Director, LEAH Project

Health Resources in Action; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Retirement plan

Vacation time

Sick leave

Flexible schedules

Year-end office closure

Job summary

Health Resources in Action (HRiA) seeks a Director for the LEAH Project in Boston. You will lead a dedicated team and oversee program design, delivery, and partnerships to expand STEM education and career pathways for local youth.

The role emphasizes fundraising, strategic planning, and collaboration with an advisory board, with an annual budget around $1.6M. Massachusetts residency is preferred with in-person programming most weeks.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of five permanent staff, two full-time fellows, and a grant-writing consultant to design, deliver, and fundraise for youth development programs.
• Create pathways to STEM education and employment for Boston-area high school students, reaching over 100 youth annually.
• Manage an annual budget of about $1.6M and collaborate with an Advisory Board for strategic guidance.

Job description

Over the past 18 years, the LEAH Project has created pathways for access to STEM learning, college, and careers for over 600 high school and 7,000 elementary school students in the Boston area. Participating high school students have access to a variety of STEM internship opportunities including LEAH’s signature STEM teaching internships, in which participants educate elementary school students in local afterschool programs, and the summertime LEAH Knox Biomedical Research and Data Science and STEM Exploration internships. Students also have access to College Readiness Programming, STEM events and STEM related mentorship. The LEAH Project was inspired by and founded in memory of Leah Deni, a youth worker with a passion for science whose legacy lives on in the program’s work. Originally housed at the Boston Public Schools, LEAH transitioned to become a program of HRiA in 2013.

With an emphasis on community engagement and commitment to health and racial equity, HRiA has earned a national reputation as a leader in the fields of public health and social change. HRiA’s work recognizes how structural racism and social and economic factors impact health outcomes. The organization’s health equity framework centers racial equity and guides its work with communities, partners, and clients as well as its internal policies and processes. HRiA’score services comprise five clusters: capacity building assistance (CBA),grantmakingfor biomedical research and community health, research and evaluation, health and racial equity, and public health services. Within the CBA cluster, the work spans a wide range of training, technical assistance, and planning services. Together, HRiA’s CBA services help people, organizations, and communities build the competencies, infrastructure, and resources necessary to improve public health and achieve health and racial equity. As part of its CBA cluster, and drawing on deep expertise in youth development, HRiA manages and implements the LEAH Project.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The LEAH Project’s mission is to promote the power of youth, especially Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) youth, to diversify the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Through paid internships, dynamic college and career readiness programming, and meaningful youth leadership opportunities, LEAH cultivates the confidence of youth and equips them with the skills and connections they need to thrive. The LEAH Project is a program of Health Resources in Action (HRiA), a non-profit public health organization with a mission to help people live healthier lives and create healthy communities through prevention, health promotion, policy, and research.

Reporting to the Managing Director of HRiA’s Training and Capacity Building Department, the new Director for the LEAH Project will lead a committed team of five permanent staff, two full-time fellows, and a grant-writing consultant in designing, delivering, and fundraising to support a range of youth development programs and partnerships, creating pathways to STEM education and employment for Boston-area high schoolers and reaching over 100 young people each year. The Director will manage an annual budget of approximately $1.6M and collaborate with a non-governing Advisory Board that supports the program’s success through amplifying partnerships and providing strategic consultation.

COMPENSATION

$100,000

This is a full-time, exempt position with a salary range starting at $100K for a candidate meeting the minimum qualifications. For this role, Massachusetts residency is strongly preferred with an expectation to be in person at programming at least three days per week. HRiA staff can work remotely and/or in the Boston office. Typical work hours are 9am to 5pm weekdays, although given the duties and responsibilities outlined in this job description, this role may occasionally need to “flex” this typical schedule and work during evenings or weekends.

HRiA offers exceptional employee benefits that include a 35-hour work week; employer funded health, dental and life insurance; a retirement plan that includes an employer-funded tax-deferred annuity; short-term disability; generous vacation time, starting at four weeks; sick time; office closure at the end of December; and flexible work schedules.

Following screening by the NPAG team, HRiA will invite candidates to engage in a structured, five-stage hiring process which includes a phone screen, two group interviews including a performance exercise, a program visit, and a final interview with the HRiA CEO and Vice President.

HRiA’s hiring and business practices are designed to appreciate the strengths offered through varied backgrounds. As public health practitioners with a social justice focus, HRiA is committed to better understanding and learning from the institutional structures that create disparities among us and our work. HRiA is actively seeking to build a diverse and experienced staff.

HRiA is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.