Community Impact Department

JOB SUMMARY:

Under the direction and guidance of the Director, Education Programs & Policy, the Program Associate is responsible for working directly with students and community stakeholders to increase educational attainment in Los Angeles. The Program Associate will oversee the implementation of the United Way Student Leadership Program (SLP), and will develop and implement a 10-month curriculum designed to bolster youth leadership and civic engagement aligned with United Way’s policy and advocacy efforts.  The position will also support other areas of work including United Way’s policy and advocacy efforts, Linked Learning, and grant making.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Outreach and recruitment of student leaders:  Develop and implement effective and efficient outreach strategies to identify and recruit ideal candidates for the Student Leadership Program (SLP). Establish and maintain relationships with high school principals, teachers, and community partners to schedule presentations and sign up students.  Outreach strategies include: phone-banking, conducting classroom presentations, coordinating lunch-time outreach, social media, and written communications, etc.
• Interviewing and selection of leaders:  Implement a system to identify, interview, and select students to participate in the program. This system should involve members of the United Way education team and other departments, donors, education partners, etc.  
• Communications:  Maintain ongoing communication with student leaders and their parents to ensure that they regularly attend meetings and attend events. Maintain a database with up-to-date records.
• Training and development of youth leaders:  Develop and implement youth-friendly curriculum to train and coach students to lead advocacy campaigns aligned with United Way’s mission. Work with youth leaders to identify and develop their individual strengths and develop issue campaigns that build leadership.
• Event and program planning/implementation: Plan and execute events and activities that advance the aim of the Student Leadership Program and United Way’s education strategy. These include: youth town halls and community meetings, workshops, conferences, actions, and supplemental activities. Provide logistical support to SLP youth-led events through meeting outreach, mobilization, logistics, preparation and facilitation.
• Organizational Ambassador: Maintain and grow ties to the community through representation in the communities we serve and on local/statewide coalitions. Promote United Way’s mission and goals, including articulating the mission and taking opportunities to advance its goals when appropriate.
• Support overall education strategic planning and portfolio management.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:                                                                                                                         

• Experience: Minimum 2 years’ experience in a community organizing, community development, or other related function.
• Education: BA degree or equivalent years of relevant experience required.
• Knowledge Base: Experience in policy and systems change strategies with a working knowledge of the root causes of and solutions to low-educational attainment is required.
• Community Knowledge: Experience working with the L.A. Unified School District, key decision makers, and stakeholders (e.g. businesses, community, parent and teacher groups, etc.) from the Los Angeles region is strongly preferred.
• Youth Development: Should be passionate about youth and community organizing and movement building, have a track record of successfully training youth, and a demonstrated ability to work effectively with different stakeholders. 
• Relationship-Building Skills: Must be able to build and maintain relationships with youth, community, business, education, district leaders, and stakeholders.
• Leadership Skills: Must possess strong leadership skills (e.g. committed, honest, positive, able to inspire, creative, sense of humor, etc.) with a proven track record in managing broad-based efforts with a diverse set of stakeholders and partners.
• Collaborative Work Style: Must be able to work independently, but also be highly team oriented and able to work in a participative and collaborative manner. Must be able to develop and maintain positive working relationships with business, community, and educational leadership as well as coalition members to meet collective goals. 
• Organizational Skills: Must be able to organize and prioritize work and meet specific deadlines.
• Communications Skills: Must possess superior interpersonal, oral and written communication skills. Must be able to speak and present to groups, interact well with a diverse range of people, and constructively give and receive feedback.
• Writing Skills: Must have a proven ability to prepare clear and accurate reports, correspondence, and other written communications to internal (e.g. Director, VP, Community Investment, CEO) and external stakeholders (e.g. community partners, civic leaders).
• Technical Skills: Must be proficient in MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and other Office applications.  

Interested candidates please email a cover letter, resume, and salary history, with the "Program Associate, Education” position title in the subject line, to Hiring Recruiter at [email protected].

No phone calls please.

United Way of Greater Los Angeles is an equal opportunity employer.  We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees regardless of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, or status as a veteran.   Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, abilities and business needs.