Director, Head of CSE Program

For over 30 years, Gersh Autism has empowered students on the autism spectrum to reach their full potential. Serving individuals aged 5-21 across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, our network of K-12 schools provides personalized education tailored to each student’s unique learning style. We offer comprehensive therapeutic services—speech, physical, occupational therapy, and more—along with vocational training for older students. Our dedicated team collaborates with families to ensure academic, social, and emotional growth, preparing students for success beyond the classroom.

At Gersh Autism, we are committed to helping individuals on the autism spectrum lead fulfilling, independent lives.

The Director, Head of CSE Program provides strategic leadership and oversight for all Committee on Special Education (CSE) services and operations across the organization. This role is responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality, compliant, family-centered special education services while driving program excellence, operational efficiency, student outcomes, resulting in organizational growth.

The Director serves as the senior leader for the CSE department, partnering with educational leadership, multidisciplinary teams, district partnerships, compliance, workforce planning, and financial performance. The role reports to the Chief Education Officer, fostering collaborative relationships with school districts, families, clinicians, and educational teams to ensure exceptional service delivery and positive outcomes for students with disabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the vision, strategy, and goals for the CSE program.
• Align program objectives with organizational priorities, growth initiatives, and student outcome goals.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that enhance service quality, operational effectiveness, and family experience.
• Monitor industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices in special education.

Program Oversight and Operations

• Direct all CSE program operations to ensure timely, effective, and compliant service delivery.
• Establish and monitor performance metrics, service standards, and operational benchmarks.
• Ensure efficient utilization of staffing, resources, and program capacity.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, service models, and operational processes.

Educational Excellence and Student Outcomes

• Ensure educational services support student achievement, progress, and individualized needs.
• Promote evidence-based practices and high-quality instructional programming.
• Monitor student outcomes and implement improvement plans as needed.
• Foster collaboration between educational, clinical, and support service teams.

Compliance and Regulatory Oversight

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local special education regulations.
• Maintain adherence to relevant state education regulations, and district requirements.
• Oversee audit readiness and quality assurance processes.
• Mitigate organizational risk through proactive compliance monitoring.

District and Family Partnerships

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with school districts, educational agencies, and community stakeholders.
• Serve as a senior representative of the organization during district meetings and strategic partnerships.
• Promote a family-centered approach to service delivery.
• Address complex concerns and facilitate collaborative problem-solving.

Financial and Business Management

• Partner with leadership to develop and manage program budgets.
• Monitor revenue, productivity, utilization, and financial performance metrics.
• Support sustainable growth and profitability while maintaining service quality.
• Identify opportunities for program expansion and business development.

Talent Leadership and Workforce Planning

• Lead recruitment, retention, and workforce planning efforts for educational and related service professionals.
• Develop succession plans and leadership pipelines within the