Executive Director

About YASP

Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project (YASP) is a Philadelphia-based organization rooted in abolition, healing justice, and the power of young people to transform the systems that harm them. We work alongside youth who have been directly impacted by the carceral system, providing restorative justice diversion programming, creative arts programming, a youth-led hub for participatory defense, and other legal education. We believe that the people most harmed by unjust systems are the ones best positioned to dismantle them.

YASP is fiscally sponsored and operates across several interconnected programs: Healing Futures, the Youth Participatory Defense Hub, and Creative Arts workshops. This is a moment of growth and deepening for the organization, and we are looking for a leader who can hold both the day-to-day and the long horizon.

This Moment at YASP

This is not a standard Executive Director role. YASP is at an inflection point, building organizational infrastructure while holding deep commitments to youth leadership, abolitionist values, and tight-knit staff community. The next ED will need to be someone who understands that this work is more urgent than ever. In a moment when organizations are losing funding, facing political targeting, and navigating the realities of rising fascism, YASP needs a leader with deep conviction, someone whose commitment doesn't waver when conditions get hard. The next phase of YASP's work is about stability, deepening, and continuity, connecting what we've built to where we're going, and making sure we're here for the next 20 years.

We're looking for someone who:

• Loves young people, full stop. Someone who is genuinely committed to their liberation, growth, and development, and brings that love into every decision they make as a leader.
• Leads from within, not from above. Someone who is present, participatory, and builds power alongside staff and youth rather than directing from a distance.
• Is culturally rooted and community-connected. YASP is deeply embedded in Philadelphia's culture and communities. We're looking for someone who understands what it means to organize through culture, and who can build real relationships grounded in warmth, authenticity, and shared values.
• Can hold the long view. Someone who thinks in decades, not just program cycles, and who sees organizational development as movement infrastructure, not administrative maintenance.
• Embodies YASP's values in how they show up. Not just someone who can articulate abolitionist principles, but someone who lives them in their relationships, their leadership style, and their presence in this work.

Core Responsibilities

The estimates below reflect our honest assessment of where this role lives and where we need the ED to be the most present.

Organizational Vision, Mission & Culture (~25% of time)

• Lead regular retreat and reflection spaces where staff shape strategy together
• Work closely with staff and the advisory board to build a youth leadership model that is substantive, not symbolic
• Protect and cultivate YASP’s internal culture → the practices, rhythms, and accountability processes that make this a place people want to work
• Hold the organization with steadiness and care during periods of transition, transformation, and grief, responding to crises in ways that maintain staff morale, trust, and collective momentum
• Create ongoing space to reflect, reevaluate, and stay honest about what’s working

Staff Support & Supervision (~20% of time)

• Directly supervise program leads and coordinators: Healing Futures Program Manager(s), Youth Hub Coordinator, Creative Arts Coordinator(s), and Development & Communications Coordinator
• Hold regular check-ins with supervisees; ensure all staff have consistent touchpoints for support and guidance
• Conduct annual end-of-year evaluations with all supervisees; ensure other supervisors do the same
• Partner with program leads on hiring and staff transition decisions
• Support staff in connecting their individual work to YASP's broader mission and organizational direction
• Cultivate a staff culture rooted in YASP's values — one where people feel seen, supported, and invested in the work

Finances & Fundraising (~20% of time)

• Build and adjust the annual budget; prepare quarterly reports shared transparently with staff and the advisory board
• Work closely with the fiscal sponsor on financial reporting and organizational compliance
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with funders and major individual donors; identify new funding sources
• Provide oversight and support to the Development & Communications Coordinator to develop grant proposals, reports, and written communications to disseminate to YASP supporters
• Develop the team’s ability to understand the organizational financial health and how to manage their program budgets

Internal HR & Operations Management (~20% of time)

• Work closely with fiscal sponsor staff to ensure payroll, benefits, and HR processes are functioning well for all employees
• Maintain and update internal personnel policies; ensure staff have input on proposed changes
• Oversee day-to-day organizational logistics, including facilities, technology, and supply needs
• Ensure the financial and operational systems of the organization run smoothly and responsibly

Program & Campaign Work (~15% of time)

• Stay grounded in YASP’s program work by participating regularly in team meetings and workshops
• Provide oversight and support to program leads to assess and maintain program budgets
• Maintain relationships with key partner organizations, including the Defender Association and District Attorney’s Office
• Ensure YASP’s participation in coalitions and campaign spaces we’ve committed to (e.g. the PA Youth Justice Alliance, Care Not Control)
• Support legislative work to end direct file, including legislative meetings and social media campaign work

What We’re Looking For

Experience & Skills

• 7 to 10 years of experience supervising staff and managing multi-program or multi-team organizations
• Ability to delegate effectively, communicate clear expectations, and hold staff accountable with consistency and care
• Deep understanding of the harms caused by mass incarceration and a genuine commitment to abolition and transformative justice
• Demonstrated experience in youth leadership development, centering young people’s voices and decision-making authority at every level
• Familiarity with the legal landscape affecting justice-involved young people and their families
• Experience navigating systems-level relationships and advocating effectively for program participants
• Strong writing, communication, and follow-through skills
• Nonprofit fundraising experience, including grants, individual donors, and institutional partnerships
• Proficiency with Google Drive and Google Workspace, or genuine willingness to learn
• Must have, or be willing to immediately obtain, all clearances required for entering detention facilities (Child Abuse clearance, PA state criminal background check, FBI clearance)

Beyond Credentials

YASP is a small, close-knit organization. We’re looking for someone who:

• Is genuinely open to feedback as a practice
• Brings energy and warmth
• Moves things forward with confidence and brings others along with humility
• Is reliable and consistent
• Understands that in this work, how we do things is just as important as what we do

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time position with a salary range of $75,000–$80,000. YASP operates on a 32-hour, 4-day work week. Some evenings and weekends will be required.

YASP offers benefits rooted in our values: generous PTO, week-long summer and winter breaks, opportunities for professional development, sabbatical leave for long-time staff, full medical coverage (10% employee contribution for staff working 25+ hours/week), and 401(k) matching up to 2% for all staff.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants, women and femmes, LGBTQI+ individuals, people with disabilities, neurodiverse people, and formerly convicted, incarcerated, or systems-impacted people are highly encouraged to apply.

YASP does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, political affiliation, or any other category protected by local, state, or federal laws. We are not offering US visa sponsorship at this time.

Accommodations are available upon request for candidates with disabilities throughout the application, interview, and hiring process.

To Apply

To apply, send a cover letter and resume to EDjob@yasproject.com. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis; early submissions are encouraged.

YASP operates on a 32-hour, 4-day work week. Some evenings and weekends will be required.

YASP offers benefits rooted in our values: generous PTO, week-long summer and winter breaks, opportunities for professional development, sabbatical leave for long-time staff, full medical coverage (10% employee contribution for staff working 25+ hours/week), and 401(k) matching up to 2% for all staff.