Regional Program Manager, National Student Partnerships

Posted by on September 8, 2008

[emailed 9/2/08]

National Student Partnerships
Mobilizing Student Leaders to Strengthen Communities

Job Title:         Regional Program Manager
Location:         Philadelphia, PA

About National Student Partnerships
The mission of National Student Partnerships (NSP) is to direct the energy and innovation of young people toward ensuring that all community members have access to the services, opportunities, and attention that they need to pursue employment, self-sufficiency, and personal success. Since 1998, NSP has expanded its presence to 12 Local Offices in 11 cities, drawn over 3,000 student volunteers from over 40 leading partner universities into community service and civic engagement, and helped more than 20,000 low-income individuals and their families navigate the complex social services terrain.

As a first step in its long-term expansion plan, NSP is poised to deepen its involvement in communities across the nation. Beginning in July 2008, NSP will focus its operations and growth aspirations in five major regions: Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, New York metro area, and Washington, DC metro area. Currently, each of NSP’s 12 Local Offices is supported by a Program Manager working from NSP’s National Office in Washington, DC, however, starting in May 2008, an increasingly regionalized organizational model will place the Program Managers out in the field. This transition will allow Program Managers to better understand local issues, forge relationships with key stakeholders in the community, build strong partnerships with universities and colleges, and explore the potential of expanding to new neighborhoods and communities. NSP is currently recruiting for a Regional Program Manager in the Philadelphia region.

Position Description
NSP’s Regional Program Managers are responsible for supervising the operations of 2-3 NSP Local Offices. Program Managers are expected to play a hands-on role in the development of each NSP Local Office by overseeing office operations, managing NSP AmeriCorps*National Direct staff members  and local university student volunteers, supervising and supporting client service, and utilizing internal systems and processes. Program Managers will be based in one of the Local Offices they support and are expected to travel to the other offices under their purview on a regular basis . The Regional Program Managers are members of the NSP Program Team and report directly to the Director of Programs, based in the National Office in Washington, DC.

Specific Responsibilities Include:
•    Local Office and Staff Management
–    Provide oversight, support, training, and direction to Site Coordinators and student volunteers with special attention to local volunteer management, training, and service delivery.
–    Provide intensive consultation on client service and community outreach.
–    Ensure safety and security policy and procedures are being followed.
–    With the support of NSP’s National Office, maintain, or in some cases establish, office infrastructure and provide ongoing oversight of Local Office finances and operations.
–    Support student recruitment efforts at college and university campuses.
•    Strategy, Evaluation, and Reporting
–    Work with Local Offices to set annual goals that are in line with NSP’s strategic growth plan and are both ambitious and attainable.
–    Drive superior performance against programmatic goals for each site individually and for the region cluster.
–    Oversee reporting functions of Local Offices, compile monthly and quarterly status reports.
•    Development and Communications
–    Establish and strengthen partnerships with key community partners.
–    With support from the National Office, engage key stakeholders and help grow a sustainable, diversified local funding base.
•    Training
–    Help to strategically inform the content of and potentially facilitate national (typically held 3x/year in Washington, DC) and local training sessions.
–    Support the development and review of training and technical assistance resource materials.

Requirements:
•    Commitment to NSP’s mission and core values.
•    Candidates are required to have a Masters in Social Work, Counseling, or associated field.  Licensure in social work (LSW,) or counseling (LPC) is preferred, and licensure eligibility is required.
•    2-3 years professional experience preferred, but not required.
•    Individuals with a background in direct service, policy work, or the service communities of the Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia areas will be given special consideration.
•    Strong leadership and interpersonal skills.
•    Ability to thrive in the start-up environment of a fast-growing, entrepreneurial organization. This involves flexibility, creativity, ability to take initiative, and a commitment to being a team player.
•    Solid management skills including the ability to make difficult decisions and convey complicated and/or difficult information in a clear manner.
•    Ability to work remotely.
•    Willingness to travel and to work some weekends and evenings.

Compensation
Compensation package includes salary, full coverage of health care (including dental and vision), cell phone/BlackBerry coverage, professional development budget, and opportunity to participate in payroll savings plan with employer match after the first year of employment.

How to Apply
Please send resume and cover letter addressing specific interest in NSP and this position to [email protected]. Subject line should read: “Program Manager.” If you have further questions, please contact Amy Hustad at [email protected].

NSP does not make hiring decisions on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other factor irrelevant to doing fantastic work.