Program Director

Centro Nueva Creación (Centro) is a community-based organization active in the Fairhill neighborhood of North Philadelphia. Our mission is to promote resiliency in young people through educational enrichment and engagement with the arts and Latino cultures. We run after school and summer out-of-school-time (OST) enrichment programs for young people in our community. Our programs are a mix of literacy, art, homework help, sports, bomba dance and drumming, and other activities.

We seek qualified applicants to fill the initially part-time role of Program Director. This role will report directly to our Executive Director. This role is expected to become full-time within a year.

The Program Director will be responsible for the overall management of the programs including program planning; coordinating daily activities; engaging with school officials, parents, and community members; and conducting quarterly written evaluation of program staff.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Recruit, train, evaluate, and supervise staff in accordance with child care center regulations.
• Serve as liaison to school officials, attend school planning and partner meetings, and develop community relations.
• Manage administrative issues in coordination with Centro’s Executive Director and Office Administrator, such as data entry and documentation of the program.
• Purchase and inventory equipment and supplies.
• Maintain accurate records pertaining to licensing requirements and the health and safety of staff and children.
• Ensure documentation of youth and family information, as well as medical information for staff and program participants.
• Plan and create engaging youth development programming that meet Centro’s mission and strategic objectives, as well as the requirements of Centro’s funding partners.
• Provide leadership to the staff in fulfilling program policies set forth by Philadelphia’s Office of Children and Families.
• Successfully meet and manage program budget in coordination with Executive Director and other relevant staff.
• Work with the program and other relevant staff to ensure enrollment and participation of youth.
• Maintain and continue to improve the quality of the program through regular meetings with program staff and external stakeholders.
• Participate in training sessions, required meetings, and special events.

General Responsibilities:

• Assist with staff coverage during drop-in and group hours, and/or throughout typical day as necessary to adequately staff the center, including group monitoring.
• Help maintain student files and database information; track enrollment and progress, and report outcomes per guidance by agency and/or funding source.
• Participate in staff meetings, department meetings and consultations, and supervisory meetings.
• Participate in staff professional development as necessary and/or required.
• Complete other relevant tasks as assigned.

Teamwork and Collaboration:

• Work in collaboration with program and all other agency staff to facilitate a team environment.
• Model effective team behaviors.
• Demonstrate effective communication skills in building relationships with all employees and youth.
• Cultivate good working relationships with area service providers and support programs to facilitate access to area resources for our students.
• Substitute for other staff when need arises.
• Other relevant tasks as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Applicants must possess one of the following:
  • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood education, child development, special education, elementary education, or the human services field and 1 year of experience with children.
  • OR A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, including 30 credit hours in early childhood education, child development, special education, elementary education, or the human services field and 2 years of experience with children.
  • OR An associate’s degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood education, child development, special education, elementary education, or the human services field and 3 years of experience with children.
  • OR An associate’s degree from an accredited college or university, including 30 credit hours in early childhood education, child development, special education, elementary education, or the human services field and 4 years of experience with children.
  • OR six years of experience with children in an after school or youth development program. Preferably with management or supervisory experience.
• Fluency in English and Spanish.
• Strong computer skills, with an ability to track data and produce reports.
• Strong communication, supervisory, administrative, and fiscal management skills.
• Flexibility and original thinking, especially when confronted with stressful situations.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines.
• Ability to relate to diverse groups of people from all social and economic segments of the community.
• Must be able to pass required background checks prior to working with children.

Physical Requirements:

These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the Support Services Coordinator job. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the Support Services Coordinator job.

• The employee is often required to sit and use their hands and fingers, stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
• Vision abilities required by this job include close vision. Often uses a computer, tablet, or other office technology such as a calculator, copy machine, and printer.
• The employee is often required to effectively communicate and work in community and/or group environments where multiple conversations and simultaneous sound stimuli (music, traffic, etc.) occur.
• Retrieve and deliver supplies from storage areas to clients and move boxes and materials weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Often works in outdoor weather conditions, especially during Spring/Summer months.