Program Director of Blind and Visually Impaired Support Services

Job Title: Program Director of Blind and Visually Impaired Support Services

Position Summary:

The Program Director of Blind and Visually Impaired Support Services provides leadership and oversight for specialized education services supporting students who are visually impaired, blind, or deaf-blind across diverse educational settings. The Director ensures effective program operations, staff supervision, compliance with federal and state regulations, and alignment with instructional best practices. The role also manages interagency collaboration, professional development, and budgetary planning to support student access and achievement. This position exists to ensure high-quality, compliant, and equitable services for students with vision access needs.

Duties and Responsibilities:

- Direct program-level staff, communicating expectations, supporting employee development, and ensuring compliance with AIU policies and practices, thereby aligning the program with the agency.
- Supervise and evaluate personnel ensuring effective service delivery, compliant with students’ IEPs and special education regulations, maintaining quality programming that emphasizes student growth and achievement.
- Recruit, orient, and manage personnel congruent with Human Resources procedures, ensuring positions are filled by personnel with appropriate credentials, so that highly qualified staff are available to deliver specialized services.
- Coordinates and delivers professional development on topics such as instructional practices, technologies, and regulatory requirements ensuring staff and stakeholders remain current and capable when meeting student needs.
- Assign caseloads and manages service delivery systems, informed by regulatory requirements and contractual provisions, such that staff are providing equitable, efficient, and responsive student support.
- Collaborate with schools and districts, agencies, and partners to align services, inform policy, and advocate for students with sensory impairments, safeguarding quality services and influencing system-level changes to improve learners’ outcomes.
- Represent the program through collaborations with training and consultation partners, institutes of higher education, advocacy groups, and professional organizations to advance matters relating to students with sensory impairments.
- Manage the program budget, maintaining oversight in areas including staffing, resource allocation, and fee-for-service rates, in order to support responsible fiscal management and program sustainability.
- Oversee student referrals and evaluations, monitor timelines and documentation, and participates in student team meetings to ensure timely access to appropriate services that comply with regulatory requirements.
- Oversee the maintenance of data systems that include reporting of student service delivery, caseloads, and billing, as well as communicating with internal and external stakeholders about such data, ensuring transparency, accuracy, and informed decision-making.
- Contributes to policy development and procedural matters that affect the program, including input into collective bargaining, by providing information that safeguards the operations of the program.
- Other duties as assigned by the Assistance Executive Director of Special Education and Pupil Services.

Qualifications:

- PA Certification in Special Education or Visually Impaired K-12 required.
- Pennsylvania Supervisory Certification in Special Education and/or Principal Certification required.
- Five (5) years of teaching experience in the field of Visually Impaired K-12 preferred.
- Five (5) years of administrative and supervisory experience preferred.

Requirements:

- Ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and work under pressure.
- Ability to effectively present information and articulately respond to stakeholder inquiries.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Skilled in the use of productivity tools and willingness to work with new technologies.
- PA Driver’s license and reliable transportation required for travel throughout Allegheny County.
- Ability to comply with the AIU Conduct Policy.

Additional Requirements:

- Current Act 114, Act 34 and Act 151 and NSOR Certificates required prior to an offer (Must be dated within 1 year of hire date).
- School Personnel Health Record (Form H511.340 (8/2011) must be completed and received by Human Resources prior to hire date.

Working Conditions:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

- Be able to lift or carry up to 25 pounds.
- Be able to bend or twist at the neck and back.
- Specific vision includes peripheral vision and close vision.
- Be able to stand for extended periods throughout the day.

The information contained in this job description is for compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.

Disclaimer: The preceding description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required of the Program Director.

Reports To: Assistant Executive Director or the Assistant Director of Special Education and Pupil Services

Department: Special Education and Pupil ServicesDivision

Position Schedule: 260 days

Salary: Act 93 Grade 17

Benefits: Act 93 Benefit Guide