Associate Director of Youth Development

Associate Director of Youth Development

Cambridge, MA

Type:
Exempt, Full-Time

Supervisor:
Director of Youth Program Pathways

Location:

430 Rindge Avenue Suite #202, Cambridge, MA 02140

Salary Range: $80,000-$90,000 annually

POSITION SUMMARY:

Are you a dynamic leader who believes in the transformative power of young people -- and who knows how to build the program structures, culture, and relationships that help them thrive? Are you equally comfortable holding space for a young person navigating a tough moment and strategizing about the future of youth workforce development? If so, you could be Just A Start's next Associate Director of Youth Development.

The Associate Director of Youth Development is a new program leadership role on our Youth Programs team. This leader owns the trainee and alumni experience from orientation through program completion and beyond, and plays an essential role in shaping the culture, systems, and experiences that define Youth Build and all Youth Programs at Just A Start. They are part program director, part youth success dean, part community builder, and part strategist.

Reporting to the Director of Youth Program Pathways, the Associate Director leads three core program components -- Academics, Leadership Development, and Vocational Training -- while serving as a key architect of our evolving on-ramp and off-ramp programming. This includes championing pathways that prepare youth for Youth Build enrollment as well as graduate opportunities that connect young adults to emerging careers and post-secondary education.

PROGRAM BACKGROUND:

Just A Start is a Cambridge-based community development corporation dedicated to promoting equity through affordable housing and pathways to economic opportunity. Our Youth Programs sit within our Education and Training department and include our flagship Youth Build program -- a full-time, comprehensive workforce development program for opportunity youth ages 16-24 in the Boston Metro North region.

Youth Build Just A Start is one of 11 independently operated Youth Build programs in the Massachusetts Youth Build Coalition and a proud affiliated member of the global Youth Build movement. We help young people reclaim their education, gain job skills, and grow into community leaders -- grounded in positive youth development and trauma-informed practice.

As part of our strategic plan, we are actively developing new programming 'on-ramps' (such as academic remediation for youth working toward Youth Build readiness) and 'off-ramps' connecting graduates and community young adults to emerging careers, including Solar Start -- our training program for young adults entering climate critical careers. The Associate Director will be a key thought partner and implementer of this evolving and expanding departmental vision.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

1. Program Leadership and Program Culture

* Set the tone for trainee success and program culture across Youth Build's 10-month cycle -- from pre-enrollment through graduation.

* Be the person everyone turns to when a situation needs de-escalating, expectations need reinforcing, or a young person needs to be redirected with firmness and care.

* Keep the Trainee Handbook current and meaningful, in partnership with the Youth Policy Council.

* Own the vision for Life Skills and socioemotional learning (SEL) -- partnering with the Senior Case Manager on instruction to ensure SEL is directly tied to retention and trainee success.

* Lead planning for Youth Build Orientation week, synthesize staff observations, and advise on enrollment decisions in coordination with the Youth Program Operations Manager and Senior Case Manager.

* Steer expenditures to deliver high quality programming that meets trainee needs and stays on budget with guidance from the Director of Youth Program Pathways.

* Serve as a program liaison to the Massachusetts Youth Build Coalition in conjunction with the Director of Youth Program Pathways attending monthly meetings with other Youth Build program leaders across the state.

2. Team Supervision and Program Oversight

* Directly supervise the instructional team:
Construction Instructors, Youth Entrepreneurship Program Manager, and Academic Program Manager, who in turn supervises the Science, Technology, and Math Instructor.

* Champion a strong High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) program by supporting the Academic Program Manager in delivering quality instruction and achieving rigorous academic outcomes.

* Manage the vocational instruction teams (Construction and Retail Entrepreneurship) with the administration of workforce training ensuring that trainees' needs are met while also complying with funder contractual outcomes.

* Collaborate with the Senior Case Manager and the Career and Post-Secondary Education Specialist to deliver trauma-informed, strengths-based supportive services to trainees and alumni -- including the critical 12-month post-program follow-up period.

* Administer trainee progress review meetings, trainee success plans and…