Friends of the Children

Friends of the Children—Los Angeles (Friends LA) is seeking a passionate and dedicated leader to serve as the Program Manager (PM) for Service Planning Area 7, East L.A. County. The PM will supervise Professional Mentors (Friends), facilitate comprehensive resource navigation, and support youth and their families in East Los Angeles. Friends LA’s model has been proven to break the cycle of generational poverty for children facing significant barriers, providing paid, professional mentors to thousands of youth nationwide. 

The Program Manager will collaborate closely with the Program Director (PD) to ensure the delivery of high-quality mentoring, guided by our implementation, assessment, and evaluation of the two-generation (2Gen) support model. This role is primarily responsible for supporting Friends in their professional development and driving the growth of the East Los Angeles program. 

The ideal candidate is an innovative project manager with a strong connection to the communities we serve and a commitment to positively impacting the lives of children and families in East L.A. 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

This position does have direct reports. 

CORE JOB DUTIES: 

• Supervise, inspire, develop, and evaluate efforts of Friends. Serve as role model and mentor for Friends, ensure that they have resources necessary to perform their jobs, act as a team facilitator and organizational motivator, and facilitate effective communication in all directions. 
• Know and understand the needs of the families served. Meet with supervised Friends, and review Roadmaps and Transition Plans for each child monthly. Assure that each Friend has helped develop a specific area of interest or talent for each child. 
• Manage the performance of supervised Friends, including completing and conducting annual and semi-annual performance appraisals with the PD. Hold Friends accountable for work performance, adequacy of time spent with children, quality, and diversity of activities with children, and administrative/reporting responsibilities. 
• Lead and facilitate effective, weekly team meetings ensuring focus on child and Friend successes, setbacks, issues, concerns, and ideas. Ensure focus on the communication of organizational information or issues to team and solicit feedback from team. 
• Review and assess data for accurate reporting and tracking, identify trends, and make recommendations for program modifications. 
• Collaborate with the PD and FED in planning, training, retention, and provide support to youth, families, and Friends. 
• Collect, record, and administer participant assessments and all other participant data for outcomes progress and grant data reporting. 
• Maintain efficient, confidential, and organized records; provide timely and appropriate case notes in our Efforts to Outcomes database. 
• Help PD and FED identify resources and establish partnerships to strengthen and enhance the program and services to youth and families; Maintain partner service provider listserv by participating in regular networking opportunities. 
• Collaborate and strategize with parents to effectively partner with outside support systems and organizations. 
• Support the PD and FED with developing a pipeline of youth referrals for enrollment through partnership engagement. 
• Utilize program data to help develop, implement, and sustain enrichment activities and program excellence. 
• Develop trusting, supportive relationships with the youth and caregivers we serve. 
• Maintain partnerships with schools, services, and organizations to enhance youth’s experience. 

COMPETENCIES: 

To perform the job successfully, the individual should demonstrate the following competencies: 

• Problem Solving – Identifies and resolves problems promptly; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem-solving situations; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics. 
• Project Management – Develops project plans; Coordinates projects; Communicates changes and progress; Completes tasks on time and budget; Manages project team activities. 
• Technical Skills – Assesses own strengths and weaknesses; Pursues training and development opportunities; Strives to build knowledge and skills continuously; Shares expertise with others. 
• Service – Manages difficult or emotional youth and/or family situations; Responds promptly to youth needs; Solicits feedback to improve service; Responds to requests for service and assistance; Meets commitments. 
• Interpersonal Skills – Focuses on solving conflict, not blaming; Maintains confidentiality; Listens to others without interrupting; Keeps emotions under control; Remains open to others' ideas and tries new things. 
• Oral Communication – Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills; Can lead meetings. 
• Written Communication – Writes clearly and informatively; Edits work for spelling and grammar; Varies writing style to meet needs; Presents numerical data effectively; Able to read and interpret written information. 
• Teamwork – Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; Supports everyone's efforts to succeed. 
• Change Management – Develops workable implementation plans; Communicates changes effectively; Builds commitment and overcomes resistance; Prepares and supports those affected by change; Monitors transition and evaluates results. 
• Delegation – Delegates work assignments; Matches the responsibility to the person; Gives authority to work independently; Sets expectations and monitors delegated activities; Provides recognition for results. 
• Leadership – Exhibits confidence in self and others; Inspires and motivates others to perform well; Effectively influences actions and opinions of others; Accepts feedback from others; Gives appropriate recognition to others. 
• Diversity – Shows respect and sensitivity for cultural differences; Educates others on the value of diversity; Promotes a harassment-free environment; Builds a diverse workforce. 
• Ethics – Treats people with respect; Keeps commitments; Inspires the trust of others; Works with integrity and ethically; Upholds organizational values. 
• Organizational Support – Follows policies and procedures; Completes administrative tasks correctly and on time; Supports organization's goals and values; Benefits organization through outside activities. 
• Strategic Thinking – Develops strategies to achieve organizational goals; Understands organization's strengths & weaknesses; Analyzes market and competition; Identifies external threats and opportunities; Adapts strategy to changing conditions. 
• Motivation – Sets and achieves challenging goals; Demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles; Measures self against standard of excellence; Takes calculated risks to accomplish goals. 
• Planning/Organizing – Prioritizes and plans work activities; Uses time efficiently; Plans for additional Aresources; Sets goals and objectives; Organizes or schedules other people and their tasks; Develops realistic action plans. 
• Quality – Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Applies feedback to improve performance; Monitors own work to ensure quality. 
• Adaptability – Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Changes approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events. 
• Innovation – Displays original thinking and creativity; Meets challenges with resourcefulness; Generates suggestions for improving work; Develops innovative approaches and ideas; Presents ideas and information in a manner that gets others' attention. 

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS: 

Knowledge of local public social services programs supporting youth and families; principles and practices of performance measurement and process improvement; principles of community needs and resources; goals and objectives of youth mentoring programs; current developments in the fields of social services or other similar human services and their impact on the systems involved youth; conflict resolution; and trauma-informed, culturally responsive services to youth and their families.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

This position requires a bachelor’s degree in Human Services, Education, Psychology, or a related field from an accredited college or university. At least two years of practical and responsible program management in public social services or similar human services entity; or a combination of training, education, and required experience in supervising others in a team setting.  

LANGUAGE SKILLS: 

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret data and documents. Ability to write reports and correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from the executive team, program staff, youth, and caregivers.  

COMPUTER SKILLS: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual should be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bilingual preferred (Spanish/English) 
• Experience with Social Solutions software (ETO). 

BENEFITS 

Friends LA cares about our employees as whole people. We offer a generous vacation and sick leave policy, quarterly reset days, 12 paid holidays, summer half days, a summer recess the first week of July, and an annual winter recess during the last week of December. Employees are eligible for medical benefits (including vision and dental), 401k retirement plan, EAP, and ongoing professional development opportunities. 

Employees can add optional plans, at employee expense, which include medical coverage for dependents, Flexible Spending Accounts, supplemental life insurance, and more. 

Friends LA is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices, and to working toward racial equity. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends LA provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, disability, or genetic information, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local law. While we prioritize hiring applicants with lived experience, Friends of the Children – Los Angeles hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.

Note: Friends LA requires COVID-19 vaccines for all employees. As of March 1, 2022, we will be expanding our in-person vaccination requirement to include booster shots. Accommodations or exceptions can be requested for medical or religious reasons.