Program Manager

OVERVIEW 

We are looking for a Program Manager to support the member-facing work of the Colorado Youth Congress and act as the lead-facilitator & coordinator in our young, mission-driven organization. If you love youth leadership development, you’re a great facilitator, and you care deeply about issues of justice and social change, then we’d love for you to apply. 

This role is full time, (32 hrs/week), based in Colorado and has a starting salary of $65,000-$70,000. This role requires availability to work bi-weekly on Saturdays and one evening a week, and involves occasional travel. The deadline to apply is June 28th, 2024, but applications will remain open until the role is filled. More details below.

WHO WE ARE

Mission Statement:

• The Colorado Youth Congress cultivates the healing and leadership of young people to guide us all into a future grounded in justice and well-being.

Vision/Impact Statement:

• Within our lifetime, the collective voice of young people will become central to the social and political leadership of Colorado.

Values

1. Justice:  We actively work to advance justice at all scales. From the relational level to the systems level, we use healing justice and youth leadership as  tools to remedy the centuries of harm created by racism, capitalism, and identity-based discrimination. Ultimately, we use Love as a guiding force

1. Wellness: We prioritize our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being in CYC. We value each other as people and not just producers and we practice a culture of care by showing compassion to ourselves, investing time and resources in the well-being of each other, and working to create systems that honor the humanity of us all. 

1. Youth Agency: We believe in letting youth determine a different future for themselves as individuals and collectively. We live this out by putting youth at the center of decision-making in our organization and  more broadly of the social and political leadership of Colorado. 

1. Co-creation: While we value agency and autonomy, we also recognize our deep interdependence and believe in the power of a connected, collaborative community. We actively seek input from others, make decisions that benefit the community, and work in partnership with other organizations to realize a shared vision.

1. Learning and growth: We prioritize learning about ourselves, each other, and systems and embrace discomfort as a means for growth. Ultimately, we believe that personal, organizational, and societal adaptation is the only path towards justice and well-being.

WHO YOU ARE

1. You love supporting young people as they develop into bold, self aware, justice-minded leaders.
2. You have significant facilitation experience, having facilitated dialogue in small and large groups, as well as experience facilitating workshops and trainings.
3. You know how to decenter yourself and elevate co-creation in all aspects of your job. You know how to balance facilitating dialogue and decision making processes without taking control over the process.
4. Your value system centers on diversity, equity and inclusion. You have a clear understanding of the historical threads of oppression and have reflected deeply on your own positionality. You’ve demonstrated a desire to dismantle unjust systems and re-build something just and sustainable.
5. You take initiative in your work, notice opportunities for growth in the program, yourself, and the community and are comfortable proactively taking steps to implement supports, strategies, or interventions. 
6. You are able to work on evenings and weekends to support CYC members (with full autonomy over your schedule elsewhere to support a healthy, sustainable workload).

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Facilitate CYC meetings & support member’s Social Change Campaign/Project 

• Facilitate sessions to support members’ overall wellness and design/implementation of their year-long Social Change Campaigns/Projects, during bi-weekly Saturday program meetings & weekly Wednesday meetings (which take place during afternoons/evenings)
• Coordinate and cultivate Regional Hubs in communities across Colorado that ensures authentic organizational partnerships, member recruitment from diverse communities, and field trips that travel to different regions across the state with support from the Executive Director.   
• Co-lead the CYC Youth Leadership Network with members, interns, and partners; ensure authentic and equitable youth leadership of the network, help set strategies and tactics alongside members with support from the Deputy Director.
• Ensure high levels of collaboration and communication between members
• Get to know each member personally and support their personal development
• Surface challenges and tensions within the program and co-design adaptations with the team
• Provide space for members to learn how to address tensions within work situations so they can grow as leaders

1. Oversee Besties Group Leaders and Besties Group Peer Support Model

• Oversee and provide training and support for Besties Group Leaders (BGLs) as they facilitate peer support breakouts throughout the program year
• Coach BGLs on their personal and collective leadership skills
• In partnership with the Executive Director and Deputy Director, identify opportunities for deepened learning, skill, issue comprehension, or opportunities for conflict transformation and design and implement programmatic interventions 

1. Administrative Support

• Roster management - our system of keeping track of all CYC members and their needs.
• Tracking all programming-related partnerships and organizational relationships
• Co-coordinate program logistics: scheduling, venue, food, transportation, lodging, materials, liability insurance, media releases.
• Develop and maintain an alumni database
• Engage with external partnerships & coalitions to ensure our youth are well-prepared for opportunities outside of CYC.

NOTES ON THE WORK SCHEDULE

As mentioned, the vast majority of our programming takes place on weekends and evenings. We will have a virtual meeting (almost) every other Saturday throughout the school year from 10am - 12pm (although the time is subject to change a bit depending on members’ preferences)

We will also have three in-person weekend retreats where all of our members and staff come together. The retreats will be held on the following dates in the 24-25 FY: Aug 9-11, Sept 20-22, Dec 12-15, and June 6-7.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Salary is commensurate with experience and will be in the range of $54-60k annually.
• CYC provides 100% insurance coverage for full-time employees via Anthem 
• CYC provides a wellness stipend to invest into your holistic health at $100/month ($1200/annually).
• CYC provides a remote working stipend to offset internet & phone costs at $100/month ($1200/annually).
• Our full-time team works a 32 hr/4 day workweek in an effort to dismantle systems of oppression and allow our team larger space in their life to create and restore.
• CYC is closed 6 weeks throughout the year where staff is fully paid. (August 12-16, Nov. 25-29, Dec 23-Jan 3, March 24-28, June 9-13)
• In addition to full-office closures, CYC provides unlimited PTO for all full time staff.
• CYC provides a sabbatical program after 4 years of full-time service. 
• CYC matches employees 401k investments up to 4% after 6 months of employment through Guideline.
• A coworking membership at Posner Center. 
• A professional development budget of $1,200 per year.
• Flexible working location anywhere in the state of Colorado. 
• Flexible working schedule, bi-weekly on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings September-May, and involves occasional travel.

OUR APPLICATION PROCESS

• Please complete this Google Form as your official application for the role. 
• Round 1 of Interviews will take place July 8-10, 2024.
• The final deadline to apply is June 28th, 2024 at 11:59pm. 

Applicants of any and all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The Colorado Youth Congress is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, national origin, sexual orientation,religion, age, disability, gender variance, gender expression, marital status, citizenship, creed, ethnicity, veteran status, ancestry, and any other protected classification.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Salary is commensurate with experience and will be in the range of $65-70k annually.
• CYC provides 100% insurance coverage for full-time employees via Anthem 
• CYC provides a wellness stipend to invest into your holistic health at $100/month ($1200/annually).
• CYC provides a remote working stipend to offset internet & phone costs at $100/month ($1200/annually).
• Our full-time team works a 32 hr/4 day workweek in an effort to dismantle systems of oppression and allow our team larger space in their life to create and restore.
• CYC is closed 6 weeks throughout the year where staff is fully paid. (August 12-16, Nov. 25-29, Dec 23-Jan 3, March 24-28, June 9-13)
• In addition to full-office closures, CYC provides unlimited PTO for all full time staff.
• CYC provides a sabbatical program after 4 years of full-time service. 
• CYC matches employees 401k investments up to 4% after 6 months of employment through Guideline.
• A coworking membership at Posner Center. 
• A professional development budget of $1,200 per year.
• Flexible working location anywhere in the state of Colorado. 
• Flexible working schedule, bi-weekly on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings September-May, and involves occasional travel.

OUR APPLICATION PROCESS

• Please complete this Google Form as your official application for the role. 
• Round 1 of Interviews will take place July 8-10, 2024.
• The final deadline to apply is June 28th, 2024 at 11:59pm. 

Applicants of any and all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The Colorado Youth Congress is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, national origin, sexual orientation,religion, age, disability, gender variance, gender expression, marital status, citizenship, creed, ethnicity, veteran status, ancestry, and any other protected classification.