Teen Career Coordinator

Teen Career Coordinator

Youth Enrichment Services Inc. (YES) is a $1.8M non-profit corporation headquartered in Boston whose mission is to inspire youth through outdoor experiences and leadership opportunities that build confidence and prepare them to summit life’s challenges. Founded in 1968, YES provides opportunities to develop self-confidence and leadership skills through participation in outdoor activities such as skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, track & field, etc. 1,500 youth, ages 6-18, participate in year-round programs: Operation Snowsports, Outdoor Adventure, and YES Academy high school leadership program. Volunteers help staff the programs, an average of 150 people per year. Go to www.yeskids.org for more information about YES.

Position Overview

The Teen Career Coordinator is a part of YES’s high school leadership programs, supporting YES Academy Leadership Corps and overseeing teen career and employment operations. This position will supervise and coordinate the school-year and summer career & teen employment programming and is responsible for creating, maintaining, and routinely updating a robust teen employment and leadership program. In addition to teen staff supervision, they will play a key role in facilitating and supporting the Leadership Corps program objectives of preparing teens with leadership skills, career exploration and life skills. The focus of this position is to create an intentional pipeline and pathway for success between entry level programming (YES core programs) and high impact teen leadership programs (YES Academy and teen employment) and leverage alumni relations. Additionally, this position will support youth exploring post high school academic pathways by coordinating college tours and other enrichment opportunities. The Teen Career Coordinator is supervised by the YES Academy Manager. This is an in-person position.

Duties and Responsibilities

Program Coordination:

• As part of the high school program team, work with team members in planning logistics of teen leadership development programming year-round
• Support the Teen Leadership Programs Team with program outreach and recruitment and data input in a timely and accurate manner
• Meet weekly with Teen Leadership Programs Team to review Leadership Corps calendar, expectations, and progress/evaluation of skill development and program outcomes
• Provide structured follow-up with college students who have completed Leadership Corps by surveying YES’s impact while they are in college, supporting them with mentorship as needed, and sharing opportunities for continued involved with YES.
• Foster mentoring relationships among YES alumni and current teen leaders and teen staff for college support, informational interviews, networking, etc.
• Plan and implement monthly recurring College Tours or Career Exploration Events for YES teens to attend
• Create intentional opportunities for YES Adult Volunteers to interact, engage, and build relationships with Leadership Corps teens such as networking nights and career exploration
• Develop connections with local partners for internships, job shadowing, training, and employment opportunities and maintain updated resources and networking materials for Leadership Corps

Teen Employment and Supervision:

• Develop and implement teen employment recruitment plan focused on annual enrollment goal of at least 75% current or former YES Academy participants as staff.
• Supervise high school youth staff and interns and ensure all appropriate documentation and data is collected throughout program process
• Provide oversight of teen employment opportunities from recruitment to post-employment which includes ongoing supervision, support, and evaluation for all teen staff in on and off-site programming
• Foster relationships with funding partners by providing timely communication around opportunities and sharing events and programs with teens.
• Complete all applications and follow up for year-round teen employment opportunities
• Implement a supervision schedule and plan for all teen staff employed at YES.
• Perform weekly site visits during summer activities and engage in weekly debriefs with YES supervisory staff and support summer camp operations as scheduled
• Attend partner trainings and orientations for teen staff
• Create and implement individual program workplans and overall Youth Employment Guidelines
• Prepare and present reports with YES Academy Manager as requested by Executive Director, Director of Programs & Operations, Development, and the Board of Directors that include updates on demographics, metrics, short and long-term program goals, and overall outcomes
• Continue as the liaison with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) Workforce Summer Program to ensure YES youth are informed about the program and support their application and follow-up throughout the application process and work schedule

Desired Qualifications

Ideal candidate should have prior experience leading large groups of young people in Boston neighborhoods, as well as be effective in facilitating large groups. Independence, initiative and excellent communications skills are important.

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent professional direct service experience with teens/adolescents
• 1+ years’ experience supervising youth in an employment role
• Demonstrated networking skills and resource development
• Demonstrated experience building or adapting curriculum
• Proficiency on Microsoft Office, email and internet is required
• On site full-time, flexible schedule that will include evenings and some weekends
• CPR/First Aid certified (or able to obtain certification within 45 days of hire date)
• Driver’s License is required with the ability to drive a 12-passenger van
• CORI/SORI Background check will be administered

Desired Skills and Experience

• A motivator, listener, and positive role for young people
• Have gender sensitivity and multi-cultural competency
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Understanding of 21st century skill building
• Willingness to participate in, learn and facilitate YES offered outdoor activities

The above job description and qualifications are not meant to be all-inclusive. Additional responsibilities and qualifications may be added at any time by the employee’s direct supervisor, the Director of Programs and Operations, or Executive Director.

YES strongly desires to attract a broad and diverse pool of candidates to apply, particularly candidates who represent the communities YES serves.

This is a full-time, on-site, in-person position (~40 hours/ week with benefits).

Applications will be accepted throughout February 2025 or until position is filled. Interested applicants should email a cover letter and resume to Mollie Sullivan, YES Academy Manager, at msullivan@yeskids.org and include “Application for Teen Career Coordinator” in the title.