Life Enrichments Programs Manager at Sonida Senior Living

Sonida Senior Living is one of the nation’s leading operators of independent living, assisted living and memory care communities for senior adults. The Company operates 97 communities that are home to nearly 12,000 residents across 20 states providing comfortable, safe, affordable communities where residents can form friendships, enjoy new experiences and receive personalized care from dedicated team members who treat them family. 

Job Description: 

The Life Enrichment Programs Manager provides leadership, direction, and strategic oversight of life enrichment and resident engagement programs across multiple states within the organization. This role is responsible for developing, implementing, and sustaining best-in-class programs that promote Sonida’s brand promise of purposeful living, engagement, and well-being for residents in independent living, assisted living, and memory care communities.

Working closely with Regional and Community Executive Directors, the Life Enrichment Programs Manager ensures consistent delivery of high-quality programs aligned with company standards, regulatory requirements, and the organization’s mission to enrich the lives of seniors through meaningful experiences every day.

This role also drives program standardization and scalability across communities, measures program impact through defined KPI, and leads initiatives that support resident and family engagement and community partnerships.

Responsibilities:

Program Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and lead the organization’s life enrichment strategy across all communities, ensuring a consistent and innovative approach to resident engagement.
• Partner with Marketing to Create program standards, tools, and guidelines that reflect the company’s brand, values, and resident-centered philosophy.
• Partner with Operations, Memory Care, and Wellness teams to align engagement programs with residents’ physical, cognitive, social, and emotional well-being.
• Lead scalable national or regional initiatives (such as themed events, intergenerational programs, volunteer partnerships, and community engagement campaigns) that communities can easily adopt and personalize.
• Define key performance indicators to measure program impact and establish a regular cadence for reporting outcomes to executive leadership.
• Build and manage strategic community and vendor partnerships such as museums, schools, local organizations, and entertainers to expand offerings and manage cost.

Support & Oversight

• Provide program guidance and consultative support to community life enrichment directors and executive directors to ensure effective implementation and consistency across communities
• Conduct community visits, audits, and performance reviews to assess program quality, participation, and resident satisfaction.
• Serve as subject matter expert on life enrichment and dementia engagement programs, supporting both internal teams and external partners as needed.
• Monitor program compliance with state regulations, safety standards, and documentation requirements for activities programs.
• Oversee program budget frameworks, recommend cost effective vendor options, and guide communities on resource allocation.
• Develop organizational guidelines for risk management and safety related to off-site events, resident transportation, and high touch programs.
• Provide follow-up coaching and support after reviews or incidents to ensure continuous improvement.

Training & Development

• Design and implement onboarding, certification, and continuing education programs for Life Enrichment, Magnolia Trails and Activity Directors.
• Coach community leaders to build engagement skills, creativity, and leadership capacity within their teams.
• Lead quarterly webinars, workshops, and leadership development sessions focused on resident engagement excellence and best-practice sharing across communities.
• Develop and maintain standardized competency checklists and skill validation tools for community teams.
• Ensure staff receive dementia-specific, behavior support, and person-centered training aligned with Magnolia Trails™ principles and industry best practices.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Research emerging trends in senior engagement, technology, and wellness programming to continuously evolve the organization’s offerings.
• Partner with Marketing and Communications to promote engagement programs, share best practices, and highlight resident stories that reinforce Sonida’s brand and signature programs.
• Utilize data, feedback, and outcomes to measure program impact and drive continuous improvement.
• Implement and scale technology enabled engagement tools and assess ROI and resident impact.
• Lead pilot programs across communities, evaluating outcomes and developing rollout strategies for successful initiatives.

Collaboration & Integration

• Collaborate with Dining, Wellness, and Clinical leaders to create integrated programs that enhance residents’ overall experience.
• Serve as a liaison between corporate departments and field teams to ensure alignment of strategy and execution.
• Contribute to enterprise-wide projects and committees related to resident experience, wellness, and programming.
• Engage families and volunteers as partners in programming and develop standardized communication and onboarding resources to support their involvement.
• Partner with Marketing on program storytelling and collateral that highlight resident engagement and support occupancy and retention initiatives.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation, Gerontology, Human Services, Hospitality, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in life enrichment, resident engagement, or activities management in senior living or healthcare.
• 3+ years in a regional or multi-site leadership capacity preferred.
• Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) or National Certification for Activity Professionals (ADC/ACC) preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, standardize, and scale programs across diverse communities.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Proven success in training, mentoring, and building teams.
• Experience managing program budgets and vendor relationships preferred.
• Familiarity with data collection and reporting tools (Excel, Power BI, LMS) to analyze program metrics and present results to leadership.
• Experience designing programs for memory care and managing regulatory documentation for activity programming strongly preferred.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and influence community level implementation through partnership.
• Willingness to travel frequently (40–60%) across multiple states.