Director of Youth Peer Support

Position Title: Director of Youth Peer Support

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

FLSA Status: Exempt, Full Time

Hours: 32 hours per week: 10am-6pm Monday through Thursday, and 10am-2pm on Friday. Evening and weekend hours as needed and/or requested by supervisor.

AGENCY DESCRIPTION:

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI-NYC) is the only nonprofit organization providing direct support to family members caring for loved ones with serious mental illness (SMI), like major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. We offer classes, 30+ support groups, family mentoring, a Helpline in English, Spanish, and 180+ languages, and more, to peers and family members completely FREE regardless of income, insurance, or immigration status. (Even if you don’t apply for this role, check out our calendar and tell a family member or friend about us. It’s free to any New Yorker who needs mental health support. Really.)

NAMI-NYC not only provides virtual and in person free mental health programs and services to the community, but also fights for New Yorkers and our rights, including access to affordable, culturally responsive mental healthcare, peers not police in mental health crisis response, and investment in community-based programs. We also work to prevent people with SMI experiencing further interaction with the criminal legal system and break an unjust, endless cycle of psychiatric hospitalizations, homelessness, and incarceration. 

We aim to increase mental health access to communities of color, monolingual Spanish speakers, the LGBTQ+ community, the Deaf and hard of hearing, older adults, and other underserved communities. We also care about addressing our country’s mental health crisis, especially among young people. We care about suicide prevention and connecting all New Yorkers to the resources they need.  Check out our website at www.naminyc.org and follow us on social media.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

We are seeking a visionary and experienced Director to lead the design and implementation of NAMI-NYC's new Youth Mental Health Program. This initiative aims to empower young people by leveraging peer support to promote mental wellness and resilience. You will play a pivotal role in shaping the program's strategy, structure, and operational framework to ensure it meets the diverse needs of youth in our community. We are looking for an experienced peer (an individual living with a mental health challenge) OR a family member of someone living with a mental health challenge who is passionate about and has significant work experience within youth mental health. Someone who can punch above their weight. 

You are a strong leader who is proactive, can solve problems as they arise, and tackle requests and needs with a positive, can-do attitude. You embrace a tactical approach to resolving complex problems and are enthusiastic about program design, implementation and evaluation.

You work intentionally and collaboratively with other departments across NAMI-NYC — for our ultimate shared goal: helping families and youth affected by mental illness build better lives. We are a close-knit team of 30+ staff and the program and services team take pride in being the heart and soul of the organization. (We also really like taking mental health walks during lunch and singing karaoke at our holiday parties. And we’re NAMI-NYC, so it’s also okay to take your therapy session during the workday. We get it.)

This position offers a unique opportunity to lead a transformative initiative that empowers youth and enhances community mental health support systems. The sky is the limit, and new creative ideas are not only welcomed but expected. We can’t wait to see what our next Director of Youth Mental Health can do.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

Program Strategy and Development

• Develop a comprehensive program design for the peer-led Youth Mental Health Program in alignment with NAMI-NYC vision, mission and values.
• Design program goals, objectives, and outcomes informed by best practices and current research in youth mental health.
• Lead the creation of program components, training materials, activities, and resources that foster mental health awareness, resilience, and peer support for young people.
• Collaborate with mental health professionals, educators, youth and other key stakeholders to ensure program is culturally sensitive and age appropriate.
• Oversee the recruitment, training, and ongoing support of Youth Peer Leader(s).
• Develop training materials and resources to equip Youth Peer Leader(s) with core skills including active listening and peer support techniques.
• Oversee implementation of the youth mental health program including the day-to-day operations.
• Conduct external presentations that help to advance programmatic goals.
• Develop and manage the programmatic budget, ensuring resources are allocated adequately.

Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Work with internal departments (i.e. Outreach, Marketing & Communications, etc.) to both grow the reach of the program and cultivate and maintain relationships with community partners, schools, mental health organizations, and youth-serving agencies.
• Develop and lead an advisory board comprised of relevant stakeholders, including youth representatives, mental health professionals, community leaders, and other key partners.
• Facilitate regular meetings and ensure effective communication and collaboration among advisory board members.
• Utilize advisory board input to enhance program design, quality standards and productivity.

Evaluation and Quality Improvement

• Collaborate with NYU McSilver Institute to establish program evaluation protocols and metrics to assess outcomes, satisfaction and impact.
• Utilize programmatic data and feedback to continuously improve program effectiveness and participant experience.

General

• Attend internal and external meetings.
• Monitor program deliverables in the internal database(s) and report programmatic data regularly internally and externally as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Support and participate in other NAMI-NYC events, as requested.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• A Master’s degree in a related field required.
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in program development, preferably in youth mental health or peer support initiatives.
• Strong understanding of youth development, mental health issues, and trauma-informed care principles.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to troubleshoot.
• Proven leadership and managerial skills, with experience in team building, supervision, and collaboration.
• Strong work ethic, including reliability, flexibility, humility, initiative and ownership, and perseverance.
• Proficient in the use of personal computers, Zoom, Microsoft applications and electronic record keeping systems.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse populations with a high level of integrity, diplomacy, and initiative.
• Be a proactive team player while requiring minimal supervision.
• Commitment to NAMI-NYC’s mission.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; communicates professionally to all levels of management and adapts to changing priorities.
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends, upon request.
• Sense of humor.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor.

SALARY & BENEFITS:

• Salary $120-160K
• Generous PTO policy
• 32-hour work weeks with half day Fridays
• Medical, dental and vision coverage
• 401K retirement plan with discretionary employer match
• TransitChek commuter benefits

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor.

To apply: Send a cover letter and resume to jobs@naminyc.org. Be sure to put Director of Youth Mental Health Program in the subject line. Resumes submitted without a cover letter will not be considered. No Phone calls, please.