OVERVIEW:

Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, the Senior Director, Program Strategy & Operations will drive operational and strategic initiatives for the Program team. In partnership with the Chief Program Officer and Deputy Directors of Career Pathways, the Senior Director, Program Strategy & Operations will ensure infrastructure is in place to drive goals and outcomes across Program with direct management of the Career Pathways Operations team. Additionally, the Senior Director, Program Strategy & Operations will play a key role in setting up and managing the systems and infrastructure needed to support Deputy Directors of Career Pathways and Operation’s goals across the organization.

As an ideal candidate for this role, you will bring a passion for our mission and experience in program, learning, and development, and people management in a matrixed structure. To succeed in this position, you will have expertise in creating strategy and action plans based on data and research and a customer-service approach to working with key stakeholders. In addition, you will be highly detail-oriented and have practical experience in collaborating across functions and geographies.

In keeping with Year Up United’s values, the Senior Director, Program Strategy & Operations, will also have the opportunity to interact with students as a coach, group facilitator, and advocate, participating in creating and sustaining a positive educational environment with trust among students, faculty, and site leaders.

This location for this position is flexible. We are open to candidates living in states where Year Up United operates: https://www.yearup.org/job-training/locations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Support

• In partnership with the Chief Program Officer, translate the program's vision, priorities, and goals into actionable plans for training and team culture, driving the execution of plans across markets.
• Provide strategic counsel and support to the Chief Program Officer and Deputy Director of Career Pathways to ensure collaboration within and across pathways to drive annual and long-term organizational priorities, improving the daily management of the team

• Align Career Pathways teams to ensure consistency in partnership, collaboration, and service to the organization
• Create and regularly submit reports to keep the organization up to date on Program initiatives and progress, including generating performance reports to critical stakeholders
• Support the design and implement a cohesive strategy for how Program will maximize collaboration and partnership with national functions, such as Marketing, Information Technology, Corporate Engagement, and Development
• Participate in the development of financial strategies and budgeting analysis and coach others on how to interpret financial results based on the use of analytical tools
• Support National Program Leadership with board and committee report preparation and communication
• In collaboration with others, drive critical diversity, inclusion, and belonging work within Program and programmatic initiatives
• Support across the program continuum including interviewing, prospect communications, etc.

Operational Support

• Plan and direct administrative, operational, and financial aspects of the National Program team
• Drive strategy for weekly Deputy Director meeting, including ownership of meeting cadence and agenda
• Act as the communications lead between Program and partner teams and within the Program, coordinating communication, including quarterly priorities and goals, intra-team communication, email newsletters, and general communication with stakeholders
• Lead Program project coordination and provide regular reports on project status
• Lead all knowledge management and curation efforts across Program, including but not limited to updating critical documents (learning management system group)
• Summarize action steps developed in meetings and ensure execution and communication of results
• Oversee high-priority projects

People Development

• Support and enable people managers with all aspects of the Program’s talent acquisition needs, including but not limited to writing and updating job descriptions and supporting all open searches in partnership with the Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers
• Support and enable people managers around all aspects of the Program teams’ people development processes, including but not limited to staff on-boarding, professional development planning, talent reviews, goal setting, and talent mapping
• Drive all annual and semi-annual staff survey reporting by analyzing data and driving solutions
• Operationalize and role model key aspects of organizational and Program culture to imbed them in business-as-usual practices across the team

Leadership & Management

• Support in the development of strategy for operations and act as manager for the Career Pathways Director of Operations
• In partnership with the Chief Program Officer and Deputy Directors of Career Pathways, define the strategic vision & priorities for the Program function, setting up strong team operations (including communications) to ensure consistency across the organization
• Act as an additional layer of support to Deputy Directors of Career Pathways, including keeping an eye out on trends & themes, identifying opportunities, and proposing initiatives.
• Lead, coach, manage, develop, and support all direct reports, with a focus on professional development
• Establish annual strategic goals and set direction for the operations function
• Proactively collaborate and align initiatives across Program

Site Team/Learning Community Member

• Serve as a coach/mentor for a small number of current students
• Join and sometimes facilitate weekly group sessions with students
• Participate in staff meetings and trainings

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 10+ years of professional work experience
• Experience in program delivery and quality assurance, ideally in education or non-profit settings (though all experience is welcome regardless of sector)
• Experience in managing learning and development for a large team
• Management experience strongly preferred, skilled at managing staff and leadership, as well as building and mentoring teams across geographies
• Strong ability to influence others without positional authority (i.e., peers, reports of peers)
• Salesforce.com experience preferred
• Mastery of Microsoft Office required, especially PowerPoint, Word, and Excel
• Exceptional customer service skills with excellent follow-up and follow-through
• A professional and resourceful style with the ability to work independently and as a team player, to take initiative and manage multiple tasks and projects at one time
• An unwavering attention to detail and aptitude for information management required
• Flexibility, creativity, and willingness to learn and work on different tasks as needed
• Excellent organizational and written skills
• A passion for working with young adults, an unshakable belief in their potential and a strong commitment to the mission of Year Up United
• Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion

Internal Salary Band 11

External Salary Range: $122,000 - $205,000

#LI-Hybrid

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

• Year Up United 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 United 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 United 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 United’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 United has directly served more than 40,000 young adults since its founding in 2000. Year Up United'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 United 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 United 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 United 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.