Director of Youth Programs

About Lighthouse

Lighthouse MI is a growing non-profit, established in 2019 when Lighthouse of Oakland County and South Oakland Shelter joined forces to offer a stronger collective response to poverty in our Metro Detroit community. With over 80 years of combined experience, Lighthouse serves as a beacon of hope to our neighbors who need it most by offering assistance with emergency basic needs alongside housing programs and supportive services designed to support long-term economic stability. Lighthouse owns and operates Spero Housing Group, a subsidiary non-profit dedicated specifically to developing and operating high quality affordable and supportive housing for persons of low and moderate income, as well as HandUp, a community and crowdfunding platform serving 100+ homeless service agencies and their clients across the United States.

Position Summary

Lighthouse is hiring a full-time Director of Youth Programming to lead the daily operations and overarching strategy within Lighthouse’s runaway homeless youth service efforts. The Director will serve as the primary contact for key partners including funders; oversee program operations including residential unaccompanied youth services, place-based and scattered-site youth transitional housing services, and various licensing requirements; oversee programmatic outcomes; assist in developing our organizational budget by developing and carrying out program level budgets; and be tasked with the responsibility of securing and managing new and existing program grants and foundation support. Moreover, The Director will lead Lighthouse's collaborative effort to address youth homelessness across a 10 county region of the state through the Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) grant. Lead by Lighthouse, the YHSI project will focus on the goal of improving the regional youth homelessness response system by conducting an in-depth needs assessment, service and system mapping, and developing recommended improvements to the regions coordinated entry process - all through a collaborative approach and racial and gender equity lens. To accomplish this full scope of work, the Director must be well organized, personable, as well as mission-driven and community oriented. The ideal individual will have the ability to exercise good judgment in a variety of situations with strong leadership, organizational, and budget management skills.

Responsibilities: Staff Leadership

• Supervise program management across multiple locations,

• Coach and mentor team members to assist them with professional development plans,

• Lead and rally team around operational and strategic goals and visions,

• Facilitate ongoing team meetings,

• Ensure new and existing staff are properly trained and have the tools needed to complete their jobs including tracking program expenses,

• Facilitate trainings across programs and locations to maintain an effective cohesive team that efficiently delivers and improves services,

• Respond to client and volunteer feedback and grievances as they relate to relevant programming,

• With support from the Chief Talent and Strategy Officer, ensure team members maintain annual agency-wide trainings and approvals, and

• Hold team accountable to department goals, agency values and policies, and established roles and responsibilities, and

• Conduct annual performance reviews.

Responsibilities: Program Leadership and Development

• Lead the YHSI project and ensure milestones are met and partners are fully engaged throughout the process,

• Inform, develop, lead, and monitor the overall RHY program and department strategy and ensure it’s alignment with Lighthouse’s greater mission and strategy,

• Work to ensure the financial sustainability of your programs and program growth. This includes building and maintaining funding relationships and seeking and applying for relevant grants and funds.

• Ensure programs under your supervision are complaint with funding contracts and license requirements,

• Work to establish outcomes, benchmarks, and evaluation plan for youth services across sites,

• Monitor, collect, and provide time-sensitive program output and outcome data. Independently or with your team, run regularly data quality reports and conduct clean-up,

• Assist with creating and managing program budgets including approving and tracking program related expenses,

• Work independently, with your supervisor, and with the development department to seek and secure funding and in-kind support,

• Work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to ensure relevant volunteer roles are filled appropriately,

• Inform community-based fundraising activities lead by the development department,

• Gain an understanding of the greater homeless youth service systems and work to coordinate services across sectors for a stronger service system for clients,

• Work with facilities team to ensure proper maintenance of RHY program locations,

• Lead and prepare for program audits,

• Work with program managers to create and update program manuals as needed, and

• Lead the development of program specific work plans and ensure they are carried out accordingly.

Responsibilities: General

• Participate in internal and external task-forces and committees,

• Lead board related program committee or task force meeting,

• Develop strong working relationships with local Feeding America members, national food rescue organizations, and local farmers,

• Foster and coordinate inter-agency collaborative solutions and referrals to help clients connect with services,

• Implement and enforce agency and office policies and values to maintain a safe, client-centered, and inclusive environment for clients, volunteers, and staff.

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree with a major in education, a human behavioral science, business administration, or public administration from an accredited college or university and 4 years of post-bachelor’s degree experience in a child caring institution or child placing agency or equivalent organization from another state or Canadian province.

• 6+ years experience working within human services,

• 3+ years experience managing, developing and leading high-performing teams towards successful outcomes,

• Ability to pass a federal criminal background check, a check of Michigan’s child abuse and

  neglect central registry, and a check of other states’ child abuse registry where you have resided within the preceding five years.

• Ability to listen and accept feedback constructively,

• Ability to lead in a fast paced, demanding, constantly changing environment,

• Proficient in G Suite and Microsoft Office,

• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks with attention to detail,

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff and volunteers,

• Exceptional communication ability, both written and oral,

• Ability to build consensus and resolve conflict; exhibits willingness to have difficult conversations, and

• Reliable transportation.

Preferred Qualifications

• A master’s degree in a human behavioral science, education, business administration, or public administration from an accredited college or university and at least 2 years of experience in a child caring institution or child placing agency or equivalent organization from another state or Canadian province.

• Lived or professional experience working with people experiencing homelessness or levels of poverty in the US,

• 7+ years’ total experience in a role directly or indirectly related to a human/social services and/or case management

• Experiencing securing and managing federal program funding,

• Knowledge of the social services landscape in Oakland County and surrounding areas,

• Professional experience implementing runaway homeless youth services,

• HMIS and/or RHY-HMIS experience,

• Harm Reduction, Trauma Informed Care, Housing First, and SPDAT training,

• Proven ability to work effectively with racially and ethnically diverse clients and teams,

• Experience in managing and leading teams,

• Ability to build consensus and resolve conflict; exhibits willingness to have difficult conversations,

• Exceptional communication ability, both written and oral,

• Ability to listen and accept feedback constructively,

• Possess high emotional intelligence skills,

• Unwavering personal integrity, and

• Ability to lead in a fast paced, demanding, constantly changing environment.

Excellent benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life, matching 401(k), and more.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this position. It should not be construed as an exhaustive list of all required duties, responsibilities, and skills. Lighthouse is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate against any qualified individual based on race, creed, religion, national origin, color, status as a veteran, gender or gender identity, sex, age, sexual preference or orientation, marital status, disability, income, weight, or any other basis prohibited by law.