Director of Residential Services (DORS) Position Information: - Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
- Position Type: Full-time (40 hours per week) exempt
- Location: On-site; Denver, CO
- Benefits: Medical - Kaiser Permanente, Dental, Vision, Long-term Disability, Life Insurance, Retirement Plan with employer match; 90% of Health Insurance Premiums paid by employer; Wellness Benefit and Wellness Days; Robust time off package; Mileage reimbursement.
Position Summary: The Director of Residential Services is a leadership team position responsible for the overall leadership, quality, safety, and daily operations of SafeHouse Denver's residential services. Reporting directly to the CEO, the DORS ensures that residential programs operate safely and effectively, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and that survivors and their children receive welcoming, accessible, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and survivor-centered services. This position requires a leader who can balance strategic leadership with the day-to-day realities of operating a domestic violence shelter. The DORS leads and develops residential staff and supervisors, oversees service delivery and housing-related programming, ensures appropriate staffing and crisis response, maintains program and funding compliance, monitors outcomes, and collaborates across the organization to respond to the evolving needs of survivors. As a member of SafeHouse Denver's leadership team, the DORS contributes to organizational strategy, culture, planning, risk management, and continuous improvement. This role will rotate with members of the leadership team as on-call executive manager for 24/7 residential services 1 week/month.
Duties and Responsibilities1. Senior Leadership & Program Oversight • Serve as an active member of the senior leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy, planning, decision-making, and implementation.
• Provide strategic oversight and accountability for the overall effectiveness, quality, safety, accessibility, and sustainability of Residential Services.
• Translate organizational priorities into clear program goals, expectations, systems, and practices for residential programs.
• Keep the CEO informed of residential operations, staffing, performance, emerging needs, risks, and opportunities.
• Contribute to budgeting, workforce planning, policy development, risk management, and continuous program improvement.
2. Residential Safety, Compliance & Program Quality • Develop and maintain residential policies, procedures, emergency protocols, and operational systems consistent with best practices and organizational requirements, in collaboration with residential leadership.
• Ensure adequate staffing, scheduling, supervisory coverage, crisis-line coverage, and after-hours/on-call systems to maintain safe and effective services.
• Maintain a visible presence within residential programs and a strong working knowledge of day-to-day residential operations.
• Serve as a senior point of escalation for significant incidents and emergencies.
• Participate in the agency's on-call leadership structure and respond to significant residential emergencies as needed.
• Ensure continuity of essential services during staffing shortages, severe weather, facility concerns, emergencies, and other unexpected circumstances.
• Partner closely with Facilities staff to ensure residential properties are safe, functional, welcoming, accessible, and compliant with applicable requirements.
• Collaborate and delegate, as appropriate, to ensure food, supplies, transportation, technology, and other operational needs are effectively met.
• Partner with Director of Survivor Services to ensure grant requirements are met, and that data is collected, audited, assessed, reported, and shared in a timely manner.
3. Community Partnerships & External Representation • Develop and maintain relationships with domestic violence providers, housing organizations, government agencies, behavioral health providers, healthcare organizations, legal resources, and homelessness services.
• Participate in community collaborations and systems-level initiatives relevant to domestic violence, residential services, housing, and survivor needs.
• Collaborate across Development, Finance, Facilities, Communications, and other organizational functions to support residential program needs.
• Represent SafeHouse Denver with funders, community partners, government entities, coalitions, and other stakeholders as appropriate.
4. Cross-Program Collaboration • Partner with the Director of Survivor Services to promote alignment and continuity across residential and non-residential programs
• Provide consultation and strategic support to non-residential services as needed, particularly during periods of change, complexity, or service integration.
• Contribute survivor-services expertise and strategic support for cross-program planning, problem-solving, and service coordination.
• Build strong relationships across SafeHouse Dnever and promote effective coordination while maintaining clear role boundaries.
5. Equity, Trauma-Informed Practice & Values Alignment • Ensure survivor services are grounded in trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and survivor-centered practice.
• Assess how policies, practices, and service models impact marginalized survivor communities.
• Support staff navigating emotional labor, ethical complexity, and secondary trauma.
• Model values-based leadership consistent with SafeHouse Denver's mission and commitments to equity and inclusion.
Qualifications • Minimum of five years of progressively responsible management or leadership experience within human services, victim services, housing, homelessness services, behavioral health, or related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing multidisciplinary teams, including supervising managers, supervisors, or experienced professionals and leading teams through complexity, change, and emotionally demanding work.
• Significant experience in domestic violence, victim services, emergency shelter, housing, homelessness services, or closely related residential human services.
• Experience with the operational demands of residential or 24/7 programming, including staffing, scheduling, crisis response, safety, facility operations, and continuity of services.
• Strong grounding in trauma-informed, equity-centered, and survivor-led practice.
• Demonstrated experience with crisis intervention, de-escalation, safety planning, and complex decision-making.
• Experience managing program budgets, contracts, grant requirements, compliance, outcomes, and organizational resources.
• Experience developing and implementing policies, procedures, programs, and operational systems.
To apply: Please send your resume and cover letter to [email protected]
indicating Director of Residential Services in the subject line. Deadline for applications is September 17, 2026.
