Director, Agency Service - Mentor Agency

Who We Are:

For more than a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helping change kids’ perspectives and giving them the opportunity to reach their potential.

Since 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is incredible potential. As the nation’s largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 5 through young adulthood in communities across the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.

Summary of Opportunity:

As a direct report of the Vice President, Agency Service, and member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) agency support team, the Director, Agency Service - Mentor Agency will hold primary and collaborative responsibility for the design, development, and scale of BBBSA’s newest approach to service delivery and agency support—the mentor agency model. This model, a key initiative in BBBSA’s 2023-27 strategic plan, is focused on leveraging the expertise within the network by resourcing high performing agency leaders who excel in key areas (e.g., volunteer recruitment and support, talent development, fundraising) to serve as mentors to their peers as well as high-performing agencies. High-performing agencies are agencies excelling in multiple areas of local agency overall operations, including, but not limited to the following: youth protection, program, resource development, marketing and communication, finance, IT, human resources, board development, etc. The agency also exhibits tenants of financial stability.

The Director, Agency Service - Mentor Agency will be accountable for designing and testing various delivery methods for agency support, codifying those that are most effective, clarifying an incentive structure to attract and recognize mentor agencies, and developing and operationalizing a plan to scale mentor agency support across the network. In addition to this focus on the mentor agency model, this role will also deliver a range of consultative services for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) agency leaders, their boards, and staff including, but not limited to organizational assessment, research, strategic planning, resource development, capacity building, agency growth, programmatic implementation, technology support and advancement of mentorship services.

The Director, Agency Service — Mentor Agency will partner closely with the BBBSA agency support team to identify and support broader learning and development opportunities for local BBBS leaders across the network.

Travel: Approximately 60%

Location: Full-time Remote, U.S.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Mentor Agency Model

• Co-design / develop relevant pilot materials, as needed, to support their successful execution (e.g., slide decks, worksheets, conversation guides)
• Build and maintain deeper, collaborative relationships with mentor agencies— act as thought partners in this work, to help support and promote the success of mentor agency pilots and help shape the long-term vision for this model of agency support
• Identify, recruit, and onboard high-performing mentor agencies with experience and expertise in topic areas critical to agency success
• Develop an approach to learning and evaluation to gather feedback from participating agencies (via interviews, surveys), capture / codify best practices, key insights, challenges, and open questions throughout the piloting phase
• Design an incentive and recognition structure for mentor agencies to support recruitment and retention of high-quality peer-support
• Capture and vet best practices, strategies, and resources from the mentor agency model to be made available / disseminated with the broader network of agencies; coordinate closely with the learning and development team at BBBSA
• Develop and oversee a plan to scale the mentor agency model across the network in line with evolving agency needs and related BBBSA initiatives
• Lead the design, development, execution, and evaluation of mentor agency pilots to test different approaches for peer-led agency support (e.g., cohort model, 1:1, etc.)
• Clarify near vs. long term growth goals for the mentor agency model, including the resource and operational implications of scale
• Recruit and support participating agencies—in collaboration with selected mentor agencies—in their engagement with mentor agency pilots
• Develop an approach to evaluation of the model to promote quality assurance

1:1 (one-to-one) agency coaching and support

• Other duties as assigned by the Vice President, Agency Service, Chief Agency Growth Officer and/or President and Chief Executive Officer.
• Support best practice and innovation sharing—in collaboration with the BBBSA agency support team—across the BBBS network of agencies including, but not limited to, those identified via the mentor agency model
• Deliver a range of consultative services and capacity building supports to assigned agencies on topics including, but not limited to, new market assessment, research, strategic / growth planning, resource development, program implementation, technology, and advancement of mentorship services
• Promote targeted BBBSA services and offerings to generate greater adoption of high potential programs and services across major metro markets and generate stronger measures of reach (youth served), relevancy (market penetration), revenue (fundraising) and resource (thriving organizations).

Culture

• Champions internal and external culture of the organization focusing on being a JEDI-focused youth empowerment and equity organization
• Manages related and other duties as assigned in support of department and business needs
• Demonstrates a commitment to cultural diversity and inclusion that reflects BBBSA’s commitment to JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion)

Education & Related Work Experience

• Years of Related Work Experience: A minimum of 8-10 years in a relevant executive-level position required, preferably in a nonprofit federated or similar affiliated model; project management experience.
• Education Level: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Skills and Knowledge: Advanced interpersonal skills; Service-oriented mindset with excellent client relations, written and verbal communications; Ability to deliver relevant expertise and resources while building trust and rapport in a consultative, coaching relationship of direct or indirect influence; Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects, timelines and budgets within fast-paced environment while maintaining a commitment to high quality, detail-oriented work; Ability to work independently in achieving results consistently on deadline; Excellent team working skills; ability to collaborate across teams; Ability to manage through complex issues with various stakeholders to desired outcome; Planning, analytical, organizational, and time management skills; Desire and ability to work well with individuals with diverse backgrounds and personalities displaying respect, maturity, and flexibility; Familiarity with Salesforce CRM.

JEDI Commitment

At Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) is an integral part of our values and mission. We recognize, affirm, and celebrate the diverse backgrounds, lives, and experiences of all of our stakeholders, including youth, families, donors, volunteers, and staff. We ensure the opportunity for all voices and perspectives to be heard and honored. In the workplace, we foster an environment where all people can be their best selves. We affirm that every person [regardless of ability, age, cultural background, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ideology, income, national origin, race or sexual orientation, marital or veteran status] has the opportunity to reach their full potential. We strive to realize the full potential that is within all of us by ensuring that all voices and perspectives are heard and honored.

Equal Employment Opportunity

BBBSA provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, creed, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, age, sex, familial or marital status, pregnancy, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or any other legally-protected status in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and ordinances.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Employee must be able to perform all essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Job Responsibilities

The statements outlined in the position description 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. BBBSA may change the specific job duties with or without prior notice based on the needs of the organization.

Disclaimer

This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification, it is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job.