Youth Program Coordinator — Education & Digital Engagement

Position Summary

The World Affairs Council seeks a passionate and qualified individual to coordinate its youth education initiatives. Reporting directly to the Director of Youth Programming, the position’s primary responsibility is to support youth-centered efforts, including engaging high school students and teachers/adult allies to design and organize educational programs—virtual and in-person, once safe to gather—and coordinate logistics related to student and teacher travel and experiential opportunities. They will be responsible for the development and implementation of a new virtual programming platform. The platform will allow youth to connect and explore various global topics through microcredentials/digital badging, events, and activities to gain the knowledge, skills, mindset, and behaviors to be “future ready.” This creative and thoughtful individual will research relevant international topics, trends, tech, and speakers to inform event planning, and design and create resources for students and teachers.

This position is full time. Duties will be performed remotely. 

Areas of Responsibility 

Programming

Coordinate youth programming initiatives in collaboration with the Youth Program Coordinator — Global Minds and the Director of Youth Programming, implement quality experiences for youth and educators, amplify youth voice and youth leadership opportunities within the Council. 

• Applies effective project management and planning skills to develop a full year of educational programming in advance of each academic year, aligned with the Council’s strategic plan.
• Coordinate creative youth programming that is locally relevant and globally connected using virtual tools, new platforms, and existing assets.
• Support the development of Youth Fellows and Youth Board Members, plan and develop training and professional development, co-design by youth, for youth programming.
• Through strategic outreach and recruitment efforts increase representation and participation of people of diverse lived experiences across youth and educator programs, and proactively create and deepen intentional partnerships. 

Evaluation, Research, & Funding

• Support the continuous evaluation of youth programming using agreed upon shared processes and metrics (e.g. surveys, testimonials).
• Stays up to date on the latest research and data regarding best practices in students’ academic preparedness, youth leadership, youth-adult partnership, community engagement, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Assists in the grant process, including providing and reviewing programming language and programmatic goals and impact.

Qualifications

• Track record in youth program design and implementation with 2+ years preferred.
• Deep understanding of and fidelity to youth voice and youth leadership.
• Work with adult allies including teachers and educators.
• Experience in community engagement and developing partnerships across sectors.
• Excellent communicator.
• High energy, positive attitude, flexibility, teamwork, and attention to detail; high degree of initiative and sense of urgency; solutions-oriented.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion; ability to enthusiastically represent the Council to diverse audiences.
• Strategic thinker with on-the-ground understanding of what needs to get done and how. 
• Represent the Council at meetings and events including on evenings and weekends.

Other Specifications

• ACT 33/34 Clearances and FBI Background Check are required upon hire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and international work/travel experience or work with diverse populations.
• Exceptional candidates will have experience/familiarity with microcredentials/digital badging, curriculum development for virtual learning, and/or a learning management system (LMS). 
• Experience with social media; MS Office, Google Workspace, and other platforms such as Slack and Airtable to support communication, data tracking, and manage outcomes.
• Proficiency in a foreign language, in addition to English fluency. 

Character Profile

• Resourceful, results-oriented self-starter. 
• Thrives in a fast-paced, high-performing environment.
• Appetite for continuous learning and improvement.
• Globally-minded, demonstrates cultural humility.
• Comfortable connecting with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Can-do, will-do spirit.
• Passionate about civic engagement and global learning.
• Deeply committed to increasing youth voice and youth leadership, and SEL.
• Accepts new challenges and ad hoc responsibilities to advance the Council’s mission as needed.
• Genuine interest in world affairs across issue areas (i.e., environment, employment, education, entrepreneurship, and the UN SDGs).

Our Approach

Organizational leadership: Model a high bar for performance; operate with the best interests of both the organization and team in mind.

Mission-aligned programming and partnerships: Your role is essential to making it easy for community partners, donors, and the general public to understand meaningful opportunities with the Council, ensuring that their participation and/or investment in the Council is seen as transformational rather than transactional.

Proactive problem solving: Proactively develop solutions to challenges, including by constantly looking at big-picture progress on the youth programming team, and by flagging any potential upcoming challenges in the organization overall.

Application of equity and inclusion lens: Bring deep insight and a practical lens to places where identity, equity, and power intersect with the work. Can recognize ways that your and others’ identities show up and play out in the work, especially as a senior level team member.

Optimistic approach and flexibility: We approach our work with a can-do attitude and a spirit of “yes.” Together, we push work forward through obstacles and adapt quickly as things change (which they inevitably will!). You recognize that there are aspects of the work you will lead and others where you will follow, and you work just as well independently as you do within a team structure.  

100% follow-through: As a small but mighty team, we demonstrate a high attention to detail, stay on top of all specific tasks/follow-up items and general areas of work. We manage short and long-term planning, consistently setting and meeting deadlines.

Relationship-oriented: You recognize the deep importance that relationships with colleagues and allies play in our work, and you build rapport and trust with others.

Always learning: There’s always more to know out there, and you’re hungry for it. You absorb information from your colleagues, from your work, and from keeping up with your field. If something doesn’t make sense, you ask questions until it does, and you apply what you learn in your work.

Open-mindedness: You encourage (and truly welcome!) viewpoints that differ from your own, and you’re able to “sit with” discomfort when people express themselves in ways that aren’t familiar to you.