residential or human services setting.
- Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) or Licensed Psychiatric Technician preferred.
- Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record required.
What You'll Bring
- Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
- Experience working within person-centered service models.
- Knowledge of regulatory requirements, behavioral support plans, and residential services.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities while promoting a positive team culture.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and electronic documentation systems.
Why Join Merakey?
At Merakey, we put heart and soul into everything we do. You'll have the opportunity to lead a dedicated team, positively impact lives, and grow your career with one of the nation's leading providers of developmental and behavioral health services.
Apply today and help create opportunities for individuals to achieve their fullest potential.
Benefits
Merakey offers generous benefits that promote well-being, financial security, and work-life balance, including:
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus access to healthcare advocacy support.
- Retirement plan -- both pre-tax and Roth (after-tax) options available for employee contributions.
- DailyPay -- access your pay when you need it!
- On the Goga well-being platform, featuring self-care tools and resources.
- Access Care.com for backup childcare, elder care, and household services.
- Confidential counseling, legal, and financial services through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Tuition reimbursement and educational partnerships.
- Employee discounts and savings programs on entertainment, travel, and lifestyle.
- Access to Pryor Online Learning for free online personal development classes.
Learn more about our full benefits package - https://www.merakey.org/careers/benefits
About Merakey
Merakey is a non-profit provider of developmental, behavioral health, and education services. More than 8,000 employees provide support to nearly 40,000 individuals and families throughout 12 states across the country each year. Click here to watch a video about Merakey. Merakey strictly follows a zero-tolerance policy for abuse.
Merakey is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer! We deeply value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ethnic background, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or disability status. Moreover, we are committed to creating teams that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Merakey welcomes all Veterans to apply!
Preferred QualificationsThe ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:
- Must be at least 21 years old.
- Must have a verifiable/High School Diploma/G.E.D.
- Bachelor’s degree in human services or related field preferred.
- At least one (1) year supervisory experience in a group home or residential setting.
- Must have at least two (2) years of verifiable experience working with I/DD, MH, or BH individuals in a adolescent group home or residential setting.
- Dual Diagnose experience preferred.
- A valid driver's license is required.
- Required to complete a DSP 1 certification, within 1 year of hired date.
- Required to complete a DSP 2 certification within 1 year of hired date.
- Required to complete an RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) certification within 2 months of hired date.
- Must have Adult Residential Facility (ARF) certification (completed training and passed test)
Skills Required
- Must be at least 21 years old
- Verifiable high school diploma or GED
- Bachelor's degree in human services or a related field
- At least one year of supervisory experience in a group home or residential setting
- At least two years of verifiable experience working with I/DD, mental health, or behavioral health individuals in an adolescent group home or residential setting
- Dual diagnosis experience
- Valid driver's license
- Complete DSP 1 certification within one year of hire
- Complete DSP 2 certification within one year of hire
- Complete Registered Behavior Technician certification within two months of hire
- Adult Residential Facility certification, including completed training and passed test
- Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds
- Ability to operate a motor vehicle for work-related travel
Merakey Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Merakey and has not been reviewed or approved by Merakey.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is positioned as robust, with multiple medical plan options, telemedicine, care navigation support, and certain specialty medications available at no cost through an affiliated pharmacy.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off policies are structured with separate vacation, sick, and personal time allocations plus paid holidays, and vacation increases with tenure.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellbeing and practical supports include an employee assistance program, tuition support, caregiving resources, discounts, and early wage access that can improve day-to-day financial flexibility.
Merakey Insights
What We Do
Merakey is a leading developmental, behavioral health and education non-profit provider offering a breadth of integrated services to individuals and communities across the country. We leverage our size and expertise to develop innovative solutions and new models of care to meet the needs of individuals, their families, public and private healthcare funders and community partner organizations. We recognize that complex needs require a holistic approach. With our experience, expertise and compassion, we empower everyone within our communities to reach their fullest potential.
