Executive Director, Chicago IL

Position Summary

Urban Alliance (UA) believes that all young people deserve equal access to the paid work experiences, professional networks, and skills training needed to achieve economic mobility. As the Chicago Executive Director , you’ll have the opportunity to leverage your leadership, relationship building skills, and passion for youth development to help young people aspire, work, and succeed.

This role is ideal for an individual who is highly adept at developing strategic relationships, wants to manage a program and team that serves hundreds of young people every year, and has a deep understanding of the needs, landscape, and key stakeholders of the Chicago area. This position currently directly reports to UA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

About Urban Alliance & the Chicago Region

For more than 25 years, Urban Alliance has provided thousands of young adults from historically excluded communities with the skills, social capital, and career exposure needed to overcome systemic barriers to equal employment and economic mobility. Urban Alliance is a bridge between young adults, employers, and schools that provides high school students with comprehensive soft skills and digital literacy training, paid internships with local employers, individualized mentoring and case management, and ongoing post-high school planning support. In Chicago, Urban Alliance has formed strong strategic partnerships with more than 100 corporate partners who host, guide, and develop interns within their organizations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

As a key member of Urban Alliance’s Executive Leadership Team, you will:

Fundraising and Relationship Management

• Establish strategic relationships to develop and implement regional sales and fundraising plans that secure and grow revenue-generating partnerships with employer partners
• Collaborate with the Chief Development Officer to establish fundraising and paid internship targets for the region
• Collaborate with the national fund development team to solicit and secure grants from regional philanthropic organizations
• Ensure accurate tracking of the fund development and paid internship pipeline via Salesforce
• Represent the organization externally by participating in public speaking engagements, maintaining a robust social media presence, and regularly participating in and attending community events
• Serve as a thought partner to youth workforce development peers in the field and collaborate with the national team on high-visibility publications and events

Program Management

• Assure that the organization makes consistent and timely progress in achieving its mission and target programmatic impact
• Lead the Chicago team by directly supervising program directors and managers to ensure programmatic delivery meets key deliverables, outcomes, and targets
• Collaborate with the Chief Operating to establish the annual budget and track and project expenses

Team Management

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the region and ensure overall successful long-term operations
• Manage program and alumni directors to ensure that all staff meet goals for the region
• Facilitate strong working dynamics between the National and Chicago teams
• Provide professional development for members of the Chicago team
• Promote strong organizational health and culture throughout the region

Qualifications & Keys to Success

You will excel at Urban Alliance if you have:

Regional knowledge and experience: the ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of the challenges facing today’s young people, the key stakeholders in the Chicago workforce development field, and the region’s philanthropic landscape.

Professional experience: the ideal candidate will have at least 5 years of leadership experience in the youth, education, or workforce development field with a strong track record of developing and implementing strategic, innovative, and data-driven programming. The candidate will have a demonstrated ability to work effectively across a diverse portfolio of programs and a history of problem-solving complex issues by bridging the gap between strategy and implementation.

Leadership: the ideal candidate will be a thoughtful, collaborative, and empowering leader with strong management qualities and demonstrated success in building, leading, and retaining diverse teams. The candidate will be committed to building staff capacity and elevating the work of their team. The ideal candidate will also have experience managing a geographically disparate or remote team.

Communication: the ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator and possess strong writing and speaking skills. The candidate will leverage their strong interpersonal skills to connect with diverse stakeholders, including youth and their families, staff, business leaders, volunteers, senior government officials, community leaders, and funders. The ideal candidate will enjoy public speaking and will advocate for important youth workforce development issues.

Commitment to racial equity and social justice: the ideal candidate will have an unwavering commitment to advancing racial equity and will ensure that it is reflected throughout the organization’s programs. The ideal candidate will recognize the intersection of race and economics in shaping education and employment opportunities and will work to elevate and amplify the voices of the young people we serve.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Urban Alliance is a racial and social justice organization committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Urban Alliance is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Applicants from all underrepresented groups, including people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and DACA recipients are encouraged to apply.