Posted on August 14, 2012

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Program Director

Founded in 2000, Year Up is a non-profit organization with a mission to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experiences and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Year Up recognizes that the Opportunity Divide — specifically, historical barriers to education and professional work — is driven by race, ethnicity, national origin and socio-economic status. Year Up seeks to close the divide by setting high expectations and providing high support for our young adults.

Through a one-year intensive training program, Year Up provides urban young adults ages 18-24 with a unique combination of hands-on technical and professional skills, college credit, and corporate internships. Year Up lives by and adheres to a core set of values that reflects an unshakable belief in the talent and full potential of our young adults. With a $46 million operating budget, Year Up will serve more than 1,500 students in 2012 across nine cities including Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore (community college pilot program), Chicago, New York, Providence, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. In 2009, when 75% of non-profits either did not grow or remained flat, Year Up grew its revenue by 23%, enabling us to increase the number of students we serve by 56%.

Year Up has the distinction of being rated one of the Top 10 non-profits in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, one of the 50 best nonprofits to work for by the NonProfit Times, and one of the best non-profits to work for by Opportunity Knocks. Other awards include Fast Company Magazine's Social Capitalist Award for innovative business model and social impact in 2005, 2007, and 2008. In 2009, the Harvard Business School published a case study on Year Up's origins and success.

Please visit www.youtube.com/yearupinc to hear Founder and CEO Gerald Chertavian share his motivation for starting Year Up.

Year Up Chicago

Year Up Chicago opened in September 2010 with a startup team of 6 serving 25 students. A high growth environment, the site now serves 120 students per year and plans to continue to grow at a similar pace. Year Up has an entrepreneurial, face-paced, collaborative high support/high expectations/high feedback culture. All staff members interact with students, facilitate student activities; and serve students as formal mentors and advisors.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

Director of Program manages all aspects of the academic program and student development to ensure high quality program outcomes for 160 students per year across two Learning Communities. Year Up's approach integrates a strong core academic component with a range of supporting elements including social work, advising, and student contracts; the Director of Program guides all staff interaction with students to create and sustain a positive and respectful educational environment. This position reports directly to the Executive Director (ED) of Year Up Chicago and manages a program team of approximately 11 people.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Management

Lead planning, development, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of all program activities:

• In partnership with the ED, develop and implement priorities for program staff to ensure high performing Learning Communities
• Achieve key program outcomes including goals for student performance, retention, and satisfaction
• Collaborate to plan and manage the program budget, ensuring strong relationships with site partners, and address issues that impact teaching and learning
• Support, build, and share best practices for positive student outcomes within Year Up Chicago and across Year Up sites
• Collaborate with site team to ensure consistent implementation of Year Up's contract
• Supervise the Academic team in academic and instructional activities such as teacher induction, mentoring, retention, higher education partnership building, and curriculum development and enhancement

Lead program staff (site leaders, instructors, academic manage, program associates/interns):

• Provide specific guidance in the areas of professional responsibilities, prioritization, time and resource allocation
• Recruit, supervise, evaluate, develop, and retain talented program team members
• Design and integrate professional development opportunities for program staff, working closely with direct reports and other managers to develop professional development plans

• As part of the site's senior leadership team, support the Executive Director's strategic priorities and work with colleagues in the senior leadership to ensure performance in all site activities
• Facilitate continuous program improvement for high-quality service delivery to all students
• Work collaboratively with senior leadership to implement improvements, strengthen program and oversee program evaluation efforts
• Work closely with a national cross-site team in shaping and implementing national programmatic goals and building capacity for enhancements based on Year Up's 2012-2016 strategy
• Demonstrate leadership to expand program in line with Year Up's growth strategy

• An ability to be solutions-focused and innovative
• Willingness to work collaboratively with the Year Up team
• Comfort with ambiguous and changing tasks, and capitalizing on opportunities that arise
• A willingness and preparation to handle emergencies and take on unforeseen tasks

• 7-10+ years overall work experience with 3-5 years relevant program design and management experience in a growing non profit
• A proven passion for working with urban youth, an unshakable belief in their potential, and a commitment to the mission of Year Up
• Interest in working a fast-paced, dynamic, complex start-up and entrepreneurial environment
• An engaging and collaborative leadership style with mature interpersonal skills and the ability to juggle and manage multiple competing priorities and deadlines
• Demonstrated resourcefulness, including ability to figure out solutions in ambiguous situations
• Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion
• Experience navigating community college environment (administration, policies, etc.) helpful
• Year Up instructional/classroom/program expertise preferred, but not required
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required

Application Instructions

To Apply:

Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, both in Word format, to Alan Anderson at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1894. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

About Commongood Careers:

Year Up Chicago has partnered with Commongood Careers to conduct the search for a Program Director. Commongood Careers is a mission-driven search firm that supports the hiring needs of the nation's most innovative and high-performing nonprofit organizations. Since its founding in 2006, Commongood Careers has completed over 500 searches at 150 organizations in 26 states. Founded and staffed by nonprofit professionals, Commongood Careers offers personalized, engaged services to jobseekers and organizations throughout the hiring process, as well as access to a wealth of knowledge about nonprofit careers. Learn more about nonprofit jobs at Commongood Careers.