Join our team. We’re hiring!
Valley Educational Associates offers competitive salaries and excellent benefits package with generous vacation time, mileage reimbursement, including your birthday off and casual Fridays. Apply today!
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Application for Employment
For immediate consideration, please send your application and resume to:
Valley Educational Associates, Inc.
Attention: Human Resources
P.O. Box 46
Hatfield, MA 01038
Fax: (413) 349-4122
E-mail: HR@ValleyEducational.org
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PROGRAM MANAGER OPENING!
We are seeking candidates for our Program Manager position in Chicopee!
Hours of Work: Generally, Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm; some work outside normal hours in order to attend meetings or events
Reports To: Executive Director
Location: Designated Program Site
FLSA Status: Exempt
Job Category: Level III
Position Summary: The Program Manager is responsible for complete oversight and leadership of their designated program site, including both Community Based Day Supports (CBDS) and Supported Employment (SE) aspects of their programming. This person ensures all consumers are coached and instructed per their individual behavior plans and that they are meeting Individual Support Plan (ISP) objectives. The Program Manager hires, trains, and provides ongoing supervision and support to all direct care staff at their designated site. They are responsible for the safety of all consumers and staff.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Coordinates with families, guardians, and providers to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of consumers and to serve their unique needs
Hires, onboards, trains, and provides ongoing supervision and performance management for direct care staff with assistance from Human Resources
Completes annual performance evaluations
Assigns Objective Manager caseloads
Coordinates daily and weekly schedules in order to serve each consumer’s needs while also maintaining safe staffing ratios
Prepares annual and quarterly ISP documents and reports with assistance from the clinical team
Updates protocol book and administers training as protocols renew
Coordinates annually required trainings for OQE audit with assistance from Human Resources
Reviews and updates emergency response and disaster and evacuation plans
Represents VEA at ISP planning and other team meetings
Submits timely and accurate staff payroll data on a biweekly basis
Reviews and completes all incident and restraint reports for accuracy and initiates strategies to prevent reoccurrence, including recommending new policies and procedures
Serves as a restraint authorizer and required to administer restraints if necessary
Qualifications and Skills:
Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred, or in place of a degree, 3 to 5 years of management experience. (Management experience in general – does not need to be in Human Services – encouraged to still apply!)
A minimum of 3 years’ experience working with adults with developmental disabilities or a similar population in a vocational or rehabilitation setting preferred.
Knowledge of DDS regulations preferred.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office products required
Dedication to agency mission and values
Professional demeanor when interacting with agency employees, officers, Board of Directors, and the general public
High organizational skills and attention to detail, and ability to perform multiple complex tasks with sensitive deadlines
Excellent interpersonal communication and ability to work as a team with individuals at all levels
Ability to lead, influence, and inspire others
Ability to problem-solve and make decisions with a high degree of confidentiality and ethics
Mental Demands:
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret data. Ability to write reports and business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from staff; representatives from the Department of Developmental Services; parents, guardians, and providers; and the general public
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs
Physical Demands:
Ability to type on a computer for long periods of time, using fingers more than whole hand use. Repetitive motion. Substantial motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers
Close visual acuity is needed for preparing and reviewing data, viewing on a computer screen, and extensive reading in computerized and paper format
Ability to sit, stand, walk, and drive
Ability to reach with hands and arms
Ability to lift, push, pull up to 25lbs occasionally
Ability to apply restraint techniques as necessary
Work Environment & Travel:
Program/classroom environment with moderate to heavy noise and foot traffic; some general office environment with moderate noise (office equipment such as phones, computers and printers; light traffic)
10-25% travel between program sites in Pioneer Valley area for meetings, ISPs, training events, etc.
Job Type: Full-time with benefits, health insurance, dental, vision, vacation time, 401k, life insurance, etc.
Salary: $50,000.00 – $55,000.00 per year
Please include COVER LETTER with resume when applying!
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BEHAVOIRAL TECHNICIAN OPENING!
We are seeking candidates for our Behavioral Technician position to travel to our three work sites (Chicopee, Springfield, and Hatfield). Are you dedicated and enthusiastic, with a team-driven and collaborative spirit? If this is you, we would love for you to join our team.
Hours of Work: Monday – Friday, 8:30AM – 4:30PM.
Position Summary: The Behavioral Technician is responsible for providing in-person behavioral assessments and services to our individuals who have developmental disabilities. The Behavioral Technician will be responsible for managing an assigned caseload of individuals, from our three sites (Chicopee, Springfield, and West Hatfield).
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Assist the VEA Clinician in assessing individuals (,) creating and/or updating the individuals’ behavior plans and/or assessments.
Observe and meet with individuals to assess their needs or concerns.
Creating new plans as assigned with the assistance of Clinical Director (assigned individual does not have a plan and now needs one or is a new individual to the program)
Update assigned behavior plans specific to behavior goals, behavior objectives, triggers/antecedents, recommendations to support positive change, proactive and reactive actions needed
Collect data from the VEA database to complete progress notes and update plan grids
Create summary/progress note for assigned individuals
Present assigned behavior plans in clinical staff meetings
Provide oversight of the plans implementation (at the site, are the job coaches following the plan), making changes, as necessary.
Attend and participate in ISP, clinical site mtgs (in person or via Teams) and team meetings.
Serve as a member of the Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) Leadership Team to support in the full implementation of PBS principles throughout the program. (this group does not currently exist.)
Teach and support individuals to increase: coping skills; relaxation skills; emotion regulation and cognitive behavioral management strategies indiv. Individual, on a daily basis, to include all individuals who are assigned to them. One group per site biweekly
Timely (prior to the due date) completion of all necessary documentation (see above).
Extraction of data from the VEA’s database (extracting data for the update of plans and assessments) and the input of progress summaries into the DDS Statewide Website (HCSIS).
Participates actively at scheduled Human Rights Committee Meetings.
Maintain a working knowledge of the DDS Regulations.
Coverage for the VEA clinician, as needed.
Qualifications and Skills:
A minimum of 2 years’ experience working with a developmentally disabled, cognitively delayed or similar population in a school, vocational, rehabilitation or day treatment setting.
Experience leading social/emotional skill-building groups.
Demonstrated efficiency with computers and data entry.
Job Type: Full-time with benefits, health insurance, dental, vision, vacation time, 401k, life insurance, etc.
Pay: $19.00 – $21.00 an hour depending on experience.
Please include COVER LETTER with resume when applying!
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Join our Volunteer Committees!
Human Rights
We are seeking long term volunteers for our Human Rights Committee. The responsibility of the Committee is to promote, safeguard, and protect the human dignity and the legal rights and liberties of the participants served by Valley Educational Associates, Inc. consistent with the Department of Developmental Services. The committee reviews of agency protocols and practices while ensuring participant’s rights are protected.
Candidates should have a background in one of the following fields:
- legal / paralegal / law student / attorney
- medical / nursing / health care / physician and or assistant
- parents / guardians / family of individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities
- employee / volunteer of an agency that uplifts adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities
- people with a general interest in promoting and protecting human rights
The position will require attendance to a majority of committee meetings that occur during evening hours on an every-other month basis. Dinner is provided for those in attendance. These meetings are typically held in the agency’s Chicopee facility.
Valley Educational Associates, Inc.
Attention: Andrea Volikas, HR Manager
Fax: (413) 349-4122
E-mail: HR@ValleyEducational.org
Board of Directors
Valley Educational Associates is seeking passionate and driven people to serve on our board of directors.
Roles and responsibilities include:
-assisting in securing funds (through fundraising, peer to peer, grants, sponsorships) to further the agency’s goals and initiatives
-connecting the agency through the circle of influence
-positively representing the agency at community & networking events
-attending annual events and willingness to assist as needed on event creation and execution (such as the 5k Cider Run and an annual board hosted event)
-positive and motivated attitude to propel the mission
-passion and concern for the welfare of adults with developmental disabilities in Western MA.
Typically meets once per month on the last or fourth Wednesday at our Chicopee facility. To learn more about our current members & executive staff, go online to https://valleyeducational.org/about-us/our-team/
For immediate consideration, please send your resume and Board Application to:
Valley Educational Associates, Inc.
Attention: Andrea Volikas, HR Manager
Fax: (413) 349-4122
E-mail: HR@ValleyEducational.org