Director of Programs and Impact

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Director of Programs & Impact is a senior agency leader responsible for the strategy, development, implementation, quality, safety, growth, and evaluation of the agency's youth development programs and services. Working in close partnership with the CEO and Chief Strategy & Development Officer (CSDO), this individual translates community needs, organizational priorities, emerging opportunities, funder and partner interests, and the changing needs of youth and families into high-quality, actionable programming. The Director is expected to move programs from concept to implementation - developing or adapting program models, curriculum, staffing approaches, mentor preparation, implementation plans, evaluation methods, and continuous improvement strategies necessary to achieve strong youth development outcomes.

This is a hands-on leadership position requiring both strategic thinking and execution. The Director must be comfortable developing programs and resources, facilitating youth groups, training mentors and staff, supporting volunteer recruitment, supervising program personnel, strengthening case management practices, developing or supplementing evaluation tools, and addressing implementation barriers as they arise. When an initial approach is not feasible, this individual is expected to assess the constraints, identify safe and compliant alternatives, engage the appropriate partners, and develop a practical path forward rather than allowing barriers to stall program progress.

The Director is accountable for the overall quality and effectiveness of program implementation, including youth safety and protection, adherence to BBBS Standards of Practice and agency policies, staff performance, mentor preparedness, program modification, evaluation, and continuous improvement. Success in this role is directly connected to the agency's ability to grow its reach, respond to new opportunities, meet youth and families where they are today, and consistently deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes.

BBBSWIS is seeking a highly qualified and deeply committed professional who shares our passion for the mission, is invested in the agency’s long-term success, and is eager to grow as a leader within the organization, with the potential to assume increasing responsibility and contribute meaningfully to BBBSWIS’s long-term leadership and succession planning.

Key responsibilities include:

Program Strategy, Growth & Innovation

• Partner with the CEO and CSDO to assess community needs, emerging youth and family needs, organizational priorities, partnership opportunities, special populations, and funding opportunities and translate them into viable program strategies and services.

• Lead programs through the complete development lifecycle, including concept development, program design, partnership development, implementation planning, curriculum and resource development, mentor and staff preparation, launch, evaluation, modification, and ongoing improvement.

• Evaluate operational barriers and develop safe, practical, standards-compliant alternatives that allow programs and partnerships to move forward whenever reasonably possible.

Program Development & Implementation

• Develop, adopt, adapt, implement, and continuously improve evidence-informed youth development programs, curricula, activities, resources, and service models based on the needs of youth, families, mentors, partners, and the community.

• Accept primary leadership responsibility for successful implementation of the agency's program portfolio, including established programs and new initiatives developed in response to changing needs, strategic priorities, partnerships, or funding opportunities.

• Develop implementation plans, timelines, workflows, staff responsibilities, facilitation materials, training resources, and other tools necessary to move program concepts into effective practice.

• Lead the continued development and delivery of agency programs and services, including social-emotional learning programming, High School Bigs, Mentor U, Big Futures, Project REACH, and other current or future initiatives.

• Develop, update, and facilitate small-group mentoring and youth development experiences that strengthen skills such as self-management, relationship building, responsible decision-making, coping, resilience, leadership, and future readiness.

Youth Safety, Quality Assurance & Case Management

• Identify, monitor, and manage agency compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws, BBBS Standards of Practice, agency policies and procedures, and youth protection requirements.

• Provide leadership and oversight for agency case management and match support practices, ensuring timely, consistent, high-quality documentation, relationship support, youth protection, family engagement, volunteer satisfaction, and appropriate service delivery.

• Regularly review case management performance, documentation, trends, outcomes, and complex cases; coach staff and implement corrective or improvement strategies when performance does not meet expectations.

• Serve as a senior program resource for complex participant, family, volunteer, partner, safety, or service-delivery situations and ensure appropriate assessment, escalation, documentation, referral, and resolution.

Youth Engagement, Mentor Development & Recruitment

• Personally facilitate small-group mentoring, social-emotional learning, leadership, future-readiness, and other youth development experiences as appropriate while also equipping staff and volunteers to facilitate those experiences successfully.

• Partner with agency leadership and recruitment staff to define volunteer needs for existing and emerging programs and support targeted strategies to recruit mentors with the interests, skills, backgrounds, or availability necessary to successfully serve participating youth.

Outcomes, Evaluation & Continuous Improvement

• Establish clear outputs, outcomes, implementation measures, and quality indicators for agency programs and ensure reliable systems are in place to monitor performance.

• Evaluate whether existing BBBS and agency assessment tools adequately measure intended program outcomes and, when appropriate, develop and implement supplemental surveys, assessments, rubrics, feedback tools, or other evaluation methods.

• Maintain systems and documentation necessary to assure accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency; oversee collection and use of relevant participant and program data, including outcomes, attendance, grades, disciplinary information, engagement measures, and other indicators as appropriate.

Team Leadership & Performance

• Lead, supervise, coach, and develop the Program Team, including the Match Engagement Manager, Special Programs Coordinator, Mentoring Specialist(s), and other assigned personnel, establishing clear expectations for performance, accountability, communication, case management quality, participant experience, and outcomes.

• Create a culture of ownership, problem-solving, continuous improvement, collaboration, and timely execution in which staff are expected to identify solutions and alternatives when barriers arise.

• Establish and monitor meaningful performance measures for program staff and use data, observation, coaching, supervision, and professional development to improve individual and team performance.

• Model the organization's mission, values, and competencies while contributing to organization-wide planning, operations, and actionable projects.

• Other duties as assigned.

Successful candidates in this process will meet the following requirements

• Demonstrated experience translating an identified need, partnership opportunity, or organizational priority into a program, initiative, curriculum, or service and successfully carrying it through implementation.

• Assessment and relationship-development experience with child and adult populations; proven ability to form and sustain strong, appropriate relationships with children, families, adult volunteers, staff, and partners of diverse backgrounds and ages.

• Demonstrated knowledge of positive youth development, child development, family dynamics/function, trauma-informed practices, volunteer engagement, and youth safety.

• Experience facilitating youth groups, structured learning experiences, or similar programming and the ability to engage young people in ways that are developmentally appropriate, purposeful, and outcomes focused.

• Strong planning, program-development, assessment, decision-making, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills; able to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and move work from concept to completion.

• Demonstrated experience directly supervising employees and/or complex projects, with the ability to lead, develop, coach, and hold a team accountable using data and transparent performance measures.

• Experience using program data and participant feedback to evaluate implementation, identify needed adjustments, and improve outcomes; experience developing supplemental evaluation tools is strongly preferred.

• 6+ years of progressively responsible experience in youth development, nonprofit programming, education, social services, mentoring, or a related field required; meaningful leadership, program-development, and supervisory experience required.

• Bachelor's degree required; preference for a degree in education, social work, social sciences, human services, interpersonal communication, nonprofit management, or a related field.