Manager of College & Career Readiness

City Parks Foundation; New York (NY); On-site; USD 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic manager for their College and Career Readiness program. This role involves overseeing youth internships, developing educational curricula, and fostering strong partnerships to enhance workforce opportunities for historically marginalized youth. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of youth development principles and a passion for connecting young people with nature and practical training in urban environments. Join a mission-driven organization dedicated to transforming New York City parks into vibrant community hubs through innovative educational programs and experiential learning opportunities.

Benefits

Free golf programs

Free tennis programs

Free fitness programs

Community engagement opportunities

Qualifications

• 3 years of experience in youth development or 6 years equivalent experience.
• Proven competencies in training, curriculum development, and assessment.

Responsibilities

• Supervise the internship program and oversee program development.
• Cultivate relationships with partners and ensure strong outreach and recruitment.

Skills

Youth Development

Program Management

Curriculum Development

Training and Assessment

Social Work

Communication Skills

Bilingual

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Education, Youth Development or Social Work

6 years of equivalent experience

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY

The manager, College and Career Readiness (manager, CCR) will bring essential youth development and socio-emotional learning knowledge and resources to CPF including key responsibilities in the following areas: maintenance and delivery of our CCR curriculum, oversight and administration of paid internships, related staff training and support, socio-emotional learning resources, and program management regarding partnership development, program assessment and support of recruitment and retention.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

City Parks Foundation (CPF) seeks a youth developer with experience in youth internships and the out-of-school time (OST) education field. The successful candidate will demonstrate an ability to cultivate strong relationships with CPF and Partnerships for Parks staff, key program partners, students and families.

The manager, CCR, will lead CPF’s CCR program and will provide support in youth development principles and strategies to frontline staff with special attention to strengthening curricula, assessment and protocols relating to job readiness and socio-emotional learning. The position will require an innovative leader who can proactively and enthusiastically achieve the full potential of CPF’s youth and workforce development programming.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong connections in the youth and workforce development fields and provide a bridge to workforce and college networks and related social services for CityParks Learn, which runs programs primarily for historically marginalized and vulnerable NYC youth in all five boroughs. Through staff training and development, assessment and consultation and/or referrals for students, the managers, CCR, will increase the capacity to provide holistic and comprehensive education to our students. Understanding that outdoor education is central to all we do, the Manager, CCR will work collaboratively both internally and with partners as we strive to connect NYC youth to the natural world through experiential learning and to workforce opportunities in NYC Parks and more broadly in STEM fields through practical training.

COMPENSATION: $50 - $60,000.00 per year

RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Implementation and Administration

1. Supervise the internship program, overseeing program development, curriculum/lesson planning and implementation of cross-departmental CCR training workshops for high school and college students each year.
2. Take the lead and work in collaboration with relevant staff to recruit and onboard all interns.
3. Offer practical training and support to CPF staff in youth development principles and socio-emotional learning.
4. Support internship training and supervision including thorough preparation for summer programs.
5. Support CPF staff outside of the Learn department with intern hosting in regards to preparation, implementation, trouble-shooting and assessment.
6. Work with Director of Education to support the development and implementation of program evaluation and student assessment in order to measure program impact and learner outcomes.
7. Evaluate key challenges and opportunities, set goals and implement program expansion, program modification and new program initiatives within and outside your immediate program relevant to CCR.
8. Continually investigate best practices through professional development for yourself and team members. Participate in citywide coalitions and groups that are connected to program focus in order to stay abreast of changing models and developments in the field.
9. Oversee the input of intern data and reporting for the purposes of long-term impact assessment.

Partnership Development

1. Ensure the principles of youth development are central to our work by collaborating regularly and consistently with CPF staff and students.
2. Cultivate healthy, productive relationships with the Career Internship Network, the College Access Consortium of NY, the Department of Parks and Recreation (site staff and borough staff), the Department of Youth and Community Development (program managers, support staff), City University of New York, NYC Public Schools staff (principals, counselors, parent coordinators, teachers), and others to ensure that outreach and recruitment are strong and programmatic resources are robust.
3. Identify, develop and maintain relationships with viable social work and workforce development colleagues and networks to bring resources to the program and interns.

Social and Workforce Development

1. Develop sound communication practices that allow for consistent outreach to current and past interns and alumni of any career-related opportunities including but not limited to further scholarships, internships, job training, jobs, etc.
2. Steward alumni relations to share resources and engagement opportunities including maintenance of a robust listserv and the creation of periodic newsletters and/or timely announcements.
3. Provide resources to staff in safety and crisis assessments as well as day-to-day non-emergency interventions.

Qualifications and Desired Experience

1. Bachelor’s degree in Education, Youth Development or Social Work with at least 3 years of practical experience in the youth development/out-of-school time field OR 6 years of equivalent experience in youth development/out-of-school time field.
2. At least 1 year in leadership position with program development and management experience.
3. Direct experience in education/out-of-school time field with early adolescents and teens.
4. Proven competencies in training, curriculum development, and assessment.
5. Demonstrated track record in meeting, or exceeding, recruitment and retention goals.
6. Demonstrated track record in collaboration and teamwork.
7. Salesforce or similar database experience.
8. Understanding of and experience with DYCD and NYCPS compliance.
9. Willingness to operate CCR workshops on weekend days during the program season and represent CPF at professional events on occasional evenings and weekends.
10. Deep understanding of socio-emotional development, the principles of youth development and student-centered learning.
11. Passion for working with youth including a positive outlook and highly personable approach.
12. NYS Valid driver’s license a plus.
13. Bilingual a plus.

ABOUT CITY PARKS FOUNDATION

At City Parks Foundation (CPF), we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming New York City parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through arts, environmental education, sports, and community building programs for all New Yorkers. Our ethos is simple: we believe thriving parks mean thriving communities.

Community engagement includes Partnerships for Parks, a public-private program of City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks, which supports and champions a growing network of community leaders who care and advocate for the transformation of our neighborhood parks and the Parks and Open Space Partners-NYC coalition of conservancies and alliances. We also administer the NYC Green Fund, a regranting program for parks and open space nonprofits and grassroots organizations.

We produce SummerStage, the iconic free, outdoor performing arts festival in NYC, presenting world-class artists from across the globe and our own neighborhoods on our mainstage in Central Park and in local parks in all five boroughs, and our Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre and roving PuppetMobile present marionette puppet theater throughout New York City.

We connect youngsters to nature in the urban environment through progressive, experiential teaching. Using parks as classrooms, we provide learning experiences and hands-on activities in urban forests, coastal areas, and gardens.

Free golf, tennis, track & field, soccer, and fitness programs bring high-quality instruction and equipment into areas where few organized athletic opportunities exist. We offer leveled training, year-round scholarship coaching, and special pro events.