Program Director

Title: Program Director

Reports to: Executive Director Status: Full time Exempt

FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN VALUES

Our values guide us to achieve our mission. Each value applies not only to our youth Friends and program teams but also applies to all Friends of the Children Fargo-Moorhead employees volunteers and partners. We use our values to make informed decisions; to hire coach and manage; and most importantly we use our values to change the way the world treats and views our most vulnerable youth.

PUT CHILDREN FIRST

We intentionally serve youth who are facing the greatest obstacles. To help our youth discover their limitless potential we foster their internal resiliency. We listen to our youth and base decisions on each youths needs and dreams. We prioritize self-care so that we bring our best selves to our work and focus on our youth.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS ON LOVE

We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love acceptance and culturally-informed practice. We dont give up easily and take a no matter what approach to our work. We commit for the long-term. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust empathy and healthy communication. We believe that we build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic respectful and meaningful.

COMMIT TO EMPOWERMENT

We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy hard work and fun. We model all of this for our youth families and each other.

PURSUE GOALS RELENTLESSLY

We celebrate all achievements big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes.

DEMAND EQUITY

We acknowledge the historical and present injustices impacting marginalized communities. We demand equity from ourselves and from our community. We insist that all people have the necessary support to achieve all of their hopes and dreams. We amplify the voices of our children families and communities. We bring together

different experiences skills and backgrounds to provide opportunities to overcome personal systemic and institutional barriers.

Basic Function / Position Objective:

The Program Director is a member of the senior management team and is expected to keep other members of senior management informed about the status of the program. The Program Director is expected to interact constructively and proactively with members of the community with partner schools and when asked by the Executive Director with potential donors and other third parties.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Actively participate as a member of the senior management team in leading the organization participating in strategic planning and budgeting and making implementing and upholding decisions or policies related to the operations of the organization. Effectively lead organizational change.

• Establish priority partnerships and programming that are responsive to the needs and goals of our children and families. Utilize all resources that provide feedback e.g. ETO reports and annual caregiver and youth evaluation Family and Community Engagement Specialist
• Hire supervise inspire develop and evaluate efforts of Friends. Serve as role model and mentor for Friends ensure that they have resources necessary to perform their jobs act as team facilitator and organizational motivator and facilitate effective communication in all directions. In partnership and collaboration with the Program Manager.
• Manage the performance of Friends including completing and conducting annual and semi-annual performance appraisals. (Formally once per year) Hold Friends accountable for workperformance adequacy of time spent with children quality and diversity of activities with children and administrative/reporting responsibilities.
• Work with National program staff to implement initial Friends training as well as ongoing training and other required professional development and performance improvement activities.
• Know and understand the needs and issues of the families served. Meet with each Friend one-on-one each month and review Roadmaps and Transition Plans for each child on a monthly basis. Assure that each Friend has helped to identify and develop a specific area of interest or talent for each child.(Only those you supervise)

• Lead and facilitate effective weekly staff meetings ensuring focus on child and Friend successes setbacks issues concerns and ideas. Ensure focus on the communication of organizational information or issues toteam andsolicit feedback from team.
• Communicate effectively and appropriately in all directions regarding organizational data issues concerns policies and procedures. Raise and resolve issues appropriately.
• Solicit and obtain feedback from a minimum of two parents/caregivers of children per month. Document and maintain allfeedback andinclude in Quarterly Report.(I believe this will be passed to our FACES however you would have some involvement with caregivers if situations are escalated to your level)
• Participate in regular conference calls with Program Directors in the network and otherwise communicate with personnel at the National office and other chapters about the program. Research develop implement and sustain best practice programming to serve current and future needs of the organization as required.
• Manage the child identification and selection process; including developing and sustaining a robust formalized process and training and supervising process participants.(Yes but with help from PM)

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with partner schools and/or other community partners to allow for effective program implementation and sustainability. Design and implement a process to ensure others are trained/developed to work in this capacity as well to further strengthen our efforts to cultivate and maintain these critical relationships.(Team approach FACES and PM)
• Utilize program data to help develop implement and sustain enrichment activities and program excellence. Ensure the quality of program delivery at all levels.
• Develop implement and oversee other projects as required.
• Be relentlessly committed to ensuring that youth and caregivers achieve their goals and our long-term outcomes.
• Work with Executive Director to ensure compliance with budgets and program guidelines.

• Communicate regularly and effectively with Executive Director about key aspects of the program including status of children performance of Friends recommendations for improvement of the program and potential issues withparticular staffmembers or children.
• Oversee the recruiting selection and hiring of new Friends or other staff as required. Assist with trainings.
• Develop trusting supportive relationships with families and guardians of the children we serve.
• Oversee the coordination of critical issues that arise with youth.
• Responsible for the quality integrity and timely entry of program data.
• Ensure compliance with and accountability to organizations policies procedures and practices as outlined in the Employee Manual and Friends Handbook. Contribute to the development of any of these as required. Help move the organization to one of increased accountability and zero tolerance.
• Understand and inspire others to buy into the organizations mission vision values and principles and be able to clearly articulate the organizations function.
• Serve as effective compelling spokesperson for the organization.
• Collaborate with and benefit from National team resources.
• Other duties as assigned.

Essential Skills and Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal written and verbal communication skills; organizational and time management delegation and follow-up skills.
• Ability to cultivate and sustain relationships and work effectively with a wide variety of constituencies including staff program children parents schools organizational supporters Board members and community partners.
• Ability to represent effectively and professionally the organization to a wide variety of audiences.

• Ability to research analyze data design/develop propose implement and sustain programming.
• Ability to solve problems work in a team environment manage several issues concurrently and meet deadlines in a fast-paced constantly changing work environment.
• Strong project management skills. Proven ability to manage multiple deadlines responsibilities and competing priorities.
• Ability to influence the behavior of others to achieve necessary results.
• Strategic planning and budgeting skills.

• Ability to work in diverse work environments.
• Knowledge of child development and child issues particularly those most relevant to our program youth.
• Awareness of community resources and the ability to cultivate and sustain relationships with these resources.
• Ability to cultivate relationships with children families school personnel organizational supporters and community partners.
• Enthusiasm for helping to plan and manage the anticipated growth ofFriends Fargo-Moorhead and commitment to developing personal skills and knowledge as appropriate to that growth.

Required Education Experience and Abilities:

• Bachelors degree in social work or related field; Masters degree preferred.
• Seven to ten years experience working with child-related programs in progressively responsible roles.
• Three to five years in leadership or management role with significant supervisory duties and responsibilities.