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About the Role

The PACE Participant Engagement Manager provides leadership, clinical direction, and strategic oversight of activity programming for On Lok PACE members at Institute on Aging (IOA). This role supervises staff and establishes an outcomes-driven therapeutic recreation framework to promote participant engagement, functional participation, psychosocial well-being, and quality of life. Reporting to the PACE Senior Director, this manager is a member of the PACE Leadership Team and IOA Management Team, ensuring activity programming aligns with Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) goals, regulatory requirements, and the mission of providing integrated, comprehensive care and enrichment to PACE participants.

Responsibilities

Champion engagement innovation and culture change, transforming traditional activities into vibrant, meaningful experiences.
Build team norms, workflows, and competencies to support participant-centered excellence.
Provide daily supervision and leadership for Activity team members, modeling and coaching professional, participant-centered practices.
Establish clear performance expectations, conduct regular coaching, drive ownership, and maintain accountability for execution and results.
Strengthen individual and team competency through professional development, mentoring, and routine competency checks.
Address performance concerns, and participate in hiring, training, and onboarding new team members.
Cultivate team engagement and cohesion to promote goal alignment, communication, and collective problem-solving.
Maintain a consistent presence across multiple day rooms to observe programming, mentor staff, and ensure a positive and engaging environment.
Provide clinical and programmatic oversight, promoting various group activities, special events, and individualized engagement in multiple day rooms.
Ensure activities are intentionally designed to support engagement and functional participation.
Partner with PACE leadership and staff to ensure care reflects participant's 'What Matters Most' and staff solicit participant-stated goals for IDT care planning.
Ensure activities programming is inclusive, culturally responsive, and aligned with participant preferences, functional abilities, cognitive status, and care plan goals.
Provide oversight of thorough, high-quality assessments, care planning, and documentation to ensure clinical integrity, compliance, and alignment with therapeutic goals.
Serve as the therapeutic recreation subject-matter expert within the IDT.
Engage directly with participants to assess satisfaction, encourage participation, and model best practices in engagement.
Guide the development and implementation of individualized engagement strategies.
Establish and oversee a PACE dementia engagement program, including curriculum development, staff training, coaching, and performance standards.
Advance and oversee a volunteer program that builds community connections, elevates program visibility, and meaningfully enhances social connection, engagement opportunities, and individualized attention.
Establish and uphold standards for documentation, regulatory compliance, safety, and the latest dementia and therapeutic recreation practices across the Activities department.
Define, monitor, and evaluate engagement, participation, and therapeutic outcome measures in collaboration with the IDT.
Participate in and/or lead quality improvement initiatives using data, staff input, observation, and participant feedback.
Serve as a clinical resource and mentor to Activities and other program staff in dementia care, psychosocial engagement techniques, and evidence-informed therapeutic recreation practices and principles.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation, Recreation Therapy, Music Therapy, Gerontology, Psychology, Social Work, or related field.
Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) strongly preferred.
Other relevant certifications (Certified Activity Director (ADC), Activity Consultant Certified (ACC), or Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) considered based on experience and demonstrated expertise in therapeutic recreation.
First Aid and CPR certification required within 6-months of hire.
Minimum 8 years of experience in activity programming for older adults.
Minimum 3 years supervisory experience.
Strong background in dementia care.
Experience working in adult day health, PACE, long-term care, community living, or memory care settings.
Dementia certification preferred.
Demonstrated ability to motivate and develop staff, lead change, and manage team dynamics.
Experience conducting recreation assessments, developing care plans, and ensuring regulatory compliance in ADHC or PACE environments.
Experience applying therapeutic recreation principles to support populations with behavioral, cognitive, or psychosocial needs using non-pharmacological approaches.

Skills

Ability to lead, mentor and coach staff, fostering professional growth, accountability, and a collaborative team culture.
Capacity to lead change, introduce new frameworks or expectations, and support staff through transitions.
Strong interpersonal, communication and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to navigate team dynamics and support cohesion.
Strong organizational and time management skills; ability to prioritize, delegate, and balance clinical, operational, and leadership abilities.
Creative, flexible, and enthusiastic with a passion for participant engagement.
Cultural humility when working with multilingual, multicultural participants, families, and staff.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, EHR documentation, and activity scheduling systems.

Experience Level

Minimum 8 years of experience in activity programming for older adults.
Minimum 3 years supervisory experience.

Education Level

Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation, Recreation Therapy, Music Therapy, Gerontology, Psychology, Social Work, or related field.
Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) strongly preferred.
Certified Activity Director (ADC) considered.
Activity Consultant Certified (ACC) considered.
Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) considered.
First Aid and CPR certification required within 6-months of hire.
Dementia certification preferred.

Salary/Compensations

Range: $120,000 - $127,000/annual

Benefits

Competitive salaries
Investment and retirement opportunities
Outstanding health coverage
Robust wellness programs
Additional perks

About the Company

IOA is on the forefront of revolutionary healthcare models, reshaping the way people can age in place.
Our innovative models transform lives, enhance communities, and save healthcare systems millions of dollars.
We strive to consistently question the “status-quo” and create new and more innovative ways to help aging adults and adults with disabilities maintain their quality of life.
With over 23 programs, we offer multiple ways to aid seniors maintain their health, well-being, independence and participation in the community, fulfilling our mission.

Equal Opportunity

Institute on Aging is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Institute on Aging is committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive work environment and providing equal opportunities to all employees and job applicants without regard to age, race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neuro-diversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.