SUPERVISOR OF PROFESSIONAL RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
Career Family: SUPERVISOR
In New Jersey, Supervisor of Professional Residential Services is filled through the competitive process: candidates take a civil service exam and are hired off a ranked list, not picked at will.
The stated bar is a master's degree, but candidates can swap in added experience for the diploma. The FY2027 range lands between $87,507 and $128,719, and state payroll currently lists about 14 people in the title, most of them at Human Services.
How to apply
-
Exam
This is an application to sit an exam and be placed on an eligible list for this title, not an application for a specific job. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. There may be no current vacancy behind it, and the list it produces may not be certified for months or years.
-
Exam
Open to permanent employees in the competitive division who hold a qualifying lower title in the same unit. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. Like the open competitive exam, this places you on a list; it is not itself a job offer.
-
Agency posting
Department of Human Services's employment page may require a click-through to see specific openings. Provisional appointment against a posted vacancy is how most people are actually hired into this kind of title.
-
Agency posting
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs's employment page may require a click-through to see specific openings. Provisional appointment against a posted vacancy is how most people are actually hired into this kind of title.
Who employs this title
State payroll records show 14 people working under this title. The median actual salary is $116,402. The agencies employing the most are:
- Human Services (13)
- Military and Veterans Affairs (1)
Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.
Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator.
Definition
Under direction of the director at a state institution, manages and administers all aspects of residential services within the units assigned to a section, including the supervision of personnel and the integration and coordination of programs within these units assigned; does related work as required.
Examples of work
Takes responsibility for the overall residential and professional programs for the clients within the section. Implements and develops ongoing programs in residential and professional programming. Develops goals and objectives for the section. Assures that the units within the section are properly staffed with employees twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week. Develops ongoing communication within the section to ensure staff, client, parent, and client advocate awareness and understanding of policies and procedures that govern the delivery of service to clients. Assures that the Individual Habilitation Plans developed by the Treatment Team are in place and implemented. Participates in the development of and conducts inservice training programs for assigned staff. Develops budgetary requirements for the section and manages the section within existing resources. Assures that investigations are completed as a result of incidents, accidents, complaints, or inquiries. Conducts inspections and reviews of residential areas and programs of the section. Promotes effective employee relations among assigned staff. Plans, organizes, and assigns the work of the organizational unit and evaluates employee performance and conduct, enabling the effective recommendation of the hiring, firing, promoting, and disciplining of subordinates. Supervises the overall administration of the section assigned and assures that functional programs are in operation. Prepares accurate and informative reports concerning the operation of the section as established or directed by the director. Develops corrective plans to remedy any noted deficiencies within the section. Assures the safety, well being, training, and acceptable appearance of the clients within the section. Maintains essential records and files. Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and computerized information system used by the agency, office, or related units.
License
Appointee will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
Knowledge of the laws, rules, regulations, standards, programs, policies and procedures of a particular institution after a period of training. Knowledge of the emotional, mental, social, and other problems and difficulties of persons who are confined in an institution. Knowledge of the problems encountered in maintaining a safe, sanitary, and orderly environment within resident living facilities and in providing a suitable substitute for home life within the limitations of the institutional framework. Knowledge of the professional programs available to the developmentally disabled. Knowledge of the components of the Individual Habilitation Plan after a period of training. Knowledge of staff training program. Knowledge of federal regulations governing Intermediate Care Facilities after a period of training. Knowledge of supervisory and employee relations techniques. Knowledge of the techniques involving planning, identification, and attainment of objectives. Ability to organize personnel and other resources to achieve efficient utilization and maximum economy. Knowledge of budget preparation for a large operational unit. Knowledge of techniques involved in planning, developing, and implementing a varied resident living program, including training in self-help, social skills, personal hygiene, recreation, and housekeeping. Ability to formulate a communication system to assure staff, client and parent awareness of existing programs. Ability to conduct varied, concise, and factual investigations. Ability to conduct ongoing staff training programs. Ability to coordinate residential programs with professional programs to achieve optimum service to clients. Ability to formulate plans to correct noted program deficiencies. Ability to analyze, comprehend, and interpret basic laws, regulations, standards, policies, and procedures and apply them to specific situations. Ability to supervise the work involved in the custody, care, protection, and rehabilitation of persons deprived of their liberty. Ability to formulate and develop the work, training, and recreation schedules, and programs for groups of clients. Ability to select and assign clients to appropriate living quarters and to coordinate resident living programs with other services provided by the institution. Ability to advise, counsel, and guide clients of varied mental and chronological ages, experience, and backgrounds. Ability to maintain essential records and files. Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units. Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication. Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible. CODE: 26/S27- MER 8/30/08
Note
Applicants must meet one of the following or a combination of both experience and education. Thirty (30) semester-hour credits are equal to one (1) year of relevant experience. Eight (8) years of professional experience in work involving the direct care, training, treatment or other habilitative services to patients, clients, residents, or as a member of a treatment team in a residential or health care facility, one (1) year of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. OR Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; and four (4) years of the above-mentioned professional experience, one (1) year of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. OR Possession of a master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Education, Administration, Sociology, Nursing, Guidance and Counseling or a closely related field from an accredited college or university; and three (3) years of the above-mentioned professional experience, one (1) year of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. "Professional experience" refers to work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the authority to act according to one's own judgment and make accurate and informed decisions.
Position Variants
Study guides for this exam
- Supervisory Test Battery (STB) National Learning Corporation · $56.99
- General Supervisor National Learning Corporation · $49.90 · general prep, not specific to this title
The Civil Service Commission does not publish official study guides or release past tests. These are independent equivalency guides.