Youth Program Manager (High School)

Project: VISION is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help youth of Chicago’s Greater Chinatown community achieve their full potential by providing them with tools for educational, personal, and civic development. PV serves over 300 middle and High School youth each year out of its two Chinatown youth centers as well as three local school-based sites. We are seeking a mission-driven, creative, and energetic individual to join our team and serve as a Youth Program Manager within our High School Scholars Program.

The ideal candidate will have a commitment to our mission, experience and passion for working with young people, a forward-thinking mindset, and willingness to be flexible and responsive to the needs of a growing organization with expanding programs. In addition, this individual will demonstrate ownership of their work and operate as an organizational leader.

The Youth Program Manager’s role will focus on developing and overseeing engaging and effective programs that ensure PV High School youths’ academic success and college readiness, while also helping youth to build essential 21st century skills via service learning, leadership, civic engagement, and workforce development opportunities.

Primary Responsibilities:

Develop and oversee the implementation of High SchoolYouth Programming

• Work with Executive Director to outline and framework programs, determining goals/objectives, creating metrics and evaluation tools that align with our overall program model and funder requirements (as applicable)
• Ensure all programs are engaging for youth and designed around Positive Youth Development principles and other effective youth development models and best practices. Programs overseen by the Manager include: After school tutoring and enrichment, college readiness programs including test prep, financial aid assistance, and senior coaching, youth-led civic engagement and leadership training programs, and workforce development programs providing professional internship and career exploration opportunities
• Identify new/changing needs in the service population and create new programs and services to meet these needs
• Supervise a team of five Program Coordinators (and other support roles) in the process of program planning, coordination, and implementation to ensure high quality, outcomes-driven programming
• Ensure quality delivery of all programs, and support staff with direct service whenever needed
• Build positive, supportive relationships with youth, and model this for staff to ensure that they also have the skills, tools, and training to develop positive relationships with youth

Manage program evaluation, quality, and continuous improvements

• Develop tools, processes, and systems for student record keeping, progress tracking, and program data collection (while ensuring compliance with funders’ requirements for tracking and reporting)
• Ensure accurate and complete data collection and reporting onto PV or funder designated tracking and reporting tools and platforms
• Analyze the programs’ process and performance data and metrics as well as youth feedback to to identify needs for areas of program quality improvement or expansion
• Formulate and implement plans for program improvements and expansion according to learnings from program evaluation data
• Proactively seek to learn best practices for program evaluation methods and apply to PV practices

Manage community outreach efforts

• Develop student recruitment strategy and implement recruitment initiatives including outreach to community and local schools
• Work with Parent Engagement Coordinator to consistently engage and communicate with our parents
• Work with the Case Manager to identify youth needs that require external services and resources (e.g. supporting mental health, basic needs, etc.) and help coordinate increased access to these resources for PV youth
• Identify, develop, and manage meaningful collaborative opportunities with potential partner organizations, employers, and individuals
• Develop relationships with school administrators, counselors, social workers, and key teachers

Manage program staff

• Conduct recruitment, hiring, training, and supervision/coaching of Program Coordinators and other supporting program roles, including volunteers
• Provide regular feedback and performance evaluations to all program staff within their team
• Seek out resources to provide continuous training opportunities to program staff

Other

• Meet with Executive Director at least bi-weekly
• Conduct regular team meetings with program staff
• Attend trainings regularly to bring new knowledge, ideas, and best practices to improve our programs
• Represent PV at community events, professional conferences, and other networking opportunities
• Assist with researching and preparing potential program funding proposals and opportunities
• Develop opportunities to engage Board and Associate Board members in programs

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required
• Minimum 5 years of full time professional experience, with at least 3 years of experience working within nonprofits and the youth development space (preferably with High School youth) is required
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, Google Suite applications
• Minimum of conversational spoken Chinese Cantonese and/or Mandarin highly preferred, professional proficiency desired

Other qualifications for consideration will be:

• Demonstrated strong interest in a nonprofit career in youth development
• Values alignment with the organization, including commitment to its mission and goals and the issues of AAPI and immigrant youth and families and the local Chinatown community
• Strong, effective verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to problem solve, offering ideas and suggestions while working with team members to overcome challenges
• Self-driven work ethic and resilience as demonstrated by exhibiting ownership of projects, taking initiative, and able to adapt to shifting priorities and needs of the organization
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and capacity to manage multiple projects and occasional high volume of work with efficiency and without sacrificing quality
• Positive attitude with ability to problem solve in the face of challenges and turn negative outcomes into learning opportunities
• Progressive mindset that constantly challenges oneself and others to do their best work
• Experience managing and mentoring others, including providing training, supervision, and feedback to team members in an inclusive and collaborative team environment that allows members to grow

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $62,000.00 - $72,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work setting:

• Development center
• In-person
• Office

Experience:

• nonprofit: 5 years (Required)

Language:

• Chinese Mandarin or Cantonese (Required)

Work Location: In person