Executive Director – SCL/MPW Startup Agency
Empower Home & Services
Louisville, Kentucky
Job Type: Part-time startup leadership position with the potential to transition into a full-time Executive Director position after certification.
Compensation: Startup compensation, schedule, and expectations will be established in a written agreement.
About Empower Home & Services
Empower Home & Services is a Kentucky startup preparing to provide Supports for Community Living (SCL) and Michelle P. Waiver (MPW) services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Empower has completed its initial provider-enrollment submission, and the packet has been placed in DDID’s provider-enrollment review queue. The agency is not yet certified or operational as a Medicaid waiver provider.
As part of a planned leadership transition, Empower is seeking a qualified Executive Director to help guide the agency through the remaining enrollment, certification, and startup process. This is an opportunity to help build a new person-centered provider agency from the ground up and potentially continue as its full-time Executive Director after certification.
Startup Position Status
The selected candidate will be appointed as Empower Home & Services’ startup Executive Director under a written agreement. The appointment will be subject to verification and acceptance of the candidate’s qualifications by DDID.
During the startup phase, the Executive Director will work closely with the Owner/CEO to:
- Keep the provider-enrollment process moving forward.
- Maintain the agency’s readiness for review.
- Respond to DDID and state requests.
- Review and strengthen the agency’s startup documents and systems.
- Prepare the agency for certification and future operations.
Because Empower is not yet certified or providing waiver services, the startup compensation, schedule, authority, and performance expectations will be addressed in a separate written agreement.
After certification and successful completion of the startup phase, the selected candidate may receive a separate offer to continue as Empower’s full-time Executive Director. Any future offer will include the salary, benefits, schedule, responsibilities, and complete employment terms.
Startup Responsibilities
The Executive Director will:
- Work with the Owner/CEO to guide the agency through the remaining DDID provider-enrollment and certification process.
- Serve as the agency’s primary administrative and compliance leader during startup.
- Communicate professionally with DDID, Kentucky Medicaid, provider-enrollment representatives, consultants, and community partners.
- Track enrollment requirements, deadlines, requested corrections, completed items, and outstanding documentation.
- Review the enrollment packet and supporting documents for accuracy, completeness, and consistency.
- Keep the agency prepared for full review when its packet is selected.
- Participate in required orientations, interviews, meetings, testing, and provider-readiness activities.
- Review and update the agency’s business plan, projected budget, policies and procedures, organizational chart, job descriptions, forms, and other enrollment materials.
- Ensure the agency’s policies and startup systems support person-centered practices, participant rights, community inclusion, informed choice, health, safety, and welfare.
- Help develop systems for employee qualifications, background checks, training, medication administration, incident reporting, quality assurance, participant records, and emergency preparedness.
- Help prepare the agency to offer Residential Support Level I, Residential Support Level II, and Adult Day Training services.
- Evaluate the agency’s readiness for surveys, monitoring, audits, certification, and corrective-action requirements.
- Provide regular progress updates to the Owner/CEO.
- Promptly identify concerns that could delay enrollment or certification.
- Maintain organized records of communications, submissions, corrections, approvals, and startup decisions.
Responsibilities After Certification
If offered and accepted as the continuing Executive Director, the candidate will:
- Lead the development and implementation of the agency’s strategic plans.
- Maintain responsibility for the agency’s day-to-day operations.
- Exercise the authority necessary to manage the agency in accordance with its policies and applicable requirements.
- Ensure compliance with SCL, MPW, DDID, Kentucky Medicaid, HCBS, HIPAA, and other applicable requirements.
- Oversee the delivery of safe, person-centered, community-based services.
- Protect each participant’s rights, dignity, privacy, health, safety, welfare, choice, and independence.
- Develop, implement, monitor, and maintain the agency’s operating budget.
- Develop, review, implement, and revise agency policies and procedures.
- Recruit, supervise, support, and evaluate employees, contractors, and volunteers.
- Ensure employees meet all background-check, credentialing, training, and performance requirements.
- Oversee quality improvement, incident reporting, complaints, corrective actions, participant records, medication systems, and regulatory compliance.
- Prepare the agency for surveys, audits, monitoring visits, recertification, and corrective-action requirements.
- Maintain accurate administrative, personnel, participant, compliance, and financial records.
- Build professional relationships with participants, families, guardians, case managers, employees, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
- Support ethical marketing, responsible growth, and appropriate referral practices.
- Keep the Owner/CEO informed about operations, compliance, finances, staffing, risks, and agency performance.
Required Qualifications
Candidates must:
- Have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution or be a currently licensed registered nurse.
- Have at least two years of experience in the intellectual or developmental disability field.
- Have at least two years of administrative experience with an organization serving individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
- Have experience developing, implementing, and maintaining an agency budget.
- Have experience developing, reviewing, implementing, and revising organizational policies and procedures.
- Have experience supervising employees, including conducting performance evaluations.
- Meet all applicable personnel, training, background-screening, and supervisory requirements.
- Submit a detailed and verifiable résumé that clearly demonstrates how each required qualification is met.
- Provide documentation of their degree or active nursing license.
- Provide professional references who can verify their administrative and I/DD experience.
Preferred Qualifications
Preference will be given to candidates with:
- Previous Kentucky SCL or MPW experience.
- Knowledge of DDID provider enrollment, certification, monitoring, and recertification.
- Experience opening, developing, or leading a new provider agency.
- Knowledge of Medicaid waiver services and the HCBS Settings Rule.
- Experience with person-centered planning, participant rights, incident reporting, medication administration, and quality assurance.
- Experience preparing for state surveys, audits, monitoring visits, or corrective-action plans.
- Strong leadership, organizational, written communication, and problem-solving skills.
- The ability to work independently while maintaining regular communication with the Owner/CEO.
What This Opportunity Offers
- An opportunity to help build a new person-centered provider agency from the beginning.
- A leadership role in shaping the agency’s culture, systems, policies, and service standards.
- Direct collaboration with the Owner/CEO throughout the startup process.
- An opportunity to develop professional relationships within Kentucky’s I/DD service system.
- The potential to transition into a full-time Executive Director position after certification.
How to Apply
Please submit:
- A detailed résumé that includes month-and-year employment dates and clearly explains your administrative responsibilities.
- Documentation of a bachelor’s or higher degree or an active registered nursing license.
- A written summary describing your experience with I/DD services, agency administration, budgeting, policy development, employee supervision, and performance evaluations.
- At least two professional references who can verify your administrative and I/DD experience.
Final selection will be contingent upon verification of qualifications, satisfactory professional references, required background screenings, DDID acceptance of the candidate’s qualifications, and execution of a written startup agreement.
Empower Home & Services is an equal opportunity employer committed to person-centered support, dignity, belonging, independence, community inclusion, and informed choice.
Job Type: Contract
Ability to Commute:
- Louisville, KY 40258 (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- Louisville, KY 40258: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: In person
