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Senior Director, Programs and Operations

Join You Gotta Believe (YGB) and help us find permanent, loving families for youth in foster care!

You Gotta Believe works to find permanent parents and families for kids in the foster care system with an expertise in working with young adults, teens, and pre-teens to achieve permanency. We believe that family is essential to the success of any child. Our ideal candidate will embrace the organization’s unwavering commitment to finding every child in foster care a family and will never settle for anything less. This person will love teens and young adults and possess an eagerness to learn and develop both personal and professional skills in a tight knit collaborative culture.

We have three distinct programs to serve our youth and families:
  1. Nobody Ages Out (NAO) Program – YGB’s NAO program works with NYC foster care agencies to find parents for older youth in their foster boarding and residential care programs who are at risk of aging out of care and are in need of a permanent family. These youth usually remain under the direct supervision of their foster care agency and YGB has limited authority over the placement.
  2. Adoption Program – YGB’s adoption program trains, matches and supports parents adopting kids from foster care of any age from locations outside of NYC across NYS and out of state. These homes will be supervised by YGB under contract with the referring County or State and YGB will have more responsibility over the family and youth.
  3. Mental Health Program – YGB’s Mental Health Program was launched in Spring 2021 after our youth and their adoptive families identified a need for adoption competent therapy. This is counseling conducted by a mental health professional with expertise in the unique trauma, challenges, and experiences of youth who have been adopted out of foster care, and supporting them and their families.
Reporting to the Executive Director and serving as the second in command, the Senior Director of Programs and Operations will be a key member in developing the NAO and Adoption Program strategic plans and own the execution of program deliverables. This individual should have a deep understanding of the foster care environment, core programs, operations, and business plans within this field.

Responsibilities

  • Oversee program deliverables are met, metrics are documented, and reports are developed to reflect the progress and outcomes of programs
  • Manage daily program and operations, offering support and guidance to staff and consultants to successfully meet milestones 
  • Conduct regular assessments and evaluations of program activities to measure impact and efficacy of permanency program
  • Develop metrics to be used for funding and identifying areas for improvement 
  • Partner with board and committee members to contribute to the successful execution of strategic priorities
  • Support the Executive Director and Director of Finance by compiling and managing all financial data and outcomes of the program operations to be used when reporting key metrics to the board on financial health and long-term projections of program operations
  • Support the Executive Director in organizational operations (e.g., personnel, contract management, etc.)
  • A comfort level around public speaking, and an ability to represent the organization publicly when necessary
  • Establish deep relationships with elected officials, government agencies, and influential political figures to ensure funding and secure future contracts 
  • Establish a network and strong relationships with government agencies, particularly the Administration of Children’s Services and The New York City Council stakeholders to ensure program engagement and support
  • Manage monthly Program Committee meetings with board and staff and serve as liaison to board members on Committee
  • Expand student network with partner high schools to encourage participation in advocacy efforts 
  • Cultivate relationships with nonprofits serving similar populations, including homelessness and LGBTQ+ organizations
  • Work in tandem with program team to cultivate a consultative relationship with partner agencies; develop contracts with clear deliverables and manage effective communication with partner’s senior staff
  • Communicate and support the Development Team with specific program needs, operations expansion plans, and potential funding resources 
  • Contribute to building YGB’s external brand and community by contributing to media plans, social media marketing, and recruiting youth and families to participate in networking events ultimately increasing reach and motivating supportive action, including donating and/or raising interest to become a parent

Requirements

  • Master’s degree in social work or a related human services field

  • 10 years of professional experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership position

  • Personal or professional experience with the child welfare system, i.e., foster care alumni, foster/adoptive parent(s)

  • Strong understanding of the issues that youth in foster care experience, the impact of trauma, and the stigma faced by youth in care 

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with youth, families, and community partners

  • Experience with program development, management, evaluation, and implementation

  • Highly organized, responsible, innovative, and flexible

  • History of effective oversight of marketing and social media initiatives

  • Experience in building strong working relationships, particularly with a variety of stakeholders– staff, clients, volunteers, and investors 

  • A combination of education, personal experience, and skills will be considered

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The position primarily involves traveling in the inner city, standing for two hours or more for workshops and presentations, and computer-based work from a seated position.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

You Gotta Believe offers a creative relatively quiet community space.  There is flexibility in scheduling both work hours and location, as the project needs demand.  Workspace differs from day to day, requiring flexibility and adaptability. 

COMPENSATION

The compensation range for this position is $100,000 – $110,000 and is commensurate with experience.

LOCATION

This position is located in New York City and will have a hybrid work arrangement, with at least 1 day a week in a Harlem or Midtown office.

APPLY

Interested applicants should send resumes to ygbjobs@yougottabelieve.org

Note: You Gotta Believe is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance. Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.