Community Engagement Manager

Job Title: Community Engagement Manager

Reports to: Director of DC Programming

Salary Range: $70,000 - $80,000

Starting: October 2024

Status: Full Time (40 hours/week)

Location: Washington, DC

Deadline to Apply: September 23, 2024

About Generation Hope: 

Generation Hope is a nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure all student parents have the opportunities to succeed and experience economic mobility by engaging education and policy partners to drive systemic change and providing direct support to teen parents in college as well as their children through holistic, two-generation programming. To date, we have provided over $1.3 million in tuition assistance, supported almost 500 teen parents in college, celebrated almost 200 degrees earned through our program, and built relationships with 30+ two and four-year institutions nationwide. For more information, please visit www.generationhope.org.

By joining our team, you will work for an organization named "one of the best nonprofits" by Spur Local. Not only do we live out and operationalize our values, we do the work to create a culture that truly supports every member of our staff. The best part of our organization is the people, from the families we serve to the team we have deliberately cultivated. We strive for excellence while understanding the most valuable asset that we have is our people. We celebrate diversity in all forms, including thought, professional and lived experiences, race, gender - even taste in music. If this sounds like a mission and work environment you would like  to contribute to and grow with, please consider joining our team.

Job Description:

The Community Engagement Manager is responsible for developing and managing Generation Hope’s recruitment strategy in the DC region for Scholars, mentors, and volunteers, being a voice in the community to spread awareness about Generation Hope, and managing Generation Hope’s recruitment team. The Community Engagement Manager should have a solid track record in volunteer management, a strong background in public speaking, experience in managing employees, possess strategic planning skills, provide outstanding customer service, be an enthusiastic professional, and be able to build relationships with internal and external customers. S/he will often act as the first point of contact for Generation Hope and must be able to excite people about our mission and inspire them to action. 

Major Responsibilities:

• Setting Direction and Strategy 
• Ultimate accountability for meeting local recruitment targets by creating, overseeing, and evaluating recruitment strategies for Mentors, Scholars, and volunteers.
• Develop creative strategies for recruiting specific groups (i.e. teen fathers). This could include, but is not limited to, designing events to attract certain groups to the program, developing relationships with new partners, and more.
• Work closely and regularly with direct reports to ensure the strategy is being implemented to reach annual local recruitment goals.
• Establish relationships with membership organizations, grassroots leaders, nonprofits, community leaders, grassroots organizers, etc. 
• Lead DC area Scholar and mentor interview and selection process. 
• Serve as a resource to Generation Hope’s other program sites in terms of sharing recruitment strategies and best practices.
• Mentor and Resource Family Recruitment
• Develop, lead, and implement strategy around recruiting both one-on-one and group mentors for Generation Hope’s DC-area programming
• Ultimate accountability for meeting mentor and Resource Family recruitment targets 
• Ensure that Generation Hope is able to recruit a diverse group of mentors that reflects the diversity of the Scholar community 
• Work with the development team and the Director of DC Programming to raise funds in support of Generation Hope’s mentoring program
• Supervision and Leadership 
• Coach, support, and evaluate two direct reports (Volunteer Coordinator and Scholar Recruitment Coordinator) regularly to achieve performance goals and to grow and develop the team through weekly 1:1 meetings, feedback, and guidance.
• Create efficient processes and systems for optimal team functionality. 
• Monitor and manage the recruitment and outreach budget.
• Keep the Director of DC Programming informed of recruitment progress and regularly collaborate with other program managers to ensure overall programmatic goals are being met.  
• Communications  
• Work with the communications team to develop and implement local recruitment priorities and strategies.
• Serve as staff lead spokesperson for recruitment and community engagement opportunities in the DC region (i.e., represents Generation Hope at larger community events) and delegate other speaking engagements to direct reports.
• Be an active member of the local community, representing Generation Hope at tabling events, community discussions and other events; Create meaningful partnerships with various groups (i.e. managing corporate partnerships)
• Other
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; and participating in professional societies.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Knowledge: 

• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to Generation Hope’s mission and values
• Bachelor’s Degree OR a combination of post-secondary education and experience equal to five years
• At least two years of management experience 
• At least two years of experience recruiting mentors or volunteers 
• Experience creating and executing overarching plans to meet organizational goals
• Extremely organized with strong attention to detail and unparalleled follow-up 
• Access to reliable, insured transportation to get to events around the D.C. metro area
• Must be available for special events and speaking opportunities, which may occur on evenings and weekends
• Compelling and confident public speaker who can inspire people to action and is comfortable speaking and presenting in both formal and informal settings
• Strong relationship-builder who can connect with a diverse range of people and groups
• Ability to analyze and interpret data and make data-driven adjustments to maximize effectiveness
• Personal and professional commitment to understanding and dismantling systemic and institutional racism
• Ability to self-direct and prioritize among competing goals and to initiate process improvements
• Great listener who can understand the interests and motivations of potential volunteers or mentors and work with them to find the right opportunity to engage 
• Strategic and able to think several steps ahead in creating plans to reach ambitious targets
• Goal-oriented, with strong initiative and creative problem-solving skills

CANDIDATES MUST RESIDE IN THE WASHINGTON, DC AREA BEFORE THE EMPLOYMENT START DATE. Generation Hope has a hybrid remote and in-office work model. 

Generation Hope provides full benefits, including 403(b), health, dental, and paid time off. More information on benefits can be found at generationhope.org/careers. As a safeguard to the health of our employees, participants, and community, all new hires must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the employment start date. Our full vaccination policy is available here.

Please visit generationhope.org/careers to apply. Please do not call. 

Generation Hope is an equal opportunity employer. Generation Hope will not discriminate on any basis prohibited by law, including marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibility, matriculation, political affiliation, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, breastfeeding, or reproductive health decisions), age, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, and disability.