Boroughwide New Americans Initiative Director (Harlem YMCA)

Boroughwide New Americans Initiative Director (Harlem YMCA)

Full-Time / Regular
$70,000 - $72,000 Salaried

The YMCA of Greater New York is here for all New Yorkers – to empower youth, improve health, and strengthen community. Founded in 1852, today the Y serves a diverse population of more than half a million New Yorkers who learn, grow, and thrive through programs and services at our 24 branches. Community is the cornerstone of the Y. Together, we connect active, engaged New Yorkers to build stronger communities.

To help fulfill our mission, we cultivate a culture of learning, leading, and collaboration to enhance community impact. Through our talented staff and "LEAP" career framework (Leadership, Empowerment, Accountability, Personal Growth), we are committed to a people-first approach that fosters trust, inclusion, growth, and development for all.

The Harlem YMCA is seeking a Boroughwide New Americans Initiative Director who will lead the strategy, implementation, fidelity, outreach, partnership development, and quality of the New Americans Initiative (NAI) programs and services, including oversight of contracts and collaborations that expand reach and impact across all five boroughs (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island).

Key Responsibilities

• Use NAI best practices and standards to develop short and long-term plans for programs; monitor progress, assure compliance, and evaluate performance.
• Meet and/or exceed contractual deliverables across program sites.
• Design, implement, and lead boroughwide targeted outreach strategies to increase awareness, enrollment, and equitable access to New Americans Initiative programs, including referral networks and underserved populations.
• Manage outreach and engagement opportunities to build program visibility and trust within communities.
• Develop, manage, and sustain strategic partnerships with community-based organizations, educational institutions, workforce providers, and public agencies to enhance program access and outcomes.
• Oversee contract implementation and compliance, ensuring deliverables, reporting, and performance standards are met in coordination with funders and partners, internally and externally.
• Lead strategic partnership development across boroughs to expand service delivery, co-create programming, and strengthen referral systems.
• Represent the NAI in cross-sector coalitions and community initiatives to advance immigrant inclusion and access.
• Assess community needs, create and implement programs to address those needs, and develop systems to measure program success.
• Work proactively to meet participants' needs and address questions and concerns. Set annual priority objectives to improve participants' experience.
• Analyze participant data and community demographics to identify trends and make proactive decisions that will drive innovative programming, enrollment, and program growth, meeting the needs of the community in keeping with the NAI priority objectives and strategic plan.
• Lead collaboration between the Branch, community, and program to increase overall participation and impact.
• Identify local marketing opportunities unique to the area and communities being served.
• Research, facilitate, and build quality programs that increase participant retention and provide participant satisfaction.
• Work collaboratively with Branch staff to develop new inclusive programs.
• Successfully maintain and continue to improve the quality of NAI programming.

Supervisory and Management Responsibilities

• Supervise program and instructional staff by articulating expectations, displaying model behavior, maintaining open lines of communication, and being clear about roles and relationships.
• Create a positive environment and experience for participants and members and serve as a role model for staff.
• Maintain a climate that attracts, retains, and motivates top-quality personnel.
• Anticipate conflicts and facilitate resolution.
• Set annual priority objectives to improve service based on annual staff evaluations or participant evaluation/feedback.
• Plan and facilitate staff development opportunities to address staff needs. Identify relevant external training opportunities for staff.
• Expose instructional staff to new developments and best practices in adult literacy/ESOL, digital literacy, workforce readiness, and civic education, as well as ABE/HSE education if applicable.
• Adhere to Association, Branch, and Communication standards and guidelines.
• Recruit, select, develop, train, and supervise staff and volunteers.
• Train and hold NAI staff accountable.
• Uphold all association policies and demonstrate the core values of respect, responsibility, caring, and honesty.

Organizational Strategy

• Develop and coordinate means to seek regular input and feedback from staff, participants, and key constituencies regarding the quality and relevance of programs and services.
• Ensure the integrity of the organization in written correspondence and oral communication with community members, colleagues, program partners, and funders.
• Monitor trends, legislation, and regulations and make program and advocacy recommendations to the NAI Cabinet regarding immigration, adult education, and other areas that impact the organization and its constituency as a whole.
• Keep informed of developments in the fields of adult literacy education, immigration reform, language access, immigrant rights issues, worker cooperatives, and civic education goals, and apply information to create innovative programming in line with organizational strategy.
• Assist in Annual Campaign efforts. Assist in fundraising efforts and annual sustaining campaigns.
• Work within communities to foster a positive image of the YMCA to encourage good public relations.
• Represents the Branch at assigned Cabinets.
• Maintain required certifications, which are tracked in Cornerstone. Attend training, seminars, and conferences as required.
• Have a thorough knowledge of the Branch's emergency procedures and take appropriate action in emergency situations.
• Serve on the Branch Leadership Team for strategic planning and operations management.
• Work with the Executive Director and Board of Managers.

Additional Responsibilities

• Manage fiscal operations, including budget development, modifications, and authorization and tracking of expenditures in accordance with Branch and Association guidelines. Continually monitor the program's financial health and make recommendations to the Branch Executive Director.
• Collaborate with internal communications and external partners to promote services and increase participation.
• Assist with fundraising by identifying key sources of public and private funding for immigrant services and working with the development team to complete proposals and grant reporting.
• Actively participate in training sessions, designated meetings, and special events.
• Serve as a Branch Manager on Duty, as assigned.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience required. Master's Degree with two (2) years of supervisory experience preferred.
• Three (3) or more years of direct supervisory experience.
• Ability and interest in working with diverse populations.
• Demonstrated commitment to immigrant rights and social justice.
• Experience in community outreach strategy and implementation.
• Experience managing government and/or foundation contracts, including compliance and reporting.
• Demonstrated success developing and managing partnerships across public, nonprofit, and community sectors.
• Strong and polished interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills that facilitate achievement of desired results.
• Ability to articulate immigration issues, trends, and advocacy efforts at the local, city, and state levels.
• Ability to read, translate, collate, and report raw data.
• Ability to identify/document necessary information for program functioning and evaluation.
• Creative, strategic, and analytical thinker with the ability to manage multiple projects.
• Experience developing and managing budgets and hiring, training, supervising, and assessing personnel.
• Knowledge of principles and practices related to adult literacy, civic education, immigration legal services, and case management.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Excel, and working knowledge of Microsoft Suite.
• Knowledge of Windows-based computer applications and database management.
• Demonstrated success in past employment.
• Must be a self-starter, highly organized, patient, and able to work well with others.