Program Director - Chicago Program

Position Summary

Are you an experienced youth development or education professional with a passion for increasing economic opportunity for all? Urban Alliance (UA), a national youth workforce development nonprofit, is currently seeking a Program Director to oversee high school student, CPS school and district relationships, and program staff in Chicago, reporting to the Chicago Executive Director. You’ll have the opportunity to join a dynamic hard-working team that always puts students first.

About Urban Alliance & the Chicago Region

For more than 25 years, Urban Alliance has provided thousands of young adults from historically excluded communities with the skills, social capital, and career exposure needed to overcome systemic barriers to equal employment and economic mobility. Urban Alliance is a bridge between young adults, employers, and schools that provides high school students with comprehensive soft skills and digital literacy training, paid internships with local employers, individualized mentoring and case management, and ongoing post-high school planning support. In Chicago, Urban Alliance has formed strong strategic partnerships with more than 100 corporate partners who host, guide, and develop interns within their organizations. Additionally, Urban Alliance Chicago has joined with the Barack Obama Foundation to establish the Obama Youth Jobs Corps, which was formed to increase economic opportunity for youth from the South Side of Chicago through workforce readiness training, paid internships, and civic education. This partnership has served more than 700 young people over the past four years and is about to embark on its fifth year.

About the High School Internship Program (HSIP)

Urban Alliance provides young people from economically marginalized communities with the exposure, opportunity, support and training needed to prepare them for lifelong economic self-sufficiency. Urban Alliance’s flagship High School Internship Program (HSIP) matches high school seniors with paid, professional 10-month internships, job skills training, one-on-one mentoring, and ongoing post-program support to expand their idea of what is possible for their future. Founded in Washington, D.C. in 1996, Urban Alliance has since expanded to Baltimore, Chicago and Detroit. To date, Urban Alliance has placed over 5,000 students in paid internships and served more than 20,000 through job skills training.

Program Director Responsibilities

• Program management: Oversee and execute regional student recruitment, training and programming for HSIP. Utilize data to maintain consistent quality and continually improve outcomes for youth
• Staff management: Set and enforce clear guidelines and expectations; Train, develop, and manage program staff; Recruit, interview and hire program staff as needed; Support, lead by example, and ensure team cohesion. The Program Director will supervise a team of Internship Program Leads who serve as case managers for the HSIP program.
• External relationship management: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), including district-level contacts, school-level contacts, and community partner organizations to enhance support and resources for UA students.
• Internal relationship management: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with internal staff at the regional and national levels.
• Data management: Track, analyze, and report program and intern data; Actively use outcome data to guide program decisions for real-time course corrections; Collaborate with national Data & Evaluation team to consistently ensure strong outcomes for youth.
• Budget management: Oversee programmatic budgets and track program and staff expenses.
• Program Strategy and Operations: Cultivate sustainable long-term strategy for program expansion and visibility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred
• At least five to seven years prior experience in program implementation, management, and execution ideally in youth or workforce development.
• Experience managing external partnerships
• Three to five years’ experience managing staff
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to meet tight deadlines and manage projects effectively
• Proficiency in MS Office suite
• Prior experience with budgeting preferred

Core Competencies

• Evidence of developing and implementing a program with strong results
• A demonstrated ability to work effectively and implement innovative and data-driven programming
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and an ability to develop and maintain deep relationships with a variety of diverse constituents
• Ability to develop and execute long-term strategy while being able to pivot to meet immediate needs, or address unforeseen student needs, as they arise
• Operates with a sense of urgency and thoughtfulness around accomplishing goals and objectives
• Excellent judgement and sound decision-making skills
• Strong organization skills and demonstrated ability to follow through

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Urban Alliance is a racial and social justice organization committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Urban Alliance is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Applicants from all underrepresented groups, including people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and DACA recipients are encouraged to apply.