Capital Workforce Partners is hiring: Director, Hartford Opportunity Youth Colla

Overview

Capital Workforce Partners seeks a strategic, passionate, and dynamic leader dedicated to the success of youth and young adults to serve as the Director of the Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative (HOYC). The HOYC is the region’s lead cross-agency venue for aligning programming and services at scale for at-risk and disconnected youth, with a membership of over thirty organizations. The HOYC Director will oversee the Collaborative’s work, build relationships with existing and new partners, and steer HOYC through its Action Plan. The Director will drive the internal and external functions of the Collaborative, including strategy, communications, coordination among partners, and community engagement. The ideal candidate is adept at building partnerships and fostering collaboration, committed to youth development and success, and experienced in using data to tell compelling stories to motivate change. The HOYC Director will build and manage a highly functional cross-agency team.

Responsibilities

• Work in close collaboration with the HOYC Leadership Team to convene and facilitate regular Collaborative and work group meetings.
• Cultivate excellent working relationships with community leaders.
• Foster partners’ knowledge of and commitment to collective action.
• Demonstrate dedication to youth leadership and youth-driven strategies and ensure HOYC coordinates closely with youth-led organizations and programs.
• Build the Backbone’s identity as a respected, neutral convener among a broad spectrum of local stakeholders.
• Ensure HOYC works in close collaboration with related initiatives, including local and state-wide cradle-to-career efforts.
• Facilitate and manage implementation of the HOYC Action Plan to ensure progress on and coordination across all six priority areas of the two-year plan.
• Oversee daily HOYC operations; monitor and report on issues and achievements.
• Integrate efforts and foster strong communication with Capital Workforce Partners programs and staff.
• Use data to inform learning, drive decisions and continuous improvement of youth opportunity in Hartford.
• Work with Hartford Data Collaborative to analyze and share data and data collection tools that inform and support progress on the HOYC Action Plan.
• Select, contract with, and oversee the work of HOYC consultants (e.g., facilitators, communications, data management, subject matter experts).
• As HOYC grows, hire and supervise HOYC support staff.
• Oversee the annual HOYC budget; manage resources within budget guidelines.

Partnership Management

• Facilitate and manage implementation of the HOYC Action Plan to ensure progress on and coordination across all six priority areas of the two-year plan.
• Oversee daily HOYC operations; monitor and report on issues and achievements.
• Integrate efforts and foster strong communication with HOYC programs and staff.
• Use data to inform learning, drive decisions and continuous improvement of youth opportunity in Hartford.
• Work with Hartford Data Collaborative to analyze and share data and data collection tools that inform and support progress on the HOYC Action Plan.
• Select, contract with, and oversee the work of HOYC consultants (e.g., facilitators, communications, data management, subject matter experts).
• As HOYC grows, hire and supervise HOYC support staff.
• Oversee the annual HOYC budget; manage resources within budget guidelines.

Supporting and Facilitating HOYC Leadership Table and Work Group Meetings

• Ensure effective facilitation of, and support to, all HOYC, Leadership Team, and work group meetings and communication between meetings.
• Provide regular reports on progress against HOYC Action Plan goals and indicators.
• Support work groups in developing and assessing their efforts to advance Action Plan objectives.
• Coordinate with other projects and coalitions to understand and integrate that work into HOYC strategy.
• Update strategy as new needs emerge.

Partner Development And Support

• Build and maintain relationships with the wide array of existing HOYC members and develop new partnerships to support progress on HOYC Action Plan.
• Coordinate with existing communities of practice to offer professional development opportunities for area youth service providers.
• Facilitate development and implementation of the annual HOYC Learning Agenda to provide capacity building and professional development opportunities for HOYC partner organizations.
• Identify, and enable partners to share and apply, best practices in youth workforce development from local and national sources.

Strategy And Advocacy

• Establish annual policy agenda and advocacy priorities in concert with the Leadership Team and relevant work groups.
• Serve as a resource on opportunity youth issues and services, informing community strategy, advocacy, implementation, and assessment.
• Provide direction and support to partners in aligning their work to the common agenda (e.g., identifying opportunities for program work to support specific HOYC goals).
• Act as a neutral arbiter and help resolve disagreements in direction among HOYC partners, work groups, and Leadership Team.

Fund Development

• Develop relationships with potential funders and participate in relevant state and national initiatives and networks.
• Work with Capital Workforce Partners colleagues and a grant writer in developing HOYC proposals.
• Work with partner agencies to identify opportunities and provide information to support their grant applications.
• Develop reports on deliverables and progress to funders as required.

Communications

• Communicate HOYC goals and plans to a range of stakeholders, as well as potential local, state, and national partners, in writing and in person.
• Create or manage creation of regular reports and presentations on HOYC progress for Leadership Team and external audiences.
• Develop communications materials, such as summary documents, FAQs, and other items.
• Develop web, mobile app, and social media strategy.
• Create press strategy, including drafting press releases and media outreach.

Management Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as a positive, dynamic role model that displays the best work ethic, creative problem-solving skills, positive attitude, and team-oriented approach.
• Support and champion Capital Workforce Partners core values.
• Lead employees using a performance management process that provides overall context and framework to encourage employee contribution; include goal setting, feedback, and performance development planning. Empower direct reports to take responsibility for their jobs and goals.
• Provide effective performance feedback with the assistance of Human Resources, as necessary.

Requirements

• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, able to build authentic relationships with diverse stakeholders from public and private sector executives, employers, philanthropists to youth service providers and support staff at partnering agencies.
• Strong strategy and planning skills, including an ability to think strategically on both organizational and systemic levels over multi-year horizons.
• A track record of leading, inspiring, and developing high-performance teams.
• Strong facilitation and presentation skills before multiple types of audiences.
• Strong writing skills and ability to support partners in developing pitches and proposals.
• Familiarity with using data to make the case for action and to track progress.
• Existing relationships with, or ability to quickly build relationships with, a cross-sector range of stakeholders in Hartford and across the State of Connecticut, including senior executives.
• Comfort with ambiguity and ability to thrive in a fluid, entrepreneurial environment, and willingness to “roll up one’s sleeves” and extend beyond formal responsibilities as needed for the work.

Experience & Education

• Familiarity with the Hartford area, challenges faced by and strengths of opportunity youth, youth workforce development programming, or collaborative work.
• At least 8 years of relevant work experience, including at least 5 years managing teams/partnerships in a fast-paced and high-growth nonprofit, social enterprise, or start-up environment.
• Extensive experience working in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience with complex projects and stakeholder management.

Supervision/Management Responsibility

• Career Navigation Systems Coordinator (FT).
• Potential to oversee additional PT or FT staff member, funding dependent.

Seniority level

• Director

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Other

Industries

• Non-profit Organization Management