Youth Program Director

An exciting opportunity to join the team of a progressive YMCA located in vibrant Somerset County, New Jersey.

Job Description

An exciting opportunity to join the team of a progressive YMCA located in vibrant Somerset County, New Jersey. The YMCA is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. With a 150-year-old history, Greater Somerset County YMCA (GSCY) is a pillar of the community and has seven locations across three counties, which collectively serve upwards of 30,000 individuals. GSCY has 100 full-time and 950 part-time employees along with operating revenues to $22+ million.


The Y empowers everyone-no matter who they are or where they are from. To fulfill our purpose of strengthening community for all, GSCY is committed to being an inclusive organization and leveraging our collective impact to address social inequities. To learn more about GSCY, visit our website:


POSITION SUMMARY:


Under the direction of the Senior Program Director, the Youth Program Director is responsible for managing activities associated with our School Age Child Care, Summer Camp, and Youth Enrichment Programs. This includes the administration of these programs to ensure that they create opportunities for youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.


*This job is fully on-site without opportunities for remote work.

Qualifications

A Bachelor’s Degree in a related field preferred or equivalent experience


2-3 Years Experience working with Youth in a School aged childcare background


Supervisory experience preferred


Proficiency with Microsoft Suite


Availability to work evenings and weekends as required by program schedules.


Current CPR/AED and First Aid certification or obtain within 30 days of hire.


Bloodborne Pathogens, Child Abuse Prevention, Sexual Harassment, and other program-specific courses.

Essential Functions

• Provide leadership, supervision, and performance management for SACC, camp, and youth staff, including hiring, onboarding, training, scheduling, coaching, payroll review, and ongoing professional development.


• Oversee and support School Age Child Care (SACC), Summer Camp, Early Education Center (EEC), Youth Sports, and other Youth Programs, ensuring high-quality, safe, educational, and engaging experiences that align with YMCA standards and core values.


• Plan, organize, implement, and evaluate program curricula, activities, special events, field trips, and seasonal programming to support participant growth and program success.


• Manage program enrollment, registration, attendance, waitlists, billing, parent communication systems, and related software platforms to ensure effective administration and customer service.


• Develop and manage program budgets, monitor revenue and expenses, authorize program purchases, and ensure responsible stewardship of YMCA resources.


• Coordinate staffing, facility usage, transportation, equipment, supplies, and program logistics to support efficient operations and participant safety.


• Build and maintain positive relationships with participants, families, staff, volunteers, and community partners by providing exceptional customer service and timely resolution of questions or concerns.


• Ensure compliance with YMCA policies, licensing requirements, risk management practices, and regulatory standards, including safety inspections, incident reporting, and staff accountability.


• Lead program marketing, member engagement, and growth initiatives through promotions, community outreach, social media, website content, and other communication channels.


• Support YMCA fundraising efforts by actively participating in the Annual Campaign, meeting campaign goals, recruiting and coordinating volunteers, and assisting with fundraising events and activities.


• Collaborate with branch and association leadership on strategic initiatives, staff training, special events, and organization-wide projects while promoting the YMCA mission and core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.


• Perform other duties as assigned in support of branch operations and organizational objectives.

Cause-Driven Leadership Competencies

Mission Advancement: Models and teaches the Ys values. Ensures a high level of service with a commitment to changing lives. Provides volunteers with orientation, training, development, and recognition. Cultivates relationships to support fundraising.


Collaboration: Champions inclusion activities, strategies, and initiatives. Builds relationships to create small communities. Empathetically listens and communicates for understanding when negotiating and dealing with conflict. Effectively tailors' communications to the appropriate audience. Provides staff with feedback, coaching, guidance and support.


Operational Effectiveness: Provides others with frameworks for making decisions. Conducts prototypes to support the launching of programs and activities. Develops plans and manages best practices through engagement of team. Effectively creates and manages budgets. Holds staff accountable for high-quality results using a formal process to measure progress.


Personal Growth: Shares new insights. Facilitates change, models adaptability and an awareness of the impact of change. Utilizes non-threatening methods to address sensitive issues and inappropriate behavior or performance. Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills required to perform well; uses best practices and demonstrates up-to-date knowledge and skills in technology.


WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.


Sufficient strength, agility and mobility to perform essential functions of position and to supervise program activities.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use a computer for extended periods of time and be able to communicate using a computer and phone/smart device.
The employee frequently is required to sit and reach and must be able to move around the work environment.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, with occasional noise levels associated with working with school-aged children.
This position is fully in-person without remote work opportunities.

Benefits of working full-time at GSC YMCA include:


FREE family membership to Greater Somerset County YMCA, including full access to all of our branch facilities including Bridgewater YMCA, Hillsborough YMCA, Princeton YMCA, Somerset Hills YMCA, and Somerville YMCA.
FREE nationwide membership with access to over 2,500 YMCA locations across the country
Discounted program fees
Paid sick leave and short-term disability insurance
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Generous 12% retirement contribution to the YMCA Retirement Fund after eligibility period (no employee contribution required)
Medical and dental insurance with prescription coverage
Vision insurance
Flexible Spending Account for medical and/or dependent care
100% contribution towards life insurance and long-term disability
Optional additional life insurance and dependent life insurance available at low rates
403(b) Smart Savings Plan
Generous paid time off policy
7 paid holidays


Greater Somerset County YMCA is a drug free work environment. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information who share our values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility.


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