Director - Homeless Shelter Operations at Chicanos Por La Causa – Albuquerque, New Mexico

This is not just another director role – this is your mission and calling.

CPLC Gateway West is searching for our next Director of homeless shelter services to lead a team of dedicated professionals providing 24/7 support and safety to unhoused and vulnerable populations.

WHY JOIN US?

• You get to impact lives and advocate for people seeking a path forward.
• You get to be part of La Causa, joining a multi-state non-profit with a rich history and decades of experience driving economic and political empowerment.
• You get to develop future and current shelter leaders. Our team is eager to learn from you!
• You get to enhance the shelter community and team culture, redefining values and expectations and re-centering trauma-informed principles, integrity, accountability, and respect.
• You won't do this alone! You'll be directly supported by our Regional Director. A whole team of professionals across IT, finance, talent strategy, employee culture, safety and risk and more are here to support you.
• Your wellness is important to us. We are committed to supporting you and your team through supervision, training, and access to employee wellness resources and benefits.
• You get to work from home Fridays!

SALARY & BENEFITS: $85,000 - $93,000 annual, exempt

• Generous Paid Holiday - including a floating personal holiday
• Employee Recognition Program
• Paid Time Off & Paid Sick Days
• Free Preventative Services & Wellness Rewards
• Medical, Dental, and Vision for Spouse/Domestic Partner & Children to age 26
• Health Savings Account & Flexible Spending Account
• Life + Disability options
• Employee Assistance Program
• Telemedicine & Concierge Services
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Pet Care, Life Mart Purchase Discounts
• Tuition Reimbursement for qualifying degrees
• Mileage Reimbursement for qualifying roles
• Identity Theft Protection& Voluntary Benefits

LOCATION: 7440 Jim McDowell Rd

SCHEDULE:
Full-time, 5 days, work-from-home Fridays. Work with your Program Manager to ensure coverage weekends and holidays.

ABOUT GATEWAY WEST
Gateway West is the City’s largest shelter and serves an average of 600 people per night, with cold winter nights bringing in more than 700 people. The shelter offers a safe and welcoming environment to men and women experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque. The center is open year-round, offering meals, a warm bed, and secure under-bed storage. Shuttle service is provided daily. Gateway Center provides low, barrier, trauma-informed overnight beds for transition to housing. The shelter provides easy access to services needed for case management, job searching, and other supportive services. Success is an exit to safe, stable housing, and a plan for ongoing support.

WHAT MAKES YOU A GREAT DIRECTOR FOR GATEWAY?
You are committed to this work and resolute in your focus. You know that this requires being a leader who can design systems and step into operations, balancing high-level decision-making, oversight and hands-on involvement to address challenges in real time, support staff performance, and ensure the program operates seamlessly and safely.

• Program Operations & Systems Leadership
• Staff Development & Performance Management
• Community Engagement & Partnership Development
• Government Relations (City of Albuquerque)
• Budget & Financial Management
• Policy Development & Compliance
• Crisis Management & Safety Oversight

HOW WILL YOU MAKE AN IMPACT?
CPLC envisions empowered lives and better tomorrows. As the Director of Gateway West, you will be the driving force behind the shelter's mission, overseeing a team building better tomorrows for the unhoused and vulnerable in Albuquerque. You will translate CPLC's core values (Community, Ownership, Respect, Empowerment, Integrity, and Quality) into community-driven, trauma-informed services.

You will use your independent judgment and integrity to ensure both the system-level success and the day-to-day performance of Gateway West. You will build, establish and lead the structures, policies, partnerships, and strategies that support sustainable operations, while also ensuring that onsite services are delivered safely, efficiently, and at a high standard.

You will own the development and implementation of policies and procedures, streamline processes to improve effectiveness, and maintain a strong culture of safety, accountability, and operational excellence. In your work, you will ensure that systems are not only well-designed, but consistently executed in practice.

TRAUMA-INFORMED, STRENGTHS-BASED LEADERSHIP
This will be a great opportunity to model trauma-informed principles for your Program Manager, supervisors and staff as you provide oversight of the team and operations, setting the standard. In your hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, and performance management, you will get to build up and equip your Program Manager and team to provide the highest quality care to anyone who comes to Gateway West. In your mentorship, leadership capacity and skills will be fine-tuned and enhanced.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provide overall leadership and direction for Gateway West operations
• Develop and implement program strategies aligned with organizational goals
• Translate high-level objectives into actionable operational plans
• Build a culture of accountability, performance, and continuous improvement
• Oversee daily program operations to ensure efficiency, safety, and service quality
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies and procedures to ensure seamless operations
• Monitor program performance metrics and implement improvements as needed
• Ensure compliance with all local, state, federal, and contractual requirements
• Supervise and support Program Manager(s) and Supervisors to ensure effective team performance
• Establish clear expectations, performance standards, and accountability systems
• Provide coaching, mentorship, and professional development opportunities
• Address performance issues proactively and effectively
• Ensure appropriate staffing structure, coverage, and succession planning
• Build and refine operational systems, workflows, and processes
• Identify gaps and implement scalable solutions
• Ensure documentation, reporting, and data systems are accurate and effective
• Serve as primary liaison with the City of Albuquerque and key stakeholders
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with community partners and subcontractors
• Represent Gateway West in public forums, meetings, and collaborative initiatives
• Identify and bring in additional resources to support program growth and sustainability
• Develop and manage program budgets in collaboration with finance
• Monitor expenditures and ensure fiscal responsibility
• Identify and pursue funding opportunities, including grants and partnerships
• Support diversification of funding streams
• Ensure a safe environment for staff, clients, and community members
• Oversee incident response, crisis management, and emergency protocols
• Ensure compliance with safety standards and regulatory requirements
• Manage relationships with subcontractors and service providers
• Ensure contract compliance, performance, and accountability
• Monitor deliverables and outcomes
• Participate in on-call rotation with Program Manager, providing high-level decision-making, escalation management, and coordination
• Provide leadership during critical incidents and after-hours situations
• Other duties as assigned to meet shelter, departmental and organizational needs

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES
Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Social Services, Business, or related field required (Master’s preferred)
• 5+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in program or operations management
• Experience managing complex, multi-layered programs and teams
• Experience working with government entities and community-based organizations

• Strong supervisory and effective leadership skills, including proven success in team development.
• Ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels.
• Excellent attention to detail, analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Strong financial and budget management skills.
• Experience with policy development and regulatory compliance.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and negotiation skills.
• Experience and commitment to working with underserved, multiethnic, multicultural, low-income populations.
• Proven ability to follow-up and meet deadlines.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and delegate to balance the many responsibilities, and address the various issues, that a leader faces in a fast-paced, shelter environment.
• Excellent initiative, flexibility, and stress-management in handling the demands of leadership.
• Ability to be on-call and respond to emergencies.

The choice is now. The impact is forever. Join La Causa and apply today!

Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer

CPLC knows it takes variety of thought, culture, background, and perspective to create a truly impactful workforce. As CPLC grows, we are seeking talented employees with varying backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences to support our innovation and creativity. CPLC commits to a continued focus on fair and just hiring, training, promotional practices, and policies. We work for real change and progress in equal opportunity recruitment, hiring, and advancement. Learn more by visiting https://www.eeoc.gov/poster

California Residents: Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc and its subsidiaries will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the Civil Right’s Department Fair Chance Act webpage.