Program Director (Life Skills Academy Program Director)

StepUp Ministry provides pathways for people to overcome barriers and transform their lives." We value Transformation, Participant Guided Services, Careful Stewardship of Resources, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion with Accountability, and Joyful Celebrations.

Position Purpose/Summary: Plan, direct, and coordinate the activities of StepUp Ministry's Life Skills Academy team. Oversee the budgets and policies regarding program components, program requirements, staffing, and participant involvement. The Life Skills Academy Program Director (LSAPD) supports the Director of Programs in supervising the Life Skills Academy team staff.  

Essential Functions: 

Strategic Planning 

·     Collaborate with the Director of Programs in establishing the vision for program growth. 

·     Under the leadership of the Director of Programs, serve as requested on task force groups and coalitions as needed.  

·     Collaborate with department leaders to drive StepUp's mission and impact. 

·     Support the Director of Programs with developing, implementing, and maintaining administrative protocols to ensure that the Life Skills Academy team operates efficiently and effectively. 

·     Ensure that programs are of appropriate quality and that resources are used effectively. 

·     Envision, lead, and facilitate annual strategic planning retreats for programming. 

·     Oversee the continuous evolution of staff, volunteer, and community training programs. 

·     Promote a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment with your direct reports and within the global StepUp Culture.  

Management of Staff and Volunteers 

·     Directly supervise the following positions: Life Skills Academy Staff "Empower 48 Program Managers, Next Step Academy Program Manager”.

·     Evaluate and ensure that the Life Skills Academy team has the resources needed to meet objectives within budget. 

·     Ensure adherence to policies and procedures. 

·     Formulate, implement, and evaluate team and individual performance goals aligned with StepUp's strategic plan. 

·     Routinely observe, coach, counsel, and evaluate program support staff and team performances. 

·     Oversee the management of program interns, fellows, contract workers, or part-time staff engaged in delivering program services. 

·     Ensure strong engagement and commitment from community volunteer co-partners, instructors, and general volunteers. 

·     Approve PTO requests for program directors and program support staff. 

Program Oversight: Development, Coordination, and Evaluation 

·     Evaluate participant and community needs and best practices in program delivery to determine program components and goals that align with the organizational mission. 

·     Communicate proactively and responsively to staff, participants, instructors, employers, volunteers, and partners to promote high engagement and effectiveness. 

·     Actively maintain strong engagement and commitment from community volunteer co-partners, instructors, and general volunteers.

·     Prepare and maintain training manuals, performance plans, and personnel records.

·     Develop and routinely utilize tools to assess participant outcomes. 

·     Responsively adapt curriculum, forms, assessment tools, and enrollment processes as needed. 

·     On an as-needed basis, provide direct service and support to participants, such as conducting a needs evaluation, handling referrals to community agencies, or resolving complaints. 

·     Establish a follow-through routine to ensure program accountability.  

·     Participate in discussions with other team leads and directors to support the growth of different departments. 

·     Cultivate and grow the Life Skills Academy program. (Empower 48, Skills Lab, Next Step Academy …..)  Coordinating program activities and case managing as needed.  

Community Outreach 

·     Represent StepUp or delegate representation of StepUp at external committees and meetings. 

·     Establish and maintain relationships with other agencies and organizations to meet community needs and ensure services are not duplicated. 

·     Oversee and maintain strong relationships with community, referral, employment, and congregational partners to ensure a strong and stable support network for StepUp participants and families. 

·     Develop, manage, and teach robust referral processes with key community partners. 

·     Work with the StepUp Executive leadership team to cultivate new relationships that support program needs and goals. 

·     Attend, speak at, and lead relevant community events to promote StepUp's mission and program services. 

Administrative

·       Oversee and monitor timely and accurate input into the online CRM tool, Salesforce.

·       Plan and communicate a detailed yearly calendar for all program activities.

·       Track program expenditures ensuring that transactions and receipts are completed and submitted in accurate and timely fashion

·       Create accurate and descriptive reports for the board or program committee, including consent agenda components.

·       Discern success and areas for improvement from participant evaluations and surveys.

Other Duties 

·     The ability to appropriately handle stress and interact with others is an essential function (EF) of this position. 

·     Regular, timely, and punctual attendance is an essential function (EF) of this position. 

·     All other duties are assigned by the Director of Programs. 

Education/Training/Licenses/Certifications: 

·     Bachelor's degree in social work or another relevant field preferred 

·     3 to 5 years of relevant work experience preferred 

·     Experience with Microsoft products and Salesforce strongly preferred 

·     Valid NC driver's license 

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: 

Knowledge 

·     Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services; this includes stakeholder needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of stakeholder satisfaction. 

·     Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum design, instruction for individuals and groups, and measuring training effects. 

·     English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language, including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. 

·     Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders. 

Skills 

·     Active Learning — Understanding new information's implications for current and future problem-solving and decision-making. 

·     Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. 

·     Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. 

·     Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people. 

·     Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. 

·     Abilities 

·     Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. 

·     Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. 

·     Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. 

·     Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. 

·     Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. 

Physical & Mental Demands: 

Physical Demands 

·     This position requires  

·     Lifting and carrying up to 10 pounds at a time.  

·     Good use of the hands and fingers for repetitive hand-finger actions 

·     Continuous talking and hearing (6+ hours per day) 

·     Frequent sitting (3 to 6 hours per day) 

·     Occasional standing, walking, driving, climbing, balancing, crouching, lifting, carrying, pulling, pushing, and reaching  

Mental Demands 

·     Adaptability/Flexibility — The job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and considerable variety in the workplace. 

·     Dependability — The job requires being reliable, responsible, dependable, and fulfilling obligations. 

·     Initiative — The job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. 

·     Integrity — The job requires being honest and ethical. 

·     Leadership — The job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. 

Work Equipment, Tools, & Safety Equipment: 

·     Laptop computers 

·     Printers/scanners/copiers/fax machines 

·     Telephones 

·     CRM: Salesforce 

·     Microsoft Outlook 

·     Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, One Drive, SharePoint, etc.) 

·     Internet browser software 

Soft Skills:  

·     Creativity/Innovation - Identifying or participating in identifying changes & new approaches to items such as procedures, methods, models, products, services, theories, concepts, technologies, etc., that benefit employee, customers, and/or the organization. 

·     Customer Service - Involved with customers in areas such as meeting customer needs, wants & expectations. 

·     Empathy - The ability to sense the feelings, needs, perspectives, and concerns of another party (employees & customers) and thereby build a relationship. 

·     Employee Development/Coaching - Supporting the professional & interpersonal growth of others. 

·     Flexibility/Adaptability - The ability to successfully adapt (personally & professionally) to changes in the internal and external environment. 

·     Interpersonal Skills - The ability to build a relationship with another person or group through practical communication skills (listening, speaking & behaving). 

·     Personal Effectiveness - The ability to show initiative & confidence in actions on the job and take responsibility for individual actions. 

·     Planning/Organizing - The ability to plan a project or goal and effectively organize the resources to accomplish the desired outcome. 

·     Presenting - Communicating to a group or individual for purposes of educating and/or influencing a decision. 

·     Problem Solving - Proactively defining & resolving problems before they become an issue and identifying & resolving identified problems for optimum results. 

·     Teamwork - Working effectively and productively on formal functional (departmental) and/or formal cross-functional teams as a team member. 

·     Written Communication - uses clear & concise written communication in the execution of this position to effectively transmit data, instructions, processes, procedures, etc. 

The above job description is an overview of the functions and requirements for this position. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employee(s) will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. The physical demands and work environment described representing those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at-will" relationship.  

Salary Range: 60K-80K annually, 

Anticipated hiring range: 64k-69K depending on qualifications and experience.