Director of Education, YouthBuild USA

Organization Link
YouthBuild USA
Position Description


The Education Picture at YouthBuild USA

YouthBuild programs continue to educate the young adults who did not thrive in the public school system. They either left without a diploma, or managed to make it to graduation but are still under-prepared for higher education or employment. YouthBuild programs, including over 40 YouthBuild charter schools, offer young people an opportunity to complete their high school education and prepare for the world of work and higher education. YouthBuild USA supports local programs in the area of education by offering technical assistance and training as well as capacity building grants. These supports are offered through major federal and private grants, including significant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support YouthBuild USA’s National Schools Initiative (NSI). The NSI aims to improve existing schools within the YouthBuild network and create new diploma granting schools.

The role of the education department is to support the development and enhancement of YouthBuild schools not only for those within the NSI but also for all YouthBuild programs that are offering the high school equivalency credential (GED) to their students. We aim to ensure that increasing numbers of YouthBuild graduates leave prepared to enter higher education settings and pursue careers that offer meaningful work and sustainable wages. The education department staff serve as dual ambassadors for this work, serving as in-house experts to the network, bringing resources and knowledge from the rest of alternative education work into YouthBuild and bringing YouthBuild’s successful education strategies out into the rest of the education world.

Director of Education Job Responsibilities and Duties

Based at YouthBuild USA’s Somerville, Massachusetts headquarters, the Director of Education will be expected to provide ongoing leadership and vision to the YouthBuild education program nationally. The Director of Education will work with YouthBuild USA management and staff, with the field of YouthBuild schools and programs, with funders and policy makers, and with national partner organizations to implement a vision for student success that incorporates post secondary and career success for out of school youth.

The goals that define the YouthBuild USA education agenda are:

Goal 1: Deepen the work of the National Schools Initiative by ensuring high quality education for YouthBuild students with an eye towards preparing students for post secondary and career success.

  • Key strategy: Continue to provide training, handbooks and curricula, and on-site technical assistance in school improvement to diploma granting schools and GED programs within the YouthBuild network. Provide resources to strengthen YouthBuild sites’ capacity to provide strong support for college and career transitions for their students.

Goal 2: Build the capacity of the field to make informed choices about the YouthBuild diploma granting path; fully support and guide sites’ efforts to develop as diploma granting schools, acquire school funding, and implement and manage charters.

  • Key strategy: Continue to build on and expand the Gates Foundation funded National Schools Initiative and its component elements. Leverage the learning from this initiative to develop materials, resources, training and technical assistance that will guide and support other sites interested in pursuing diploma granting status.

Goal 3: Fully develop YouthBuild USA’s education technical assistance capacity and provide opportunities for educators to be part of a vibrant learning community. Support and encourage the full range of innovation and experimentation at the site level that will result in education programs that fully address the learning needs and interests of their students.

  • Key strategy: Provide engaging, cutting edge electronic, print, and face to face opportunities for the exchange of experience, skill building and professional development among YouthBuild educators. Develop comprehensive professional development programs for education staff, create trainings on strengthening classroom practices, encourage peer sharing of best practices, and aim for consistency of practice across the YouthBuild network.
  • Develop a pool of expert consultants who can provide ongoing training and technical assistance to the expanding field of YouthBuild operating sites.

Goal 5: Increase YouthBuild’s influence and add our experience to the coalition of organizations seeking to bring reform to the current public school system; provide leadership to the national effort aimed at developing standards for education practice serving out-of-school young people.

  • Key strategy: Represent YouthBuild USA at policy forums focused on alternative education and work with the current coalition of organizations focused on developing standards for the field of alternative education.

Oversight and Management Responsibilities:

The Director of Education will be responsible for the following:
• Oversight and tracking of the National Schools Initiative to ensure emerging learning is being captured, reflected upon and disseminated within YouthBuild USA, the NSI Network and the field of YouthBuild programs.
• Scanning the state of education within the larger YouthBuild field to understand the current status of education work at local programs, training and TA needs, and emerging innovations and practices from which we can learn.
• With the Directors of TA and training, devising and implementing capacity building strategies for YouthBuild schools and programs to ensure continuous improvement in student outcomes and the achievement of NSI goals.
• Based on the learning from both the NSI and local YouthBuild programs, oversee the development of learning tools, both printed and electronic, to further support the advancement of educational practice.
• Managing private and public funds that support the implementation of the education strategy, including the related reporting, evaluation and grant development.
• Hiring and managing staff and consultants to assist in implementing this strategy.
• Developing and managing budgets to support education projects.
• Overseeing the development of curricula and national research and evaluation projects focused on education.
• Actively participating in various YouthBuild USA program teams to bring the education perspective and resource to bear on the work of the organization.

Organizational Relationships:

The Director of Education reports to and is supervised by the Vice President for Education and Careers. This position supervises the Education staff consisting of two Education Project Managers, an administrative assistant and several consultants. The Director of Education works closely with the Directors of Technical Assistance, Workforce Strategies, Higher Education Achievement, and the Academy for Transformation as key partners in the implementation of education support strategies. He or she also consults and collaborates with knowledge management, data, AmeriCorps and development staff.

ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY

YouthBuild USA is a dynamic, expanding, highly regarded, non-profit organization with operations throughout the USA and in 15 other countries. It manages advocacy, training, technical assistance, research, data management, communications, grants, and loans for a network of innovative and highly effective YouthBuild programs designed for disadvantaged youth and young adults to complete their secondary education while serving their communities by building affordable housing for homeless and low income people. Students learn leadership skills and internalize the ethic of service, toward becoming leaders in their communities.

YouthBuild USA has built a strong public/private partnership with the United States government, an agency of which administers the federal YouthBuild program directly through competitive grants to local non-profit and public agencies, and then contracts with YouthBuild USA to provide quality assurance systems for these grantees.

The headquarters for both national and international work is located in Somerville, Massachusetts. Our national programs and services are focused on a growing network of over 200 YouthBuild operating programs in 43 states and relate to a diverse group of public and private funders and policy stakeholder groups. International work related to program replication is currently concentrated in South Africa, Mexico, Central America, Canada, and Israel; the other international focus is on broad national policy and program development for unemployed youth.

Organizational Mission

To unleash the intelligence and positive energy of low-income youth to rebuild their communities and their lives.

To help build a movement toward a more just society both nationally and internationally in which respect, love, responsibility, and cooperation are the dominant unifying values, and sufficient opportunities are available for all people in all communities to fulfill their own potential and contribute to the well-being of others.

Basic Statement of Philosophy

The intelligence and positive energy of young people need to be liberated and enlisted in solving the problems facing our society. Young people in low-income communities and developing nations want to rebuild their neighborhoods and lives, and will do so if given the opportunity. The desire to serve, to do meaningful work that is of value to other people, is universal. Community-based organizations and developing countries need the resources to solve local problems and to mobilize local people, including neighborhood youth. Leadership development is a central element of effective community development and youth service.


Required Qualifications and Experience:

• A Master’s Degree or higher and seven to ten years combined experience in teaching, young adult education and program administration.
• Evidence of success as a senior manager working within intermediate to large nonprofit or educational institutions.
• Strong commitment to high quality, innovative educational programming for multi-racial, multi-cultural and low-income groups of young adults.
• Knowledge of current issues and research in GED education, adult basic education, multi-cultural education, vocational education and educational programming is essential, as is a familiarity with alternative education networks.
• Knowledge of current issues in educational advocacy and its link to anti-poverty policy.
• Experience in training and supervising professionals on educational issues and in educational programs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking ability.
• Proven ability to work as part of a team and in racially, ethnically and economically diverse settings.
• Capacity to be productive and effective in a fast-paced work environment.
• Ability to travel nationally is essential.

Desired Qualifications:

• Successful experience as director or senior manager of a community based organization.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should send cover letter and resume to: Search – Director of Education, YouthBuild USA, 58 Day Street, P.O. Box 440322, Somerville, MA 02144 or apply online at www.youthbuild.org/apply. Please apply by February 23, 2009.

YouthBuild USA is an EE/AA employer. To see a complete descripiton of this position and for additional information on YouthBuild USA, visit our website at www.youthbuild.org.

Compensation
Deadline
February 23, 2009