Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence
Position: Director, School Programs
Location: Philadelphia, PA (in office/on-site at least 3 days per week)
Employment Status: Full-time, Exempt
Reporting to: VP, Program Growth and Impact
Effective: April 19, 2024
Salary: $70K - $80K
AGENCY OVERVIEW
JOIN A FORWARD-THINKING AGENCY THAT SEEKS TO ENSURE THAT ALL YOUTH ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence (BBBSI) is the largest BBBS agency in the state and one of the largest in the nation. Our mission is to ignite the power and promise of youth and close the mentoring gap, by creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships and strengthening the quality of the mentoring field.
You will love it here if you (1) set the bar high, (2) are intentional and thoughtful about their choices, (3) collaborate as a means to community solutions, (4) are positive, can-do, and solution-oriented, (5) embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion, and (6) are accountable and get it done.
POSITION SUMMARY
Reporting to the VP, Program Growth and Impact, Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence is seeking a passionate and mission-driven Director to join the agency. This is a full-time, full-year exempt position that will launch and grow a new paid mentoring program embedded in middle-schools starting with the 24-25 school to tackle the escalating prevalence of violence, poverty, and systemic barriers. This new program will employ ~9 staff members working full time in our partner schools in Philadelphia, providing daily mentoring to caseloads of middle school students. In the 2024-2025 school year, this program will serve ~300 middle school students across 3 school sites, with potential to grow to 20+ staff and 900+ youth by Year 3.
The Director will ensure seamless program implementation in coordination with the Philadelphia School District and school leadership at each school site, by managing the site Mentoring Managers who will oversee the Lead Mentors, and working in collaboration with the Manager, Relationship Centered Schools. The Director will lead and coach the staff to establish strong partnerships within the school, facilitate high-quality mentoring sessions, establish a data and evaluation plan, and ensure customer service and strong outcomes. The Director has a key leadership role working internally across the organization in support of this new program, consulting with regard to data and evaluation, and planning for additional partnerships and staff while working collaboratively externally with the schools for continuing partnerships. Staff hiring, development, training, coaching and retention are essential to ensure success.
Candidates with a strong connection to the community that BBBSI serves and the Southeastern Pennsylvania/Southern New Jersey area are given preferential consideration. Travel to school and community partners, events, and conferences is required, as is some night and weekend work.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
The following statements reflect the general duties, responsibilities and competencies considered necessary to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job and should not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements of the position. BBBSI may change the specific job duties with or without prior notice based on the needs of the organization.
Leadership, Management, Accountability
· Build and lead a team of Mentoring Managers and Lead Mentors to create and support one-to-one matches and group mentoring in school programming across all program sites, ensuring the demand for current and expanding needs are met.
· Collaborate with the Vice President, Program Growth & Impact to devise strategies for evolution of the new program. Coordinate as needed with the Manager, Relationship-Centered Schools in working with each designated school location. Collaborate internally within Program, Advancement, Finance, and HR advance this program.
· Coordinate all aspects of programming to ensure fidelity of implementation at the school sites.
· Establish annual goals in support of program growth. Develop and align annual program plans and budgets in conjunction with Finance, and leverage evidence-based methods and best practices to meet outcomes and impact goals. Optimize resource utilization to comply with grant and funder requirements.
· Recruit, develop, and retain a diverse, high-performing team reflective of the youth served, cultivating a team culture centered around accountability, trust, professionalism, and excellence. Ensure connection to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
· Lead weekly team L10 meetings to track progress and address issues/opportunities. Conduct monthly individual meetings with team members to provide coaching and site management collaboration, fostering their growth and development.
Program Oversight, Analytics, and Performance Measurement
· Ensure adherence to BBBSA standards, BBBSI policies, and relevant federal/state regulations.
· Create and lead yearly training and onboarding plans for team members that are responsive to the needs of the sites and program metrics.
· Assess curriculum and make changes or improvements as needed in response to feedback from sites and program metrics.
· Utilize data-driven insights to enhance Embedded Success program execution, closely monitoring programs to achieve qualitative and quantitative performance targets, while ensuring child safety and fulfilling any contractual or partnership commitments. Foster individual and team accountability to metrics and program goals. Create a yearly program evaluation and report analyzing program performance and next steps for growth and development.
Program Growth & Impact
· Use "Voice of Customer" data, collaborating across the agency to integrate perspectives of young people, families, school partners, and other stakeholders. Incorporate these insights into the assessment of Embedded school program success. Foster cross-team collaboration for improved outcomes, efficiency, and customer experience.
· Engage with the team to design engaging mentor programming including enhanced curriculum, activities, and expansion of programming options to meeting evolving needs of our youth. Ensure curriculum captures lessons appropriate to the needs and environment of the youth served (structure with flexibility).
· Cultivate future potential opportunities for expansion to Chester, Norristown, and Camden school districts.
School/Other Partnerships and Grant Execution
· Cultivate, support, and steward strategic partnerships with school leaders, corporate partners, major funders engaged in these programs to strengthen relationships, ensure excellent customer service, and deepen impact.
· Identify, cultivate, and support key partnerships to enhance the services we provide to middle-school youth to deepen and extend impact, individually and in collaboration with other Program, MIR, and Advancement Leadership.
· Work collaboratively with the Advancement team to ensure alignment with commitments to partners, facilitate grant applications, program impact reporting, and the cultivation of partnerships
REQUIREMENTS
Academic/Educational Requirements:
Academic Requirements: High School Diploma/GED and 4 years relevant experience or Associates Degree and 2 years relevant experience or Bachelors Degree in a relevant field or substantive equivalent experience required; Bachelors or advanced degree in Educational Leadership is a plus.
Skills and Professional Requirements:
· Minimum ten (10) years functional experience in a human services or education environment required, coupled with substantive experience managing people, projects, and programs in schools.
· Significant supervisory and operational leadership experience required.
· Specific assessment and relationship development experience, and an understanding of youth development and families preferred
· Exceptional organizational skills, adaptable thinking, and a proven ability to excel in high-paced environments.
· Entrepreneurial mindset, coupled with a solid grasp of customer service principles, and the ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion.
· Outstanding communication and interpersonal aptitude, demonstrated through the ability to motivate and foster diverse teams, while building strong relationships across various high-level stakeholders within school districts and the community.
· Experienced in program evaluation, performance measurement, and data-driven decision making.
· Driven by results and outcomes; approachable, well-organized; consistently exhibits sound judgment in leadership roles.
· Intermediate to expert skills with Microsoft Office (specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and CRM/Case Management (Salesforce preferred).
· Daily and dependable access to a car, valid driver's license, with state-required automobile insurance minimums for the purpose of traveling to alternate sites, schools, and partners across the region.
· Flexibility to accommodate job responsibilities, including ability to work evenings/weekends as required.
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
Must demonstrate leadership, dedication, and an interpersonal savvy that helps establish effective relationships and an appropriate rapport with people; have attentive and active listening skills; take a sales/marketing approach to interaction with youth clients and volunteers; are results/outcome oriented; are approachable, organized; and demonstrate sound judgment in a leadership capacity.
Ability to commute to office and/or sites at least 3 days a week is required.
COVID-19 vaccinations or medical/religious exemptions are required.
W0RK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
This position is based out of our Philadelphia office. This position can be hybrid with minimum of at least 3 days in the office and/or on-site. A day at a school or with a partner is considered on-site.
Must be able to operate a computer and other office productivity machinery (e.g., printer, copy machine).
Must be able to communicate information and ideas clearly and accurately so others will understand.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job: the ability to work independently; remain sedentary for extended periods of time (6+ hours per day); lift 10-15lbs; push, pull, bend kneel, as needed for normal operations. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
BENEFITS
BBBSI offers a robust benefits package including but not limited to paid vacation and PTO, 403(b) retirement plan, medical/dental/vision options, telemedicine, employee assistance program (EAP), life insurance, AD&D, short-term disability, flexible spending accounts (medical, dependent day care, commuter benefits-parking & transit). Please note that some of these offerings may require full-time employment.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
If interested, please apply with resume and cover letter. Only those applicants believed to be viable candidates for this opportunity will be contacted. No phone calls or 3rd party solicitation please.
WHO SHOULD APPLY
At BBBSI, we serve many youths annually in Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania, and Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties in New Jersey. Our aspiration is to develop an organization that reflects our constituent base. We embrace justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI). We recognize, affirm, and celebrate the diverse backgrounds, lives, and experiences of all of our stakeholders, including youth, families, donors, volunteers, and staff.
BBBSI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, veteran status, first and second-generation immigrants, and people from low-income families, or any legally protected factor. Please review our JEDI Intentionality Statement.