Agency Director at HHA Home Care LLC – North Bethesda, Maryland

The Agency Director is the day-to-day operational leader of SmithLife Homecare, responsible for the execution, stability, and performance of all agency operations. This role carries full accountability for leadership presence, escalation management, associate support, operational follow-through, and regulatory compliance.

The Agency Director is expected to manage the agency. This includes proactively identifying issues, stepping in during escalations, reinforcing established processes, and ensuring that operational challenges are resolved.

The Agency Director serves as the primary operational authority between Senior Leadership, frontline teams, and external partners, and is responsible for ensuring continuity of care, staffing stability, financial performance, and regulatory readiness.

Core Leadership Expectations

The Agency Director must consistently demonstrate:

• Visible, engaged leadership in daily operations
• Proactive intervention during escalations and staffing crises
• Independent decision-making within established policy
• Sustained follow-through until issues are fully resolved
• Ownership of operational rhythm, accountability, and team direction
• Support departmental leadership to ensure overall associate success

This role requires anticipation, decisiveness, and ownership.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Day-to-Day Operational Leadership

• Serve as the clear operational leader of the agency
• Lead daily and weekly huddles with authority, engagement, and direction
• Provide real-time guidance to Coordination, Clinical, Sales, Billing, and On-Call teams
• Step in immediately during client, staffing, or clinical escalations
• Reinforce established processes and prevent staff from deferring decisions upward
• Maintain a continuous pulse on staffing, coverage, overtime, and operational risk

Escalation Management & Team Support

• Actively monitor and intervene during:
  • Client distress situations
  • Staffing shortages
  • Incident reports and fall events
  • Scope-of-practice issues
  • On-call fatigue and burnout
• Stabilize situations through:
  • Clear direction
  • Decision-making
  • Delegation
  • Follow-through to closure
• Ensure all escalations are documented, resolved, and not repeatedly resurfacing

Proactive Follow-Through & Execution

• Identify operational issues without waiting for escalation
• Initiate corrective action independently
• Ensure resolution rather than repeated discussion
• Prevent recurrence through reinforcement and accountability
• Maintain ownership of:
  • Overtime trends
  • Staffing risks
  • Compliance gaps
  • Rate and pay discipline
  • Training execution

This role requires cadence-based leadership.

Staffing, Scheduling & Coverage Accountability

• Ensure appropriate staffing levels at all times
• Identify coverage risks before they become emergencies
• Direct or delegate coverage solutions when gaps arise
• Collaborate with HR and Recruitment to:
  • Address shortages
  • Execute recruitment sprints
  • Reactivate inactive caregivers
• Ensure specific caregiver requests, mobility needs, and special skill cases are proactively addressed

Intake, Transitions & Care Continuity

• Oversee all new client admissions and campus intakes
• Ensure:
  • Accurate intake documentation
  • Realistic scheduling
  • Proper scope-of-practice alignment
• Intervene when:
  • Clients change schedules repeatedly
  • Care plans are unclear
  • Client distress or boundary issues arise
• Stabilize expectations and ensure continuity of care

Financial & Operational Performance

• Review and approve:
  • Weekly billing and payroll
  • Overtime usage and trends
  • Rate changes (no ad-hoc coordination-level authority)
• Ensure:
  • WellSky reflects approved rates only
  • No unauthorized pay drift
  • Timely rate increases are implemented
• Lead monthly KPI roll-ups covering:
  • Client census
  • Hours billed
  • Adds/losses
  • Overtime
  • Staffing gaps
  • Compliance risk
• Present findings to Senior Leadership and Board as required

Compliance & Regulatory Accountability

• Maintain full compliance with:
  • Maryland COMAR-RSA & HCSA
  • DC HSA
  • Federal and local regulations
• Ensure:
  • Incident reports are followed through
  • Hospitalizations trigger clinical and sales coordination
  • Care plans match delivered services
  • Housekeeping-only cases task match appropriately
• Direct quality improvement initiatives by preparing agency for audits, renewals, and inspections

Team Leadership & Performance Management

• Recruit, interview, hire, and onboard associates with HR support
• Execute and document:
  • Performance Improvement Plans
  • Coaching conversations
  • Corrective actions
  • Annual reviews
• Train and develop associates in:
  • Intake processes
  • Campus workflows
  • Escalation handling
  • Compliance expectations
• Ensure:
  • Training commitments are fulfilled
  • Follow-through is documented

Strategic & External Leadership

• Serve as liaison between:
  • Senior Leadership
  • Associates
  • Community partners
• Identify community health needs
• Identify programs aligned with agency growth
• Maintain external relationships with escalation management of:
  • Hospitals
  • Facilities
  • Community organizations
• Represent SmithLife Homecare in professional networks as requested

Education & Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years leadership experience in home care or healthcare operations
• Demonstrated ability to:
  • Lead teams during escalations
  • Make independent operational decisions
  • Maintain regulatory compliance
  • Manage staffing and coverage
  • Execute follow-through consistently
• Strong communication, leadership presence, and accountability orientation

Performance Standards

The Agency Director will be evaluated on:

• Leadership presence and engagement
• Responsiveness to escalations
• Follow-through and execution reliability
• Team confidence and stability
• Staffing continuity
• Compliance readiness
• Financial discipline
• Reduction in Senior Leadership operational involvement