Posted on July 5, 2012

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Program Director

Literacy DuPage, a 40-year old community-based nonprofit organization, seeks an enthusiastic and highly self-motivated individual to join our team as Program Director. Literacy DuPage offers a dynamic, flexible working environment, and the opportunity to help make a difference in the lives of thousands of DuPage County residents.

Literacy DuPage provides accessible and customized one-on-one English language tutoring to adults with low-level literacy skills who have difficulty accessing classroom instruction due to transportation obstacles, work schedules, or lack of childcare. The mission is to help adult learners achieve independence by utilizing more than 425 trained volunteer tutors who donate approximately 30,000 hours of time for tutoring instruction to over 550 adult learners.

The Program Director, one of two full-time positions in the organization, will help lead the strategic direction of the organization to maintain effective programming and continued growth. This position reports to the Executive Director and has direct management responsibilities for several part-time staff positions as well as management of all volunteer tutors and adult learners. The position includes the management and administration of the tutor training program, on-going support of the volunteers and adult learners, and the responsibility to maintain accountability for adult learner intake, assessment, and reporting of results.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage, plan and develop strategies in conjunction with the Executive Director and Literacy DuPage Board of Directors to maintain and further develop the support of the programs to ensure strategic plan objectives are met.
• Work within awarded grant specifications to achieve expected outcomes and provide necessary statistical reports.
• Provide supervision of Intake Specialist and Student Support Associate to manage the adult learner intake process which includes pre-testing and qualification guidelines, and follow-up of learners on the wait list.
• Oversee and support efforts to increase the number of active tutors and provide quality tutoring training workshops throughout the year through the management of the tutoring program. This includes supervision of the Program Assistant, coordination of all volunteer training activities and workshops, in-service workshops, maintaining and strengthening partnerships with libraries, updating tutor training curriculum to represent current standards and knowledge of adult education, second language acquisition, and learner-centered instruction, and providing professional development and training for tutor trainers to comply with program accreditation.
• Manage volunteer tutors by matching newly trained volunteers with adult learners on the wait list, matching experienced volunteer tutors, and directing office staff in processing of tutor and adult learner records for entry into database for tracking and reporting.
• Provide ongoing support for all volunteer tutors and adult learners through timely communication, scheduling and coordinating quarterly in-service workshops for tutors, supporting English Conversation Group leaders/tutors, and by providing opportunities for volunteer and adult learner recognition and appreciation.
• Ensure high quality tutoring instruction by meeting with each tutoring pair after 35 hours of instruction for assessment of learning progress through the use of approved standardized tests and documentation of learner achievement in personal life skills. Guide the tutoring process by providing consultation, recommendations, and support to volunteer tutors in lesson planning and continued goal-setting.
• Provide strategic partnership with the Executive Director for grant writing, reporting, fundraising, and outreach.
• Attend and participate in professional and community meetings and coordinates all collaborative partnerships.

Requirements:

• Minimum of B.S. or B. A. in education, preferably adult education.
• Minimum of five years of program management experience for a non-profit, preferably within the education area and/or volunteer management.
• Must have teaching experience with learner-centered instruction.
• Must have excellent organizational and interpersonal skills in order to manage the diverse tasks that interact with the varied constituencies involved in the programs.
• Must have outstanding communication skills both orally and in writing, and be comfortable speaking in public.
• Must be flexible to travel within DuPage County and work irregular hours that will include evenings and occasional weekends.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and experience with Access database system.

Application Instructions

To apply:

Please submit cover letter that includes salary expectations, resume, and three professional references by July 23, 2012 to: Tana Tatnall, Executive Director at ldp@literacydupage.org with Program Director in the subject line.

This position will begin September 24, 2012.