At Summer Search, we believe in 'No Ceilings' and envision a world in which young people, regardless of circumstances, can chart their own destiny. In the United States, students from underserved communities – disproportionately BIPOC and first-generation – face systemic inequities in school, in the workforce, and in life. Nevertheless, these young people possess unique strengths, resilience, and limitless potential.
Since 1990, Summer Search has partnered with young people during their transition from adolescence into adulthood by connecting them to expansive opportunities, professional mentoring, and a community of support. Summer Searchers recognize their potential and build a toolkit to navigate and challenge systemic barriers, break new ground for their families and communities, and achieve economic equity and a life of purpose.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Summer Search NYC is looking for their next Regional Program Director to lead an established and far-reaching program serving over 480 high school and post-secondary students, and a growing alumni base.
Reporting to the Executive Director, this position will support high-quality program delivery and performance for the entire region for all elements of the Summer Search program: school and community engagement, high school mentoring, summer experiences, and post-secondary access and success. The Regional Program Director will manage a team of 3 and indirectly coach and support a team of 20 program staff who are critical to delivering our program and goal of empowering young people to discover their purpose through mentoring, summer experiential learning, and by providing support from high school to post-secondary education through to launching a fulfilling career.
Dedicated to advancing the objectives of both the NYC site and Summer Search as a whole, this dynamic role requires someone who will exercise organizational leadership, build and foster cross-departmental relationships, strategically drive and manage key projects and priorities for the NYC site, and foster a healthy and collaborative regional culture.
The deadline to apply for this position is March 4.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Specifically, the Regional Program Director will support:
Program Leadership
- Oversee a program team responsible for implementing all segments of core programming, directly supervising a Director of Programs, Director of Program Partnerships, and Program Operations Manager.
- Create and implement internal site policies and expectations to ensure programmatic successes and alignment.
- Collaboratively lead the development and implementation of program strategy, innovation, and evaluation in partnership with the program leadership team and National Program Team; set corresponding benchmarks annually to implement national strategic initiatives and meet key metrics.
- Serve as NYC’s Program Site Lead (PSL) on national cohort to ensure site priorities and participant needs are included in organization decisions and recommendations and contribute to the growth of the organization, as a whole; Partner with other PSLs across the network to gain perspective to inform local strategies and decisions.
Site Leadership
- Champion positive staff morale and retention by modeling Summer Search’s values and cultivating communicative, relationship-driven, open, and inclusive team environment.
- Help set and implement the Executive Director’s strategic vision, assisting staff to interpret, understand and carry out the vision and strategic intent.
- Serve as a thought partner to the Executive Director, helping resolve key programmatic and personnel challenges, advocating for staff and participant needs, offering strategic perspectives that may be less visible to him or his direct reports, and helping identify risks and tradeoffs.
- Partner with NYC Development Team and Executive Director on fund development activities, including event strategy and execution, major donor and grant proposals, grant implementation, and meetings with donors and Board members, as needed.
Talent Acquisition and Development
- Support program leadership in local hiring, onboarding and offboarding, coaching, and enabling shared leadership and best practice sharing across the NYC team.
- Oversee and support site level program trainings in partnership with program leadership and in collaboration with our National network.
Program Operations
- Oversee the preparation and management of the annual program budgets, tracking and reporting of finances in partnership with the Executive Director and program leadership team.
- Oversee and promote fidelity of systems and processes to manage complex program operations and increase staff capacity across a geographically dispersed site.
WHO YOU ARE
The Regional Program Director will embody Summer Search’s values and provide team leadership through a standard of excellence, spirit of gratitude, a practice of collaboration, and an authentic and unwavering commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. These are complex times in our sector. Strong candidates will bring the ability to hold deep understanding of all of that complexity while still maintaining a solution-based orientation and world view is critical to leading this team.
Additionally, this hire will bring:
- EXPERIENCE: At least 10+ years of professional experience, including 5+ years in a leadership role with responsibility for managing programs and teams. Leadership experience in education, youth development, or similar mission area required. Experience in these sectors in the New York City a plus.
- PEOPLE MANAGEMENT: You coach, guide and support members of your team towards achieving individual and collective goals. As a leader you embody practices to effectively hold space, facilitate professional growth, amplify strengths, and hold staff members accountable. Your management style reflects your ability to be adaptive, responsive, and supportive of your team to show up as their authentic and full self.
- STRATEGIC ACUMEN: You anticipate, articulate, and prepare for various outcomes and use this skill to collaboratively develop objectives and priorities that are informed by data and align with the organizational direction.
- CHANGE MINDSET: You have a desire to learn, grow and improve with an evolving organization. You prioritize transparency and communication and recognize that it is critical to supporting others to thrive amidst change.
- CRITICAL CONCIOUSNESS: You have an understanding of the root causes of societal discrimination and injustices and are self-reflective about your own privilege and positional power. You apply critical thinking and take action toward liberatory and inclusive practices.
- PROJECT MANAGEMENT: You take initiative to create systems and structures to achieve goals and objectives. You succeed at managing multiple workstreams and motivating, coordinating, and directing others to stay on track.
Additionally, all Summer Search staff bring a commitment to our mission of unleashing participants’ potential through mentoring and transformative experiences, as well as the ability to thrive in an environment that values excellence, gratitude, well-being, diversity, authenticity, and collaboration.
LOCATION AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS
This is a hybrid position with at least 2 days a week in the office and up to 3 days of remote work weekly. Occasional travel within NYC and evening work (i.e. for events) will be required as needed.
