Program Assistant, Greater Boston

Organizational Overview

Families First's mission is to partner with parents to amplify the power of parents so they can positively impact the lives of children and communities through our groundbreaking programs. Our model includes parenting education and support, family engagement, and alumni opportunities.

Families First has been a leader in providing parenting education throughout Massachusetts. The organization was founded in 1988 with the goal of helping parents navigate the diverse challenges of raising children by providing research-based parenting education services. Today, Families First provides a comprehensive model for early childhood parenting education, family engagement, and parent leadership through the Power of Parenting™ program and The Ripple Program™.

Position Overview

As part of Families First's Program Department, the Program Assistant, will support the Greater Boston team to implement Power of Parenting and Ripple programs. This includes supporting recruitment, registration, and program logistics to ensure successful delivery of programs in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Chinese, and Vietnamese and additional languages as program language options expand.

This is a full-time, 40-hour/week non-exempt position that requires availability to attend evening and weekend program sessions, events, and meetings approximately two times a week, typically on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. This position is hybrid, requiring in-person work attending events/programs to recruit/support program participants and meetings/events to connect with staff/partners in the community. This position reports to the Program Manager, Greater Boston. 

Essential Job Functions

• Support Program Manager in recruitment, retention, and registration process for programs
  • Monitor and execute program recruitment with the goal of registering at least 20-25 participants per program
  • Attend events and make phone calls to recruit parents for programs in collaboration with Program Manager and Parent Ambassadors
  • Run information session for programs as needed
  • Track data in database (Salesforce)
  • Connect with parents to ensure completion of registration forms and surveys
  • Provide certificates and other materials to parents as needed
• Attend select program sessions to ensure program registrations are completed, updates shared, and resources provided
• Support Program Manager with the Parent Leader selection process as needed
• Provide guidance to Parent Leaders during program as needed
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with parents to ensure they are supported with program needs during and after the program
• Collaborate with Program Manager to troubleshoot program challenges with partners as needed
• Other tasks as assigned by supervisor to support programs/participants

Ideal Qualifications

• 1+ years of experience successfully supporting or coordinating programs/projects, outreach, and/or community organizing
• Former participant in Families First programming is preferred
• People-oriented and strong communication skills
• Organizational skills and high attention to detail
• Ability to work well independently as well as in a collaborative team environment
• Problem solver, flexible, and able to learn quickly
• Comfort with MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook) and databases (Salesforce in particular)
• Comfort with technology and willingness to learn new systems

Requirements

• Language: Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English and at least one additional language is required. To support Families First commitment to serving multilingual families and expand our capacity to meet community needs, other preferred languages include Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, or other languages spoken by the families we work with. 
• Able to climb/descend stairs, bend, and occasionally lift items up to 30 pounds, such as supplies/equipment
• Must be able to travel to sites within Greater Boston and occasionally to Western MA for team meetings/events
• Candidate needs to be available to work some evenings and weekends, typically Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

Compensation and Reimbursement

The position is for 40 hours/week and is a nonexempt position. The starting compensation range is $50,000 - $55,000 annually (equivalent to $24.04-$26.44/hour),  with the opportunity for growth over time. 

Families First offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid time off, health and dental insurance, access to a Flexible Spending Account, and 403(b). Additionally, we provide reimbursement for work-related travel in accordance with organizational policy.

Families First is an equal opportunity employer for all regardless of race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran or reservist status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.