Youth Development Professional - Middle School

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Title: Youth Development Professional (After School) - Middle School 

Organization: Boys and Girls Clubs of San Leandro 

Location: School-based Site 

Department: Programming

Reports to: Program Manager

Direct Reports: None 

Exempt Status: Non-Exempt

Position Type: Part-Time, On-Site

Compensation: $20-$25/hour

Schedule: Monday–Friday, 1:00–6:00 PM (PT)

Note: This role follows the school-year calendar and does not include hours during academic breaks. Summer Camp work may be available based on program needs and availability.

Position Overview:

As a Youth Development Professional, you’ll create a safe, fun, and inclusive after-school environment where middle school youth can learn, grow, and build confidence. Through engaging activities and mentorship, you’ll support their academic success and social-emotional development.

This role directly contributes to Boys & Girls Clubs of San Leandro by fostering positive youth development and ensuring a high-quality after-school experience. What makes this role unique is the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, work with a diverse team, and make a lasting impact in a dynamic, supportive setting.

Essential Functions:

• Safety & Supervision: Provide a safe, nurturing, and structured environment for all youth, ensuring their well-being throughout all activities.
• Engaging Program Facilitation: Plan and lead fun, age-appropriate after-school programs for a group of about 20 students, fostering personal growth, academic success, and character development.
• Lesson Planning & Classroom Management: Develop lesson plans that cater to diverse learning styles and interests while setting clear expectations and enforcing group agreements to promote positive behavior.
• Daily Routine Oversight: Manage daily activities, including lessons, playtime, breaks, and mealtimes, ensuring smooth transitions and structured engagement.
• Progress Tracking & Communication: Monitor student participation and progress, sharing updates with team members and the Program Manager to enhance program effectiveness.
• Classroom Organization & Preparedness: Maintain a clean, organized, and well-equipped classroom, ensuring an inviting and functional learning environment.
• Mentorship & Relationship Building: Serve as a positive role model, fostering self-esteem, personal growth, and an inclusive environment where all youth feel valued and respected.
• Team Collaboration & Support: Work closely with colleagues to achieve program goals, share best practices, and provide support to other program sites as needed.

Our Values in Action:

Transformative Leadership: We aspire to transform possibilities into probabilities. By embodying emotional intelligence, vulnerability, and empathy, we foster positive change with humility, authenticity, and continuous self-improvement. 

• What that looks like in this role: Supporting students and colleagues, embodying a team-first mindset. Adapting and remaining flexible, assisting at different sites and working with various age groups when necessary. Approaching every interaction with emotional intelligence and empathy, creating a safe and supportive space for youth.

Resilience: We approach every situation with a growth mindset, demonstrating flexibility and courage, reframing challenges as opportunities. We acknowledge our current state, embrace change, and adapt as needed, maintaining a solutions-oriented approach throughout our growth journey. 

• What that looks like in this role: Demonstrating perseverance by showing up with commitment and energy, regardless of daily challenges. Maintaining a growth mindset, continuously seeking ways to improve programs and student experiences. Leading with optimism and problem-solving, approaching obstacles as opportunities to strengthen your skills and impact.

Youth Centered Approach: Every organizational action or maneuver is designed to directly impact and benefit the youth we serve. We value and prioritize the youth perspective, making decisions with a focus on their needs and well-being, rather than adult convenience. 

• What that looks like in this role: Treating every day as a fresh start, offering mentorship and guidance with patience and understanding. Prioritizing youth voices by incorporating their ideas and feedback into programming. Advocating for and empower young people, ensuring their needs and well-being remain at the center of all decisions.

Required:

• Must be at least 18 years old to work with middle school youth.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• High emotional intelligence and integrity.
• Ability to connect authentically with a diverse group of youth.
• Patience and the ability to work under pressure in emotionally charged situations.
• Genuine belief in the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Leandro and the responsibility of serving youth and the community.

Educational Requirements (Must have one of the following):

• High school diploma + 48 college semester units (˜ 2 years college), OR
• High school diploma + an Associate’s (or higher) degree, OR
• High school diploma + a passing score on the district’s Paraeducator/Paraprofessional Exam.

Preferred:

• Multi-conversational language skills are a huge plus (Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Tagalog).
• Experience, education, or coursework in Childhood Development, Education, or related fields.
• Prior experience working in youth programs, education, or nonprofit settings.

Work Environment:

The Youth Development Professional (YDP) - Middle School will work primarily in a school-based site at the Boys & Girls Club of San Leandro. This role may occasionally require flexibility to accommodate organizational events or deadlines. Key aspects of the work environment include:

• Frequently required to stand
• Frequently required to walk
• Occasionally required to sit
• Frequently required to utilize hand and finger dexterity
• Frequently required to climb, balance, bend, stoop, kneel or crawl
• Continually required to talk or hear
• Rarely work in high, precarious places (playground equipment height)
• Occasionally exposure to outside weather conditions
• Occasionally exposure to bloodborne and airborne pathogens or infectious materials (Communicable diseases in an office environment including COVID-19, common cold, and flu viruses. Negative TB screen required).
• While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50-70 pounds (with support, a child that has fallen)
• Specialized equipment: Walkie Talkie radios for communication

The Boys and Girls Clubs of San Leandro is committed to diversity and inclusion and is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, disability, sex, age, ethnic or national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or presentation, pregnancy, genetics, veteran status or any other status protected by state or federal law. We encourage individuals from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.

The above description is intended to describe the general content and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or physical requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time, nor does it change your status as an at-will employee. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Notice of AI Use in Job Application Review

As part of our commitment in creating a fair, efficient, and consistent hiring process we may use artificial intelligence (AI) to help our recruiting teams organize, summarize, and analyze information provided by candidates, including resumes, application responses, and other materials submitted during the application process.AI may be used to identify patterns, highlight relevant skills, and experience, and assist in comparing a candidate’s qualifications with the requirement of a specific role. These tools are to improve efficiency and consistency while supporting more informed hiring decisions, which will ultimately be made by the hiring team.