Program Coordinator

Our affordable housing nonprofit, HCA, is excited to announce the opening of a full-time Program Coordinator position in the Los Angeles-based Resident Services Dept of our nonprofit.

Overview

This position is like a traveling camp counselor in an all-ages affordable housing context. You will support low-income kiddos, adults, and seniors living at several apartment buildings where we are partnered with an array of educational classes and resources. Some of these buildings are home to niche communities of low-income Angelenos, including veterans, residents with disabilities, and/or formerly homeless folks.

All our services are provided for free to residents, in a community space at each apartment building, just a stone’s throw away from their homes. This lends itself to a unique teaching experience that is more informal, grassroots, fluctuating, and relationship-based than traditional school settings.

We do not require a particular level of teaching experience or certification; in many cases, informal experience is more than sufficient. Success in this role is much more dependent on a realistic understanding of low-income communities, the humility to find common ground with our resident base, and an innate excitement about learning and teaching (something new), versus a deep subject-specific knowledge.

We have class-specific syllabi, training videos, and a full month of field training with other staff to help you get off your feet. For starters, though you should be comfortable (learning to) teach the following subjects, though we are open to branching out once you’ve got your bearings:

• Chair exercise or senior-friendly standing exercise
• Arts & crafts for all ages
• Basic tech help for modern day living
• Baking & cooking with simple, kid-friendly recipes

Responsibilities

Core responsibilities of this Program Coordinator position include the following:

1. In-person educational classes (75%): Driving to, planning, promoting, teaching, and documenting free weekly and ongoing educational classes and the very occasional social event (ie: to promote a class or service) to residents of all ages at several low-income apartment communities across Los Angeles County. See this sample schedule of in-person class assignments. See www.hcalive.org for more details.
2. Online classes (5%): Planning, promoting, teaching, and documenting (a) weekly ongoing online class(es) for residents. See www.hcalive.org for more details.
3. Supporting residents and the HCA team in the promotion, review, and recipiency/fulfillment process of our annual scholarship program: www.hcascholarship.org. (5%)
4. Providing general resource referral support to residents in areas like transportation, social services, etc (5%). This may include updating resource guides that we have created for various communities.
5. Training (5%): whether it’s joining a Curriculum Inspo Meeting or a class taught by a colleague, or a Mandated Reporter module, we do our best to help you feel prepared and grow as a professional.
6. TBD (5%): Tasks that may support our organization while also aligning with your specialty area(s): grant writing, photography, videography, etc.

Skills & Qualities

The Program Coordinator position tends to lend itself to those folks who are confident, well-rounded, people persons. You are the one in your friends' circle about whom others tend to comment, “Wow, is there anything you can’t do?” or “Gosh, nothing seems to faze you.” To that end, these skills and qualities will be particularly helpful to our mutual fit:

• Geography & driving: You need to be comfortable driving to 2-3 communities a day, driving home in peak traffic at 5pm, and street parking at those rarer properties where there is no lot/garage parking available. See this sample schedule of in-person class assignments.
• Resilient: Our work can invite commentary and situations that many may find to be emotionally challenging, politically incorrect, and/or politically charged. You are undeterred by these, and able to respond in a calm, neutral, and professional manner. You are comfortable with the limits of what we can address in consideration of our mission, core competencies, and nonprofit status.
• Adaptable: You enjoy a little chaos or a change in direction. Too much routine or single subject/task work dulls your go go juice.
• Versatile: You pride yourself on being a jack-of-all trades, rather than a subject specialist. If your help is needed for something new to you, you are excited to learn more about it.
• Humble: Our team is college-educated and fluent in English, but many of our residents are not. You are prepared to surrender your expectations and pre-conceived notions to serve others where they are at. Common ground is your North Star.
• Extroverted: You’re not afraid to offer the handshake first. You get along with most people and understand the vital nature of relationships to the success of our business.

Bonus points for any of these...

• Bilingual
• Experience teaching exercise and/or arts & crafts
• Photography and/or videography experience
• Grant writing experience
• Design savvy

About HCA

Housing Corporation of America (HCA) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that owns and oversees the operation of more than 90 affordable housing communities. We specialize in compliance, welfare tax exemption, and resident services. We have no political or religious affiliation. Our main website is www.hcahousing.org.

We don’t have a central office where we all meet each day, but we consider ourselves a family company that values work-life balance, humor, good food, and the cultivation of interests and pursuits outside of our jobs. We take pride in being home to a wide range of passions and personalities and look for others who will do the same.

To Apply

Please send your cover letter and resume to nicole@hcahousing.org.

We are a nonprofit organization of twelve—small but mighty! Our salaries are competitive with industry standards and we do our very best to honor our hard-working staff with tangible benefits to acknowledge their value:

• 17+ paid holidays annually, including an annual closure from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day
• 10 days PTO for year 1, 15 days PTO for years 2-5, 20 days PTO for years 6-15...
• 403(b) account with company contribution starting year 2
• Medical insurance benefits
• Monthly mileage stipend for positions with regular travel
• Monthly phone stipend
• Annual professional development stipend
• 1 paid annual volunteer day annually with company contribution of $100 to the npo of your choice
• Quarterly team building events
• Annual holiday party

English fluency is required for this position. We welcome any level of proficiency in other languages.