The Manager, Pediatrics and Adolescents, provides strategic, clinical, and operational leadership for a large-scale, interdisciplinary pediatric rehabilitation program serving children and adolescents with complex medical, developmental, functional, behavioral, and educational needs. The Manager is accountable for translating Ability KC’s mission and long-range strategy into safe, high-quality, family-centered services, measurable outcomes, sustainable growth, and an exceptional experience for individuals served, families, and team members.

The Manager directs day-to-day program operations and leads an interdisciplinary workforce that include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, behavioral health, nursing, social work, case management, education, rehabilitation support, and administrative functions. Responsibilities include workforce planning, recruitment and retention, team development, clinical and operational workflow, capacity and access management, productivity, budget stewardship, revenue-cycle partnership, risk management, regulatory compliance, and performance improvement. The Manager ensures that staffing models, systems, policies, and resources support current demand, program growth, clinical excellence, and responsible use of organizational resources.

Working in close partnership with senior leadership, medical leadership, and leaders across all medical rehabilitation programming, the Manager develops coordinated care pathways and operating practices that create a seamless continuum between pediatric, adolescent, transition-age, and adult services. The role promotes timely referral, shared care planning, interdisciplinary communication, appropriate transfer of services, and continuity for individuals and families as needs change across the lifespan. The Manager also collaborates with education, admissions, finance, human resources, information technology, quality, compliance, development, marketing, and community partners to advance integrated service delivery.

The Manager provides visible leadership for CARF accreditation and ongoing survey readiness within the pediatric rehabilitation program. This includes interpreting and operationalizing applicable CARF standards; maintaining evidence of conformance; aligning policies, procedures, documentation, accessibility, safety, rights, outcomes, and performance-management practices; educating and engaging team members; supporting mock surveys and corrective actions; and partnering with organizational leaders to sustain accreditation between survey cycles. The Manager uses clinical, operational, financial, satisfaction, access, and outcome data to identify trends, reduce risk, improve quality, demonstrate impact, and guide program decisions.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, rehabilitation, healthcare administration, nursing, social work, education, business, or a related field required.
• A master’s degree in a clinical discipline, rehabilitation, healthcare administration, business, or a related field is strongly preferred.
• Current, unrestricted professional licensure or certification is required.
• Ongoing leadership, quality, compliance, and accreditation education is expected.

Experience:

• Minimum of five years of progressive leadership experience in pediatric rehabilitation, medical rehabilitation, or a comparably complex healthcare environment, including responsibility for program operations, interdisciplinary teams, quality, and performance outcomes is preferred.
• Experience managing a large or multi-service program, leading managers or clinical supervisors, and partnering across pediatric and adult rehabilitation services is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with CARF accreditation, survey preparation, standards implementation, continuous quality improvement, regulatory compliance, budget management, workforce development, and program growth is preferred.
• Experience building productive relationships with individuals and families served, referral sources, payers, schools, healthcare providers, community partners, and other stakeholders is essential.

Knowledge/Skills/Licensure/Certification:

• Demonstrated ability to lead a large-scale pediatric rehabilitation program with multiple disciplines, service lines, locations, funding sources, and stakeholder groups.
• Strong knowledge of pediatric development, disability, rehabilitation practice, trauma-informed and family-centered care, interdisciplinary service delivery, care coordination, and transition planning across the lifespan.
• Working knowledge of CARF standards and accreditation processes, including continuous readiness, performance measurement, stakeholder input, risk management, accessibility, rights, safety, quality improvement, and evidence of conformance.
• Ability to collaborate across pediatric and adult medical rehabilitation programs to design consistent referral, intake, care-planning, handoff, discharge, and transition practices.
• Proven leadership in workforce planning, coaching, accountability, succession development, employee engagement, conflict resolution, and change management within an interdisciplinary environment.
• Ability to analyze clinical, access, productivity, financial, satisfaction, safety, and outcome data; translate findings into action plans; and communicate results through dashboards and executive-level reports.
• Sound knowledge of healthcare operations, budgeting, payer and reimbursement considerations, revenue-cycle collaboration, compliance, documentation, privacy, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
• Demonstrated skill in strategic planning, program development, implementation, evaluation, capacity management, process improvement, and responsible growth.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with individuals served, families, team members, executives, board members, surveyors, funders, referral partners, and community stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to ethical practice, inclusion, accessibility, cultural responsiveness, person-centered decision-making, and protection of confidential information.

Who We Are:

Ability KC is the longest-standing private, not-for-profit, comprehensive outpatient medical rehabilitation facility in Kansas City serving thousands of individuals and their families annually and is nationally accredited and recognized as a leader in value-based care.

Our organization proudly provides a unique, personalized approach to care, serving people of all ages through educational, vocational, and therapeutic services. From helping with a child’s transition to kindergarten, to helping someone relearn how to drive or return to work, we’re there for our community.

Ability KC has been a designated comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility (CORF) since 2002, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities since 1971 and accreditation with National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Our mission is to build brighter futures for children and adults with disabilities by providing comprehensive educational, vocational and therapeutic services.

Our Culture:

We emphasize the well-being of every individual, ensuring there is meaning in what we do each day, with dedication to quality relationships, security in our finances, vibrancy in our physical and mental health and recent pride in contributions to our community. Our culture is built on three pillar principles – make a positive impact every day, embrace legacy and innovation, and together we rise.

We offer Monday – Friday services, a Comprehensive Benefit Package that includes paid Winter Break and Wellness Care Leave.

Ability KC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis or disability.

Background and post offer drug screenings required.