Program Director
Shelterwood
Independence, Missouri
www.shelterwood.org

OVERVIEW

Shelterwood has successfully assisted hundreds of families to build better, stronger and brighter lives by helping parents have better relationships with each other, their other children and their struggling teen.

Shelterwood is a fully accredited, 72 bed, licensed, treatment-oriented, co-educational boarding school for troubled teens which is designed to help students who are having difficulties at school, at home, or within the community. Shelterwood offers a structured environment where the teens receive expert guidance and counseling support while pursuing their high school diploma and developing healthy peer and family relationships. Distinct from other boarding schools, Shelterwood strives to treat the whole child and the whole family – therapeutically, educationally and spiritually.

The program for teens is a nine-month to year-long journey which fosters dynamic growth through small class sizes, one-to-one mentoring, small group discussions, recreational activities, and day-to-day living in community. Built on the love for Jesus, Shelterwood staff walks alongside hurting teens and helps them reconnect with their families and build healthier lives.

SHELTERWOOD VISION STATEMENT

Shelterwood is committed to honoring Jesus, pursuing educational excellence, and strengthening families. It strives to help students reach their highest potential in academic, physical, emotional, and spiritual growth.

HISTORY

Shelterwood began caring for teens in 1980 when a father looking for help for his daughter approached the late Richard Beach, founder of Doulos Ministries. At the time, Richard was mentoring a number of recent college graduates and felt that he could be of some service. One of the students volunteered to mentor the young girl and another person who had been recently trained as a therapist offered to provide counseling. Seeing his family restored, the father encouraged Richard to reach out to other families and continue to provide a home for struggling teens. This laid the foundation for how Shelterwood grew over time to stand apart from standard therapeutic boarding schools. 

Now, more than thirty years later, Shelterwood is still on course, having served over a thousand families. Recently operations relocated to a beautiful new facility on 200 acres near Independence, Missouri, just east of Kansas City. A non-profit, faith-based organization, Shelterwood is licensed as a Residential Child Care Facility (RCCF) through Missouri State's Division of Family Services and operates an accredited school with six teachers.

Shelterwood stands apart from other boarding schools for girls and boys because of the deep-seated commitment to treat the whole child and the family. Shelterwood’s program gets to the heart of issues through relational therapy while ensuring teens obtain the very best educational and spiritual experience possible. State-of-the-art teaching facilities and program structure ensure that teens stay on task while the counseling team and mentor staff work to ensure that teens feel safe, secure, and stimulated.  Shelterwood is not a drug rehab facility, but rather deals with teens displaying rebellion, showing extreme non-compliance, exhibiting poor social skills, lacking in self-control, motivation or direction, and/or possessing poor self-esteem. Shelterwood is focused on creating a real sense of “family” both for the teens and for the staff.

Spiritually Shelterwood is all about creating and improving personal relationships between individuals and God through a focus on Jesus.  There is no particular denomination or highly defined doctrinal position involved.  It’s all about Jesus.

THE NEW PRESIDENT & CEO, JIM SUBERS

Jim Subers started as the new CEO on October 1st, 2011.  He brings a strong combination of business world and ministry experience, has built solid teams, been successful at fundraising and has a heart for ministry and kids.  Jim had been at Bill Glass Champions for Life for just over three years where he led a major time of “retooling” and a successful turnaround.  Jim has been in leadership positions for other Christian non-profit organizations, including serving as Executive Director for Mega Voice International, Founder of Strengthening Hands International, and President of Kids Across America.  He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and spent two years in post graduate studies at Fuller Theological Seminary.

THE POSITION

Shelterwood is passionate about giving youth (and their families) a second start.  For over thirty years Shelterwood has poured life and love with boundaries and provided an environment to change and grow, all under the sheltering arms of Jesus Christ.  Shelterwood is looking for a passionate, Christ loving, teen loving, family loving, and enthusiastic leader to carry on and further develop the Shelterwood difference. Shelterwood is a place of protection, guidance, accountability and care from people who love kids and love Jesus and where trusted adults step into lives to make a difference.  Shelterwood needs a leader to lead those trusted adults.

The Program Director reports to and will work closely with the CEO to help build upon the great foundation and to help ensure that Shelterwood becomes one of the most successful and sought after Christ centered youth residential treatment facilities in the country.  The Program Director is peer to John Devries (Marketing & Admissions Director-remote), Steven Hobson (Controller), and Jayne Conant (Human Resource Director- remote).  The Program Director has three direct reports including Ron Rubottom (Residential Director), Sheri Nelson (Counseling Director), and John Lawrence (School Principal). There are approximately 45 staff within these three departments that would act as indirect reports including kitchen, maintenance, housing, counseling, and teaching staff.

An attractive compensation plan, including an incentive plan will be offered. The Program Director should plan on living within a reasonable distance to the site.  Assistance in relocation will be offered if needed.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership, vision, oversight, and guidance to the Residential, Education, and Counseling Departments.
• Be the senior liaison to perspective and currently enrolled parents and families—the initial “Face of Shelterwood” providing support encouragement, feedback, and authority.
• Oversee all programming, activities, and scheduling.
• Serve as the senior leader back-up to the CEO.
• Participate in all facets of day-to-day operations of the facility, staff and clients.
• Actively participate in assuring Shelterwood is positively portrayed and marketed in the local and nationwide community.
• Facilitate consistent responsive and clear communication between departments.
• Build a strong sense of community among staff, clients and families.
• Provide an atmosphere for spiritual discussion and support and maintain accountability.

Leadership, Spiritual AND Personality

Must Have*

• A minimum Master’s Degree, preferably in Counseling, Psychology, Family Therapy, etc. (Doctoral degree/studies would be a plus). Additionally, significant experience (minimum of five years) in leading a counseling/therapeutic program, ideally within an adolescent client environment.  A combination of alternative education, and/or significant leadership experience and/or advanced degree in Business, Leadership, Education, etc. may be considered.*
• A personal, growing faith in Jesus Christ. Agreement with Shelterwood’s Statement of Faith—See Addendum
• A self-starter with proven ability in developing a professional, team-oriented organization.
• Proven ability serving in a customer-oriented culture.
• At least five years to give to this leadership role.
• A strong degree of charisma that causes contagious enthusiasm and prompts credibility, yet with a genuine, down to earth approach.
• An openness and transparency that includes being a good example, accessible and seeking/encouraging personal feedback.
• A healthy level of self-confidence coupled with a servant’s heart and humility.
• A desire and tenacious enthusiasm to serve in this environment.
• An ability to deal with ever-changing variables, sometimes in an intense environment.
• An ability to relate well to the cultures of pre-teens, teens and young adults as well as their parents.
• Strong “EQ” (emotional quotient), the ability to read the other person’s emotional state and then adjust one’s approach in order to reach the person most effectively.
• High amount of self-awareness, knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses and how one is perceived by the other person. A genuine approachability.
• Proven ability to network and create relationships effectively.
• An ability to know when to be quite involved and when to delegate tasks to others. A willingness to roll up their sleeves and get the tough jobs done.
• An ability to multi-task, reprioritize as needed and to meet deadlines.

Hope to Have*

• Demonstrated experience and enthusiasm in incorporating faith into therapeutic modalities.
• Familiarity with client tracking software, ideally, Best Notes software.
• Experience with at-risk youth.
• Experience in raising children of their own…perhaps even to young adulthood.
• Experience in a therapeutic residential setting.
• Innovative with new things that will cause improvement and growth.
• Counseling and Counseling Supervision experience. Experience with more severe pathologies (Bi-Polar, OCD, Cutting, etc. would be a plus).
• Ministry leadership experience.
• School leadership Experience.
• Excellent communication skills; public speaking, writing, teaching.
• Proven ability to cope with conflict, stress, and crisis situations.
• Effective problem solving and reconciliation skills.

*Note: It is understood that based on the “Must Have” and “Hope to Have” attributes that probably only God himself would meet all the qualifications. That said, the Shelterwood leadership is open to considering applicants that have the passion, desire, and sense of calling to apply. If you believe that, despite not meeting the listed attributes, you should be considered a candidate, then please include your reasoning in your cover letter so we can understand your heart. Each application will be prayerfully considered.

Local Information

Shelterwood is located in a rural area a few miles NE of Independence, Missouri, which is the fourth largest city in the state and part of the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2010, the city had a total population of 116,830, is the county seat of Jackson County, and is known as the "Queen City of the Trails" because it was a point of departure of the California, Oregon and Santa Fe Trails.

The Independence town square features numerous family-owned shops surrounding the old main courthouse in Independence, which was modeled after Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. This courthouse houses Harry S. Truman's former courtroom and office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

If you or someone you know has an interest and meets most of the experience requirements described in this profile or senses a sincere calling to apply, please forward your resume and brief cover letter to the contact below or feel free to suggest a person (include their contact information) for consideration and/or forward this information to them.  Suggested names will be treated discreetly and candidates should be assured that their inquiries will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.

Our client is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, sex, national origin, familiar status, veteran status, or physical handicap.  However, by the nature of this organization and its purposes, it does limit its hiring to people whose beliefs, theology and lifestyle are consistent with Shelterwood’s Statement of Faith (see addendum). 

We fully respect the need for confidentiality of information supplied by interested parties and assure them that their backgrounds and interests will not be discussed with anyone, including our client, without their prior consent, nor will reference contacts be made until mutual interest has been established.

Shelterwood Statement of Faith

WE BELIEVE …

In the verbal, plenary inspiration of the bible and that it is the supreme and final authority for faith and life.

In the Unity and trinity of the Godhead; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three Persons are one God, having precisely that same nature, attributes and perfections.

In Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, our sole Mediator, we believe further in His eternal existence as God, His incarnation and virgin birth, His sinless life, His death on the cross as the substitutionary atonement for sin, His literal, bodily resurrection from the dead, His present ministry of intercession in Heaven, and His personal, future return to earth.

In the Holy Spirit, His personality, and His activity in regeneration, sanctification, and preservation.

That man was created in the image of god, that he sinned in Adam, and that he is now a sinner by nature and by choice.

In salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from human merit, works or ceremonies.

That the church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and that there is a twofold aspect to the church, the universal and the local.

In the resurrection of the human body; the eternal existence of all men either in heaven or Hell; in divine judgments, rewards and punishments.

That we are under obligation to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.

Our client is committed to a process that represents equal opportunity employment and does not discriminate in any way based on gender, race, age, color, national origin, veteran status, medical condition, or physical or mental disability. However, for searches on behalf of religious organizations, candidates will be evaluated based on that organization’s theological beliefs and religious practices.

We fully respect the need for confidentiality of information supplied by interested parties and assure them that their backgrounds and interests will not be discussed with anyone, including our client, without their prior consent, nor will reference contacts generally be made until mutual interest has been established.

Reference checking will request that a candidate give the recruiter access to third parties. The recruiter and the Search Committee will be cautious and sensitive as needed in trying to preserve any candidate’s anonymity.