OVERVIEW:

Year Up is seeking an innovative Director, Strategic Growth to join the Strategic Growth team. Through deep market and industry expertise, analytics, and insights, Year Up creates ecosystem growth strategies that support the connection of Opportunity Talent to employers and roles in high demand markets at scale. The Director, Strategic Growth will lead the strategy & execution to launch and grow new programs that advance Year Up’s innovation and scale efforts and further economic and racial justice in the United States. By 2030, Year Up envisions scaling our program models to serve 40,000+ OT annually.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Strategic Growth, the Director will lead program launch & growth efforts to:

• Vet & develop promising opportunities into full programmatic launches
• Support development of growth strategy and goals
• Drive toward rapid program growth when conditions are favorable
• Lead innovation projects to develop & test new elements of Year Up’s ecosystem growth strategy

A successful candidate will have a strategic and economic sensibility, be an action-oriented leader capable of managing through influence, driving equitable and inclusive processes and possess an entrepreneurial spirit and learning mindset. You will thrive in a fast-paced, uncertain environment and be comfortable troubleshooting on the fly, prioritizing questions of diversity, equity & inclusion and able to develop high-level strategy as well as execute on the ground.

In keeping with Year Up’s values, the Director will interact with Year Up students as a coach, mentor, and group facilitator, and advocate, participating in building a positive educational environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Support Growth Strategy Development
Support development of strategy to serve 1000+ participants year within a specific market, employer or occupation and a multi-year approach to achieve that scale, starting with initial model launch.

• Conduct research to identify target employers, industries, and jobs for Year Up and to prepare for direct employer engagement
• Seek opportunities for ambitious growth when conditions are favorable and students can be well served
• Identify when projects and program should be decommissioned due to poor performance, inability to serve our population effectively or learning priorities can no longer be met

Vet & Develop Promising Opportunities
Lead vetting & diligence for new opportunities to determine if the opportunity matches Year Up’s mission, capabilities, expertise, and learning priorities and develop aligned opportunities into launches.

• Partner with Sales Executives to scope demand and close employer deals, listening for employer challenges related to sourcing, training, upskilling, and/or retaining Opportunity Talent
• Partner with Provider Partnerships team to scope recruitment pipeline and high-potential partners, and determine if the opportunity would be attractive to and in service to Year Up’s target population
• Develop proposals for launches & market growth that advance Year Up’s learning priorities and establish alignment on organizational investments required and conditions for success
• Advise Year Up’s Executive team on promising opportunities and provide input on go/no-go decisions

As opportunities develop, steward inclusive & equitable decision-making processes on:

• Appropriate program design & alignment to Year Up’s learning priorities
• Launch & growth staffing needs
• Financial & revenue models
• Marketing plans for recruitment and employer engagement
• Research & evaluation structure and reporting for learning agenda & performance metrics

Lead Innovation Projects
Responsible for leading teams to execute discrete innovation projects connected to Year Up’s learning agenda. Project examples include: discovery & design engagements; innovative program launches; and experiments to develop new program elements. For these projects, the Director will:

• Own key external launch relationships, for example: employers, training providers or government funders
• Serve as main point of contact to troubleshoot and escalate bottlenecks, challenges, and opportunities
• Leverage functional experts & drive equitable decision-making, including stakeholder voices across the organization and seeing through hierarchical lines to get to holistic answers rather than quick ones
• Provide regular updates to Executive Sponsor & Growth Strategy Lead and responsive customer service to internal colleagues who request information and updates regarding project progress

Team Member & Year Up Citizen

• Lead cross-functional projects to improve growth & launch efforts to measure staff experience, improve processes, develop technology, and share lessons learned as needed
• Periodically facilitate virtual & in-person team sessions to share progress, build team cohesion, encourage out-of-the-box thinking and advance Year Up’s goal to become an antiracist organization
• Live the values of Year Up and integrate them into one’s daily work
• Serve as student coach as part of one of Year Up’s student Learning Communities

QUALIFICATIONS:
Evidence and our collective experience suggest that women and people of color often don’t apply for jobs if they don’t believe that they possess 100% of the qualifications listed in a job description. Below are some of the most important attributes that successful candidates may possess. This list is neither exhaustive nor 100% required:

• Proven track record of oversight of cross-functional projects
• Ability to move between strategy and execution and identify which is needed at project inflection points
• Experience coaching or mentoring diverse staff
• Demonstrated commitment to antiracism
• Proven track record of successfully building and maintaining relationships
• Demonstrated communication skills: ability to tell persuasive stories, tailor verbal/written communication to audience, negotiate with internal & external stakeholders and facilitate meetings and trainings
• Ability to work independently and in teams, taking initiative and managing multiple projects at a time
• Excitement about innovation and a willingness to rapidly test assumptions, take risk, and fail and learn
• Demonstrated experience seeking out diverse experiences and perspectives to make better decisions
• Passion for working with young adults, an unshakable belief in their potential and a strong commitment to the mission of Year Up
• Understands the Opportunity Divide and its drivers
• Ability to travel up to 25% to support project execution & local engagement

Salary Range- $91,200-$112,000

#LI-Hybrid

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

• Year Up has established salary ranges for each of our sites, which allows us to pay employees competitively, equitably and consistently in different geographic markets. For roles in which the location is listed as flexible, the range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Salary offers take into account a candidate’s skills, experience, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

• Benefits: Comprehensive healthcare options and dental coverage; 401(k) match for eligible participants.

• Vacation: Earn three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year.

• Professional Development: Funds available to support staff in achieving career objectives ($2,500 per year)

** This is an exempt role (paid on a salaried basis). **

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:

Year Up is a national 501(c)3 workforce development organization committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults—no matter their background, income, or zip code. Employers face a growing need for talent while millions of talented young adults lack access to meaningful careers. These inequities only further perpetuate the opportunity gap that exists in our country—a gap that Year Up is determined and positioned to close through three interconnected strategies: providing targeted skills training and connections to livable-wage employment for students and alumni; empowering others to serve and support young adults, and changing systems that perpetuate the opportunity gap. Year Up’s intensive training program utilizes a high expectations, high support model where students learn in-demand technical and professional skills and apply them during a corporate internship. Year Up has directly served more than 40,000 young adults since its founding in 2000. Year Up's nationwide presence includes Arizona, Austin, Bay Area, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, the National Capital Region, New York City/Jersey City, Pittsburgh, Puget Sound, Rhode Island, South Florida, Tampa Bay, and Wilmington.

Voted one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For in the country by The NonProfit Times, Year Up is a rewarding and impactful place to work. Our staff is passionate, supportive, mission-driven, and committed to positive change and continuous learning. We set high standards for both ourselves and our students and live by a set of core values that reflect an unshakable belief in the talent and potential of our young people. The work we do is life-changing, and we know that our team is the greatest asset in achieving our mission.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY:

Year Up embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. All aspects of employment, including the decision to hire, promote, discharge, or discipline, are based on meritocracy. We do not permit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local laws. Learn more about our commitment to diversity: http://www.yearup.org/about-us/careers/commitment-to-diversity/

Year Up is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Your recruiter can provide details regarding the expected work environment and any physical requirements. Please let our hiring team know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process. Information received relating to accommodation will be addressed confidentially.

TO APPLY:

Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume through our website.

Note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered. We respectfully request no phone calls.