POSITION TITLE
Director, Young Adult Programs
REPORTING RELATIONSHIP
This position reports to the Vice President, Programs.
WHO WE ARE
At Step Up, we believe girls deserve to define and pursue success on their terms. By bringing girls together in inspired spaces – on and offline – we spark exploration and discussion of what’s possible. With structured support and access to a strong community, we guide girls towards their unique goals: first, by identifying those goals and then, building the roadmap to get there.
Step Up participants are high school girls and those who identify with girlhood and young women and those who identify with womanhood (ages 14-29), who are facing systemic barriers.
Step Up is in the process of implementing its five-year strategic plan, focused on strengthening existing programs and expanding its footprint nationally through a blended mentorship model of virtual, in-person and independent learning methodologies.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Director, Young Adult Programs is a member of the Programs Department Leadership Team. Step Up’s Young Adult programs serve young women, and those who identify with womanhood, ages 18-29 who may face systemic barriers opening doors to greater personal efficacy, leadership skills and career development opportunities. This role is ideal for a flexible self-starter, able to work effectively in independent and collaborative environments, and make authentic connections with young adults. The Director is responsible for developing strategies and leading their team to execute the Young Adult Programs vision and goals while also being responsible for some direct service program delivery. Additionally, the Director monitors progress and communicates the vision and goals to Step Up team members, boards, participants, and supporters.
You're a great fit for this position if you have a passion for mentorship and issues pertaining to women and girls, and have previous experience in program development and execution, an acumen for relationship building, strong leadership and strategic thinking skills, and the ability to communicate with confidence and creditability. If you want to support young women as they transcend racial and gender inequities, close the opportunity gap, and advance their communities and families, you are our ideal candidate. Travel for this position is approximately 50%.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Team Management
- Lead, supervise, and support the Young Adult Programs team to achieve annual goals through personalized coaching and ongoing daily support.
- Cultivate a supportive workplace culture for the Young Adult Programs team by providing regular, transparent communication and engaging in regular problemsolving to improve efficiency and effectiveness of programs.
- Lead the Young Adult Program team’s work related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring that DEI practices are embedded in all program development, staff management, and data analysis.
- Optimize team performance, in partnership with the Strategy + Operations team, through meaningful feedback, ongoing coaching, and career development support practices to foster professional growth.
Program Design, Development, and Delivery
- Serve as lead subject-matter expert guiding the effective design, development, and delivery of Young Adult Programs to ensure each program meets its desired outcomes and long-term impact goals.
- Ensure successful implementation and adoption of mentoring app platform through regular data analysis to optimize user experience and facilitate decision-making regarding its use.
- Steward strategic partnerships with colleges, universities, and community-based organizations to effectively grow and deepen Step Up’s engagement with young adults in our eight flagship cities and beyond.
- Lead on strategic external partnerships, managing the relationship to ensure alignment and achievement of internal and external goals and outcomes.
- Develop and lead the implementation of strategies to recruit, engage, and retain mentee and mentor participation in Young Adult Programs ensuring attendance goals are met.
- Drive continuous improvement efforts to ensure Young Adult Programs are consistent with best practices in the fields of emerging adulthood, social-emotional learning, and workforce development enabling participants to achieve impact goals related to growth in the areas of confidence, connectedness, and career readiness.
Operational Leadership
- Collaborate with leadership to inform the development of annual key performance indicators (KPI) and objectives and key results (OKR) pertaining to Young Adult Programs and lead the team in creating corresponding work plans to achieve them.
- Take ownership of Young Adult Program KPIs by managing end-to-end programmatic operations and metrics and tracking and improving program outcomes.
- Lead the development of Young Adult Programs programmatic reports, including bimonthly, quarterly, and annual reports used to inform internal teams, the Step Up board of directors, donors, and community partners.
- Collaborate with Step Up’s Development department in fundraising efforts by developing materials and engaging in partnership opportunities.
- Lead Young Adult Program team’s budget planning and management to ensure the ability to execute successfully on programming.
- Collaborate with leadership to drive strategic growth in current and future Step Up flagship cities, devising action plans for expansion through data-driven analysis.
- Drive Young Adult Programs strategy by establishing structures, leading project management, and implementing workflow systems to enhance operational efficiency and accountability for team’s workflows and projects.
- Support Young Adult Programs adoption of organizational strategies encompassing procurement, contract management, vendor relationship management to drive value and mitigate risks.
- Support organizational change management initiatives, equipping Young Adult Programs team to navigate organizational transitions effectively for seamless adaptation.
ONE STEP UP SUPPORT
- Support cross-functional and collaborative working groups or special projects as organizational needs arise and priorities evolve.
- Perform general administrative needs + support such as research, data compilation and entry, teen + young adult outreach, mailing/shipping, and running errands.
- Represent Step Up at local events as needed.
- Attend local Step Up events and support in designated roles.
- Other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
- A self-starter and quick learner; able to keep multiple projects on track.
- Strategic thinker and leader with track record of achieving organizational objectives.
- Experience working on programming with a national reach and the ability to leverage national networks to help grow Step Up’s footprint and impact in target cities/markets is strongly preferred.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with a team as well as work independently.
- Experience managing and supervising individuals and/or team.
- Strong public speaking, facilitation, and interpersonal skills with the ability to motivate a wide variety of people, foster community, and lead within an inclusive environment, both in person and online.
- Experience and expertise leading and delivering young adult programming required.
- Confident communicator (verbal and written) with a diverse range of internal and external audiences.
- Proven organization and time management skills to complete a high volume of varied responsibilities in a fast-paced setting with excellent attention to detail, a focus on efficiency, superb relationship management, and the ability to coach staff to do the same.
- Experience using data and reporting to guide decision-making and programmatic quality assurance.
- Experience with Salesforce or other CRM database and data analysis a plus.
- A bachelor's degree is great to have, but we are more interested in your total skills, experience, and past contributions.
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
SALARY + BENEFITS
- Location: In one of our Step Up cities - Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, Atlanta, New York, or Chicago. Chicago is preferred.
- Salary: The salary for this role is $78,000
- Time Off: Step Up has a generous unlimited time off benefit and 14 paid holidays.
- Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k, Life AD&D and Long-Term Disability
TO APPLY
Please submit a resume and thoughtful letter of interest to hr@suwn.org. Application will be open until filled.
