School-Based Program Specialist

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 39,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Short-Term Disability

Long-Term Disability

401(k) with employer match

Job summary

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh is seeking a mission-driven Program Specialist to support youth across Allegheny, Greene, and Washington counties. This full-time role involves working with school-based programs, guiding Littles through curricula, and coordinating with volunteers to foster positive youth development.

The ideal candidate will promote equity, manage logistics, and build relationships with schools and diverse communities to deliver mentoring effectively and safely.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, counseling, social services, child development, or education.
• Associate’s degree plus 2+ years in related fields.
• HS diploma with 4+ years related experience.

Responsibilities

• Prepares and implements mentoring curriculum and activities for groups of students and adjusts materials as needed.
• Supervise and monitor a caseload of matches, providing support, coaching, evaluation, and resources.
• Maintains progress monitoring data for each Little.
• Implements positive behavior facilitation strategies for a safe mentoring environment.
• Coordinates enrollment processes including interviews, references, and background checks.
• Attend program meetings and trainings; support volunteer Bigs and youth.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to social work, counseling, social services, child development, or education

Associate’s degree and at least 2 years relevant work experience in related fields

High School Diploma with a minimum of 4 years relevant work experience

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Salesforce (CRM)

Job description

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Education-Based Program Manager, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh (BBBSPGH) is seeking an enthusiastic and mission-driven Program Specialist to join the agency in serving youth from Allegheny, Greene, and Washington counties. This is a full-time, non-exempt position that will provide mentorship for youth in our region. This position will work closely with our school based programs, which includes a number of schools and various age/grade ranges.

The Program Specialist will primarily work out of assigned schools or sites, supporting youth (Littles) through facilitating curriculum and activities to enhance the mentoring relationship. The Program Specialist will provide positive role modeling and exposure to help Littles plan and set goals, increase social and emotional skills, as well as their self- confidence and sense of belonging. The Program Specialist will manage and collaborate with volunteers (Bigs), while supporting their mentoring relationship with their Little. The Program Specialist will collaborate with others on the team to recruit and enroll participants and effectively deliver the program’s curriculum. An ideal candidate will be able to form relationships with youth that lead to positive outcomes.

An ideal candidate will have:

• Passion for the mission of BBBSPGH
• Strong commitment to the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Ability to promote an inclusive, welcoming, and respectful mentoring environment that embraces diversity
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment, show strong attention to detail, handle logistics, and organize time and priorities
• Strong understanding of child development and family dynamics
• Ability to form and sustain appropriate child, adult volunteer-based relationships based on positive youth development and volunteer satisfaction
• Ability to effectively assess and execute the following relational support skills: guiding, supporting, confronting, advising, and/or negotiating
• Ability to maintain positive and productive relationships with school personnel
• Ability to relate well in multicultural environments
• Ability to effectively and proactively communicate and collaborate with school, law enforcement partners, and other program staff
• Strong group facilitation and public speaking skills, specifically working with youth
• Ability to work autonomously with drive, enthusiasm, and flexibility to go along with a willingness to work as needed to accomplish job requirements

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prepares and implements mentoring curriculum and activities to groups of students, while also recommending adjustments to materials as needed
• Supervise and monitor a caseload of matches (Bigs and Littles/Caregivers) by maintaining contact and providing support, coaching, evaluation, and resources
• Maintains progress monitoring data for each Little
• Implements positive behavior facilitation strategies to ensure a safe mentoring environment
• Maintains attendance records for all mentoring sessions
• Conducts ongoing check-ins with school point of contact along with Program Manager for feedback and applies that feedback to program adjustments
• Coordinate communication with parents/guardians, teachers, co-workers, and other relevant supports in youth’s life when necessary
• During the summer, assist with the recruitment of new volunteers
• Schedule, conduct, and document enrollment of children and volunteers, including interviews, references, background checks, and completion of any other enrollment processes
• Review all enrollment and assessments to make recommendations for matches between Bigs and Littles and introduce those matches
• Assist in training for volunteer Bigs and youth (Littles)
• Provide child safety education and applied learned child safety and risk management knowledge, policies, and procedures to all aspects of job
• Attend and participate in all program, team, and staff meetings and trainings
• Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned as necessary

QUALIFICATIONS

• Your professional background must meet one of the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to work focused on social work, counseling, social services, child development, or education
• Associate’s degree and at least 2 years relevant work experience in related fields, such as social work, counseling, social services, child development, or education
• High School Diploma with a minimum of 4 years relevant work experience in related fields, such as social work, counseling, social services, child development, or education.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; including Work, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Working knowledge of and use of a customer relations management (CRM) system a plus (Salesforce preferred)

WORK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• This position will be based out of a number of assigned schools. Attendance at BBBSPGH offices (East Liberty/Southpointe) will be required when school is not in session and as needed
• Typical working hours will be Monday through Friday aligned with school/after school program hours. Some evenings will be required based on client needs.
• Occasional weekend hours may be required (averaging about 6 weekend shifts per year)

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position 25% of the time
• Must be able to present to a classroom of students and practice classroom management skills on an ongoing basis
• Must be able to operate a computer and other office productivity machinery (e.g., printer, copy machine)
• Must be able to communicate information and ideas clearly and accurately so others will understand

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Base salary is budgeted between $39,000-$42,000 based on experience and qualifications.
• BBBSPGH offers generous benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance. After 6 months of employment, BBBSPGH offers employer paid Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability. We also offer vesting and enrollment in a 403 (b) plan with up to a 3% employer match after 6 months of employment.

ABOUT BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF GREATER PITTSBURGH

For nearly 60 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh (BBBSPGH) has transformed the lives of some of the most vulnerable children in our community through a proven youth development strategy: mentoring. The mission of BBBS is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. The agency serves approximately 1,000 children from 3 Southwestern PA counties (Allegheny, Greene, and Washington) on an annual basis.

Location:

BBBSPGH Main Office:

5989 Centre Avenue, Suite 1, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

BBBSPGH Satellite Office (The HQ @ CNX):

1000 Horizon Vue Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317

For more information about BBBSPGH, please visit www.bbbspgh.org

Nondiscrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity:

BBBSPGH does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including in pregnancy and gender identify), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military status, and other non-merit factor.