Director of Skilled Building Trades

Title: Director of Skilled Building Trades

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Status: Exempt (Full Time)

Job Description

I. Organizational Overview

Philadelphia Youth Basketball, Inc. (PYB), officially launched in June of 2015, is a community-built youth development and community empowerment organization that leverages the iconic game of basketball to help today’s urban youth overcome the most urgent and systemic issues facing underserved communities.  A diverse and impassioned group of individuals, including leaders from the grass-roots to the tree tops, have been working diligently to execute this mission by building an impactful program, a robust and sustainable organization, and ultimately our world-class Sixth Man Center to help uplift thousands of children, youth, and families for generations to come. 

PYB aims to instill six key tenets of its community agreement principles from top to bottom across its organization and young people:

• Safe Space - It is our responsibility to create a judgment-free environment where everyone feels welcome.
• Trust - We deeply believe in each other and will work to form positive relationships.
  
• Respect - We will honor each individual and treat everyone with a high level of respect. We strive to treat others how they want to be treated and ask for the same in return.
  
• Integrity - We strive to create an environment where honesty and equity are valued and we have a responsibility to restore relationships when necessary. 
• Care - We strive to be empathetic in protecting the health and welfare of each other and our space. 
  
• Teamwork - We find strength in our peers and strive to create an environment that honors all of our roles on a team.

PYB, in its mission to create opportunities to help thousands of young people to self-determine in positive ways, cares deeply about career development.  In addition to PYB creating range of career exposure experiences through our Older Youth program suite, we will be developing a Generator of Workforce Development & Economic Opportunity immediately after our completion of the soon-to-open Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center.  The Generator will include a skilled building trades academy for the construction industry; an entrepreneurship accelerator for high-potential startup enterprises, a community health center, and more.  The Generator will drive community impact while providing meaningful career development opportunities for young adults ages 18 through 26.

As we pursue the pre-construction and then construction of the Generator, we will begin a range of “on-ramping” work, including the creation of pilot “pre-apprenticeship” programming for young adults ages 18 through 26, with an emphasis on serving African-American young men as well as young women - two populations which have been historically underrepresented in the skilled trades of the construction industry.

II. Primary Scope of Duties

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the primary responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Develop relationships with prospective operating partners in alignment with PYB core values and desired outcomes. 
• Establish formal operating partnership agreements through MOUs, ensuring a clear design of who is responsible for each work strand relating to the skilled building trades academy. 
• Co-create and implement the design of a pre-apprenticeship program with key industry partners and institutions of higher education to ensure program participants have a meaningful experience that directly translates to skills needed in post-PYB career experiences.
• Mobilize the employer community of contractors, real estate developers, and building trades unions to inform and add value to the pilot program, especially in creating a more robust pipeline for transition into fully sponsored “apprenticeship” programs.
• Recruit young adults through the networks of PYB and our key partners to drive enrollment in the pilot programming and ultimately create a pipeline of young adults to feed into the program. 
• Create a business pro forma based on our current sustainability analysis to determine how the rest of the space must be utilized and continue to identify potential funding streams and relationships to ensure the long-term success of the Generator
• Work closely with PYB’s Development Team, early-stage foundation funders of the Generator, and prospective supporters to promote the promise and potential of this skilled building trades academy. 
• Identify synergies with PYB’s Older Youth programs to promote exposure to and, ultimately, participation in the skilled building trades academy as a viable post-secondary transition and career pathway.

III.  Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions

• A minimum of 3 years of experience with vocational training at the secondary or postsecondary levels
• An understanding of the education and training system of the construction industry
• Demonstrated ability to lead multi-dimensional projects with a range of partners and colleagues
• Strong analytical skills and communication abilities, both written and verbal
• A belief in increasing access and opportunity for all people, especially populations who have been underrepresented in various industries

IV. Compensation and Perks 

This position will have a salary range of $75,000-$85,000 commensurate with experience.  

PYB prides itself on being a supportive workplace dedicated to employees’ personal and professional growth through stretch assignments, access to staff and board meetings, mentorship, feedback, and professional development opportunities. 

Company benefits include access to health insurance coverage (medical and dental) for salaried employees and their families.  Additional benefits include paid holidays, paid time off, and access to a 401K retirement plan. 

V. To Apply 

Applicants should submit a cover note and resume by no later than March 29, 2024.

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Philadelphia Youth Basketball (PYB) is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and providing equal opportunities and access to all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability, or veteran status. Women, non-binary and transgender individuals, people of color, Indigenous people, and those with other or multiple historically marginalized and/or underrepresented identities are especially encouraged to apply.