About Project Guardianship

Project Guardianship (PG) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization providing legal guardianship services for older adults and people living with disabilities and mental illness in New York who have no family or friends able to assist them. PG’s team approach provides guardianship clients with services that allow them to be as independent and in the least restrictive setting possible. Since 2005, PG has served hundreds of New Yorkers and has become a leading voice in a national, interdisciplinary effort to re-envision and strengthen guardianship policy. More recently, PG created training and advocacy initiatives to help improve older adult and disability services throughout New York and to ensure that older residents have access to good guardianship and other decision-making support services, regardless of their ability to pay. 

The Position

Project Guardianship (PG) is seeking a compassionate and creative social worker, or someone with nonprofit experience, to help launch and lead our newest initiative: a person-centered Power of Attorney (POA) Pilot Program. Since 2005, PG has served hundreds of New Yorkers as a leading nonprofit guardian for older adults and individuals living with disabilities or mental illness.  

We are a leading voice in guardianship reform and are equally committed to developing alternatives that ensure guardianship remains a tool of last resort. To address a critical service gap for New Yorkers who lack the family, friends, or financial resources to appoint a private Power of Attorney (POA), PG is launching an innovative POA Pilot Program. This person-centered initiative provides solo agers the support necessary to maintain their independence and avoid or delay guardianship.  

Project Guardianship is seeking a Program Manager to help shape and lead this first-of-its-kind NYC pilot. We are looking for a compassionate, organized social worker who is excited by the challenge of building a program from the ground up. The successful candidate will transition from the initial design phase into the daily management of the pilot, serving as the primary contact for clients while refining the program’s operations.  

Primary Responsibilities: 

  • Program Development: Collaborate with PG staff and consultants to design program workflows, intake protocols, client engagement structures, and ethical guidelines. 

  • Initial Client Engagement: Talking to prospective clients about the program, POAs in general, and determining who will be a good fit. Learning about prospective clients’ financial situations.  

  • Case Management: Establish rapport with clients to ensure we provide the POA services they want and with their wishes and leading the decision-making processes. 

  • Resource Coordination: Navigate NYC’s aging and disability services networks to provide referrals for housing, healthcare, and community support. 

  • Daily Operations: Manage a caseload, coordinate with other staff and services to ensure service delivery, maintain accurate data for program evaluation. 

  • Documentation: Maintain comprehensive notes and data for all communications and client interactions.  

  • Process Improvement: Work with PG staff to monitor the pilot phase, track project progress, and implement programmatic adjustments as needed. 

  • Data Analysis: Work with the Data and Evaluation Manager to identify service patterns and program outcomes. 

Qualifications:  

  • MSW is preferred (or at least 5 years in aging or human services) 

  • Background in aging, mental health, or disability services 

  • Strong interpersonal and written communication skills with the ability to build trust and rapport with people of different backgrounds 

  • Proficiency in or willingness to learn data collection tools and financial/bill-paying platforms. 

  • Problem-Solving: Ability to navigate the ambiguity of a pilot project and adapt to real-world applications. 

  • Organizational Skills: Strong research, documentation, and organizational capabilities. 

  • Commitment to social justice and the rights of older adults and people with disabilities. 

  • Must be located within reasonable commuting distance to our offices in Brooklyn as well as all 5 boroughs of New York City via public transit.

Compensation   

  • $60,000-$80,000 annually  

  • Generous paid time off (vacation, personal, and sick), health care, life insurance, disability insurance, commuter, and retirement benefits with employer match  

  • 13 paid holidays   

Apply   

To apply, submit your resume,and a cover letter.   

Project Guardianship explicitly  requests that applicants not use AI tools to write their cover letters.