Youth Programs Director Jobs

Lead a team of dedicated, passionate staff who make a difference every single day with the youth of Milwaukee!

Summary

This position is responsible for the overall supervision and quality of service delivery for the Community Learning Centers (CLCs) as well as the STEM, Healthy Youth, and Teen specialty programs. This position also provides administrative, management, and professional support. It is responsible for maintaining the applicable standards, which may include those for the Department of Children and Families (DCF), YoungStar, Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and 21 st Century Community Learning Centers (CLC). It is a year-round, full-time position eligible for benefits.

Main Job Responsibilities

Leadership

Goal: support staff to reach their greatest potential

• Regularly meet with direct reports and follow performance development system.
• Identify areas of professional development needed and work with Program Managers to develop, schedule, and facilitate training.
• Demonstrate a leadership style focusing on communication, coaching, and support but is willing to discipline appropriately as needed.

Goal: consistently enforce agency policies and procedures

• Be able to answer questions about policies and procedures

Communicate details, rationale, and plan of action of agency-wide decisions

Program Management/Compliance

Goal: Ensure programs are high quality, innovative, relevant; meet applicable standards; meet grant/funding requirements

• Ensure consistent administrative, operational, and programmatic systems across sites
• Provide hands-on technical support to Program Managers. Attend DCF, YoungStar, and YPQA meetings as needed.
• Serve as the key contact for COA’s quality assessment tools and standards including but not limited to DCF, YPQI and Registry. Take lead for external assessment portion of YPQA.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of applicable regulations.

• Create and implement an action plan to obtain a minimum of a three-star rating at each site. Action plan includes timelines and clearly outlined responsibilities.
• Perform audits through regular unannounced site observations, review of program data and paperwork.
• Ensure sites develop and implement a recruitment and retention strategy as well as a community engagement/communication plan.

Finance

Goal: ensure sound fiscal management

• Maintain oversight of such budgets: monitor budget on a monthly basis, approve expenses and follow financial processes
• Stay within budget and meet financial objectives
• Develop school-year and summer budgets with program managers
• Ensure grant and program reporting is completed accurately and in a timely manner.

Goal: Ensure effective, accurate and timely data collection.

• Regularly audit data and be able to pull reports.

• Ensure staff understand and fulfill their responsibilities of this process

Partnership/Collaboration

Goal: to leverage available resources to provide the best experience for participants

• Develop a strong positive relationship with the day school and MPS.
• Collaborate with other COA departments

Other

• Stay current with YD best practices.
• Meet and document continuing education requirements for self.
• Role model appropriate behavior at all times. This includes developing and maintaining appropriate professional relationships with youth, colleagues, parents, facilitators, community members, etc.

Qualifications

Education/Knowledge/Experience

• Minimum of 23 years old with a valid United States driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.
• Must meet applicable licensing/grant requirements for the position or be willing to abide by an education plan as determined by the Director of Programs
• Minimum of two years of direct youth service experience
• Knowledge of DCF 251
• Knowledge and expertise in youth programs philosophy and implementation
• High proficiency in office software, especially Excel, Google suite, video conferencing, etc.
• Bachelor's degree in related field such as Education, Social Work, etc. preferred.
• Strong budget creation and management skills.
• Minimum of three years of supervision/management experience

Skills/Personal Qualities/Attitude

• Embody COA’s mission and core values.
• Must be a self-sufficient problem solver and decision maker
• Effective interpersonal skills to develop strong working relationships. Cultural competency. Respect for diversity of all types.

Physical Requirements / Working Conditions

The physical requirements for this position are those of a person visiting MPS schools throughout the day/week:

• Ability to walk some distance
• Ability to climb stairs

The work environment is Milwaukee Public Schools and youth centers which requires the ability to respond quickly to changing situations and be able to move around the COA site as needed. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. This position also requires evening and weekend work.

These characteristics described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential job functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.