Program Coordinator

About exalt

exalt elevates expectations of personal success for youth ages 15-19 who’ve been involved in the criminal justice system. We inspire youth at a critical crossroads to believe in their worth, from the first steps in contemplation through the journey to create lasting behavioral change. Our powerful combination of structured classes for tangible skill development, individualized support to navigate the education and justice systems, placement in paid internships and an alumni network of resources equips youth with the tools and experience to avoid further criminal justice system involvement. At exalt, we empower youth to see a future filled with hope – and we provide the road map to get there.

Job Summary

Exalt is seeking a Program Coordinator as part of a board endorsed strategic plan for expansion into Syracuse, NY. The Program Coordinator (PC) is an analyst and a strategic thinker who is passionate about permanently moving young people’s trajectories away from systems of incarceration and court-involvement. The PC manages young peoples’ entire process through their experience with exalt, from initially assessing them in the interview phase, to meeting with them individually throughout all phases of the program to help them set and meet goals, monitoring and supporting them in internships, and collaborating with additional resources and institutions in their lives such as external stakeholders, schools and criminal justice constituents. This individual will build and manage, along with the Lead Teacher various “cycles” of youth throughout the year.

Responsibilities

• Interview, assess and select youth referred to exalt through candidate assessment interviews and a range of additional base-line assessments.
• Build (perform initial outreach, interviews, pre assessments and screens) as well as manage cycles throughout the fiscal year. Cycles are structured as follows:
  1. A four-week daily Pre-Internship Preparation Class, which utilizes a curriculum linking employability skills, educational engagement, and avoidance of justice system involvement to a set of four core skills: critical thinking, communication, creative problem-solving and “resource management.”
  2. A four-week Internship Phase which includes a weekly “Friday Seminar” to enhance progression in the three key areas where exalt works with its participants – criminal justice avoidance, academic progression and employability.
• A one-week daily Post-Internship Phase during which students synthesize their internship experience with prior classroom learning and develop tangible goals and strategies for post-program justice system avoidance, successful engagement in school, and employability.
• Observe, assess and develop growth plans based on participants’ participation, development, strengths and challenges in exalt
• Collaborate with Lead Teacher to develop strategies for participants to increase participation, maximize learning, and connect classroom learning to key outcome areas including avoidance of further criminal justice system involvement, increased persistence/investment in school, and long-term employability.
• Meet individually with participants throughout the duration of the program to assess their progress and support them in meeting program goals; track goals and progress through Individualized Personal Plans (IPPs).
• Devise strategies to address the diverse needs of students at risk of program
• Support young people with school re-enrollment, transfer and to set and make progress on educational goals.
• Maintain timely and professional communication with a diverse range of external constituents including lawyers, probation officers, judges, other nonprofit staff, ensuring information is effectively conveyed regarding youth served.
• Conduct regular outreach to internship sites throughout duration of internships through regular site visits, phone calls to support youth and employers.
• Assist in developing internships throughout New York City in a wide range of employment sectors to meet youths’ various interests, experience and skill
• Develop and connect participants to external resources beyond exalt’s scope to provide holistic support.
• Work closely with exalt staff to collaboratively and continuously advance young people so they can attain and exceed their goals and to meet youth and employer needs and interests.

Competencies

• Classroom management: Demonstrated ability to manage a classroom of high school aged youth typically resistant to educational settings. Balance clear structure, accountability and discipline with engaging teaching style to facilitate high participation and interest from students.
• Adaptability: Able to adapt quickly to new information and unexpected obstacles, and approach change positively. Able to adapt exalt’s curriculum to the specific needs, learning styles and personalities of each cohort of students.
• Applied learning: Able to learn and apply new position-related information For example, all exalt youth interface with the juvenile or criminal (adult) justice systems. The Lead Teacher must become familiar with these systems to understand their role in students’ lives and meaning in curriculum.
• Communication: Clearly and effectively convey and receive information and ideas to/from students and colleagues through a variety of media. Demonstrate strong written, oral and listening skills.
• Planning and organizing: Organize work, set priorities, determine resource requirements and seek input and support from supervisors/colleagues; determine necessary sequence of activities needed to achieve goals.
• Stress tolerance: exalt students face a plethora of obstacles in their lives and often have pending court requirements that put their freedom in Staff must be able to make challenging decisions (e.g., potentially releasing a student from the program who cannot meet standards despite program flexibility) and balance the emotional aspects of working with young people facing severe challenges.

Performance Measures

• Students’ progress in classroom engagement and participation as measured through Likert scales, attendance, adherence to program contract obligations, and progress notes.
• Students’ progress in comprehension, internalization and application of exalt’s four core skills and additional curriculum content as measured through pre- and post-program assessments.
• Retention of at least 75% of enrolled students in each class through entire four-week pre-internship classroom session, and 55-60% full program completion.

Compensation

• The Program Coordinator Salary is $55,000 per year.
• exalt offers competitive benefits to all full-time employees that include health, dental, vision, and life insurance; 401k matching; commuter and parking flexible spending; paid time off; and more.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Bilingual, Spanish-speaking a plus.
• This position is in-person at the exalt location (224 Harrison Street, 7th Floor) in Syracuse, with working hours of 11am-7pm. All employees are required to be vaccinated.

Bilingual, Spanish-speaking a plus.