Programs Director Jobs in Lancaster, CA (NOW HIRING)

Position: Program Director

Classification: Full-Time, Salaried, Exempt

Starting Salary: $74,000 annually; final salary may vary based on qualifications and organizational considerations

Reports To:  Regional Director / Director of Operations

Typical Schedule: Monday through Friday, generally 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. onsite, with flexibility based on operational needs. The schedule may include early mornings, evenings, weekends, school breaks and intersession periods, emergency response, or additional hours when necessary to support program operations, district obligations, employee supervision, family events, and safe site closure.

The Program Director is responsible for leading and managing multiple assigned Club locations or a designated operational unit. The position supervises multiple employees across assigned locations and oversees the delivery of safe, consistent, and high-quality youth programming.

This position is accountable for program quality, staffing, employee performance, safety, district relationships, grant and contract compliance, family communication, attendance growth, and daily operations.

Leadership and Personnel Management

• Direct and manage the operations of multiple assigned Club locations or a designated operational unit.
• Recruit, interview, recommend, select, onboard, train, supervise, coach, evaluate, and develop employees, including site supervisors, program leaders, program specialists, instructional staff, and frontline employees.
• Establish performance expectations; assign work; establish priorities; evaluate results; conduct meetings; maintain performance documentation; recognize accomplishments; and address performance concerns through coaching, performance improvement plans, corrective action, and other appropriate measures.
• Make or provide meaningful recommendations regarding hiring, employee placement, promotion, reassignment, coaching, corrective action, administrative action, and separation.
• Develop site supervisors and emerging leaders through coaching, delegation, professional development, and follow-through.
• Promote professional communication, confidentiality, and appropriate professional boundaries when working with employees, youth, families, district partners, and organizational stakeholders.
• Ensure staffing, scheduling, attendance, timekeeping, payroll-related responsibilities, leadership coverage, and related program needs including contractual obligations, required ratios, and safe site operations.
• Respond to site leadership and employee needs in a timely manner, ensuring significant concerns are documented and escalated appropriately.

Program Leadership and Quality

• Plan, direct, monitor, and evaluate youth-development programs across assigned locations, ensuring programs are appropriately staffed, supervised, structured, age-appropriate, inclusive, engaging, and aligned with Boys & Girls Club priorities, grant or contract requirements, and the developmental needs of participating youth.
• Ensure monthly, seasonal, summer, intersession, and school-year program plans support academic enrichment, character and leadership development, health and wellness, the arts, sports and recreation, social-emotional development, and meaningful youth engagement.
• Monitor program implementation through site visits, observations, meetings, feedback, attendance data, and program documentation; evaluate program effectiveness; and implement program improvements, recruitment, retention, family engagement, and other adjustments as needed.
• Support specialized programming, including tutoring, mentoring, academic intervention, prevention programs, and other targeted initiatives, ensuring schedules, work plans, educational materials, and progress-monitoring practices align with organizational and school expectations.
• Coordinate special programs, volunteers, interns, outside speakers, community partners, and enrichment opportunities.
• Provide direct program support during emergencies or unexpected staffing shortages while maintaining primary responsibility for management and oversight of assigned operations.

Compliance, Administration, and Financial Oversight

• Maintain working knowledge of applicable district contracts, Expanded Learning Opportunities Program requirements, After School Education and Safety requirements, grant conditions, organizational policies, and program deliverables, ensuring assigned locations comply with all contractual, grant, district, and organizational requirements.
• Collaborate with organizational leadership and administrative staff to support grant applications, implementation, monitoring, data collection, reporting, and ongoing compliance.
• Ensure attendance, enrollment, educational, case-management, employee, program, grant, financial, and other required records, documentation, and reports are accurate, organized, maintained, reviewed, and submitted by established deadlines, and prepare assigned locations for organizational, district, grant, safety, financial, and program audits.
• Monitor school and district calendars; ensure staffing and leadership coverage supports applicable program obligations; correct compliance concerns; and ensure employees understand applicable contractual, grant-related, district, and organizational expectations.
• Monitor program expenses and review or approve purchasing, supply requests, staffing plans, schedules, mileage documentation, timekeeping records, and other assigned administrative items.
• Oversee the appropriate use of organizational systems, technology, equipment, facilities, and program resources; prepare requested reports; and use operational data to identify trends and support decision-making.

Safety, Incident Response, and School & Community Relations

• Ensure the safety and well-being of youth, employees, volunteers, and visitors by implementing organizational safety policies, emergency procedures, mandated-reporting requirements, youth-protection standards, and district protocols.
• Oversee emergency drills, safety assessments, incident reporting, investigations, behavior documentation, parent communication, youth statements, safety interventions, and required documentation in accordance with organizational procedures.
• Ensure site operations, including supervision, transportation, visitor management, sign-in and sign-out procedures, site opening and closure, employee certifications, and required training comply with organizational and district requirements.
• Identify and address unsafe conditions, staffing concerns, supervision gaps, emergencies, and significant incidents, ensuring timely reporting and organizational follow-up.
• Serve as the primary liaison with schools, district departments, families, community partners, and other stakeholders, maintaining professional communication, addressing concerns, supporting partnerships, and ensuring timely communication regarding programs, enrollment, attendance, behavior, incidents, transportation, closures, schedules, and special events.
• Represent AVBGC at meetings, presentations, trainings, school functions, community events, resource fairs, and outreach activities, and prepare presentations, correspondence, flyers, reports, and program updates while maintaining confidentiality and appropriate professional boundaries.

Other Duties

• Perform other management-level duties as assigned by the Regional Director, Director of Operations, or Executive Director.

The Program Director must:

• Model professionalism, integrity, sound judgment, accountability, and respectful communication.
• Represent organizational decisions accurately, consistently, and neutrally.
• Maintain confidentiality and appropriate professional boundaries.
• Communicate clearly, concisely, and accurately in verbal and written formats.
• Provide timely responses and consistent follow-through.
• Build trust through clear expectations and fair application of organizational policies.
• Demonstrate a team-oriented approach while remaining accountable for management decisions.
• Maintain working knowledge of the Employee Handbook, Parent Handbook, Program Director Operations Manual, Frontline Operations Manual, safety procedures, district expectations, grant requirements, and other organizational guidance.
• Positively represent AVBGC in interactions with employees, youth, families, schools, districts, funders, and community partners.
• Model the attendance, dress, communication, conduct, and operational expectations required of assigned employees.

Required Experience:

• At least three years of progressively responsible experience with a Boys & Girls Club, expanded-learning program, school-based program, nonprofit organization, community-based youth program, or similar youth-serving organization.
• Management or supervisory experience overseeing multiple locations, departments, programs, or operational functions, including employee supervision, staffing, scheduling, coaching, performance management, corrective action, safety, and daily operations.
• Experience managing afterschool, expanded-learning, summer, intersession, or other structured youth-development programs while independently addressing employee performance, family concerns, youth incidents, staffing shortages, and operational challenges.
• Experience working with school districts, school administrators, families, and community partners.
• Experience with grant or contract compliance, including documentation, data collection, program monitoring, reporting, and related administrative responsibilities.
• Strong leadership, employee development, communication, organization, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to prepare clear, concise, and accurate documentation, correspondence, reports, and presentations; interpret and apply organizational policies, district expectations, grant requirements, and operational procedures; maintain composure and exercise sound judgment during emergencies, conflicts, and sensitive situations; and demonstrate proficiency with email, shared documents, online databases, registration systems, timekeeping systems, and other workplace technology.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience supervising multiple employees across several school-based or community-based locations and overseeing high-volume youth programs.
• Experience with ELO-P, ASES, Boys & Girls Club programming, or similar publicly funded youth-development programs.
• Experience preparing performance documentation, implementing corrective action, supporting employee development, preparing for audits, and leading presentations, employee trainings, professional-development sessions, or district and community meetings.
• Experience using ADP or another human resources and timekeeping system.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Youth Development, Business Administration, Public Administration, Human Services, Social Services, Organizational Leadership, or a related field preferred but not required. 
• Equivalent leadership, management, youth-development, nonprofit, school-based, or program-operations experience, or a combination of education, training, and relevant professional experience, will be considered in lieu of education requirements listed.
• Must meet applicable instructional-aide or paraprofessional qualification requirements.

Additional Requirements:

• Must be at least 18 years of age and possess valid identification.
• Must successfully pass all required background checks, including a Department of Motor Vehicles driving-record check, drug screening, tuberculosis clearance, and other organizational compliance requirements.
• Must maintain current Adult, Child, and Infant CPR and First Aid certification or successfully obtain certification within the first month of employment.
• Must obtain food-safety certification when required by the assigned location or responsibilities.
• Must complete mandated-reporter, harassment-prevention, safety, and other required training.
• Must have reliable personal transportation and the ability to travel between assigned Club locations, school sites, district offices, meetings, community events, and other work locations at scheduled and unscheduled times.
• Must maintain a valid California driver's license, an acceptable driving record, and continued insurability in accordance with AVBGC and its insurance carrier's requirements.
• Must maintain automobile liability insurance with a minimum limit of $100,000 Combined Single Limit and provide proof of coverage upon request.

The employee must be able to:

• Maintain the energy, mobility, and awareness necessary to work in active youth-program environments.
• Work in indoor and outdoor environments and under varying weather conditions.
• Work in environments that may be loud, active, crowded, or rapidly changing.
• Communicate clearly and effectively in person, by telephone, electronically, and during emergencies.
• Stand or walk for extended periods.
• Frequently bend, stoop, reach, climb stairs, and move throughout school and Club locations.
• Occasionally lift or carry items weighing up to 40 pounds.
• Respond quickly to safety concerns and emergencies.
• Perform office, computer, meeting, driving, observation, and site-supervision responsibilities throughout the workday.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

• Health (Club covers 100% of the Bronze Plan) (Employees are responsible for spouse/dependents coverage.)
• Dental/Vision (Club covers 50%)
• The Club offers a 401(k) retirement plan with employee contributions available shortly after hire and employer contributions for eligible employees who meet age and service requirements.
• Long-Term Disability Insurance (Club covers 50%) [only available during open enrollment time]
• Short-Term Disability Insurance  (Club co...