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Program Director - Summer Arts and Learning Academy

The mission of the Young Audiences Arts & Learning Academies is to provide students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend the summer learning from the best teachers and teaching artists our state has to offer. Through a dynamic, creative, and supportive environment, students will explore math and literacy in a unique arts-integrated environment that allows them to develop academically socially and emotionally, expands their personal creative process, and introduces them to many different art forms taught by professional artists.

Reporting to the Chief of Arts & Learning Academies, the Program Director is responsible for leading all aspects of YA’s largest program—the Summer Arts & Learning Academy (SALA)—which is anticipated to have a budget of roughly $2.5M for FY2021. The Program Director for SALA will work closely with the Education Director on all aspects of teaching and learning within the program; the Communications Manager on all communications, marketing, and design projects related to SALA, and the Data and Systems Manager on evaluation. In addition, this director works closely with the COO and CEO and other directors in terms of thought leadership and helping to build and maintain a cohesive and healthy organization whose day to day operations align with its core values.

The ideal candidate has experience managing people and teams in a complex or multi-site organizational structure in which they have needed to engage a wide range of stakeholders and support staff through a variety of tasks. Preference will be given to candidates that have strong skills in systems thinking drawn on the knowledge of the impact of racism in our city and state, and an interest in applying that knowledge to their everyday work at YA.

This position is exempt and is not eligible for overtime.

Summer Arts & Learning Academy (SALA) Duties and Responsibilities

Planning and Preparation

  • Constantly drive innovation and improvements in SALA, bringing in best practices from previous experience as well as from the field as a whole, and being responsive to stakeholder needs.
  • Develop long term quality and growth goals for improving program quality, cost efficiency, sustainability, and student/teacher reach, etc.
  • Develop and cultivate strong symbiotic and supportive relationships with Baltimore City Public Schools staff overseeing all elements of SALA programs, including the Coordinator of Summer Learning, Director of Specialized Services, Manager of Teaching and Learning, Director of Teaching Learning, Office of Achievement and Accountability Staff, the special assistant to the Chief Academic Officer, ESY (Extended School Year) Office Staff, Director of Literacy and Director of Math, Director of Early Learning, Grant Managers, Food and Nutrition, etc.
  • Identify and secure the best school site locations in partnership with City Schools, and cultivate those relationships with principals and other school-based staff to ensure a strong, meaningful, and lasting partnership.
  • Develop and execute MOUs for host school partners ensuring YA has access to the facilities, personnel, and resources needed while supporting the needs of the individual schools and district.
  • In partnership with the Chief, develop internal and external program budgets, including creating quotes and invoices for K12Buy as well as grant budgets.
  • Develop and maintain critical partnerships currently established within the program. These partnerships include Morgan State University, Urban Teachers, Reading Partners, a before and after care provider, and other non-arts-based afternoon enrichment providers (athletics, robotics, etc.) to develop highly engaging experiences for the program’s students. Regularly review the effectiveness of current partners to determine their overall value to the program.
  • Identify and develop new and innovative partnerships that provide additional resources, services, and benefits to the staff, students, families, and communities that we serve.
  • Create systems for communicating with families via text, email, and phone, and ensure proper tracking and logging of communication.
  • Oversee the development, in partnership with City Schools, of the SALA student application form (via Form Assembly and Salesforce).
  • Disseminate student applications widely among City Schools students and families to ensure high rates of applications are received.
  • Oversee the procurement of supplies, texts, printed collateral, etc.

Personnel Recruitment and Hiring

  • Create job descriptions, pay schedules, and other resources necessary to recruit the best staff for every position.
  • Develop a comprehensive staff recruitment plan to ensure broad and equitable dissemination using both traditional and nontraditional platforms and methods. In partnership with the Education Director, oversee the hiring process for all staff including Site Directors, Directors of Operations, Teachers, Teaching Artists, Student Support Coordinators, and Assistants.
  • Oversee orientation of all staff, including YA Program Coordinators.
  • Develop and deliver professional development and training for site directors and other staff.
  • Develop systems to accurately and efficiently ensure the timely payment of all staff and quickly address any issues and discrepancies.

Program Days

  • Maintain contact with host school leadership on a regular basis to ensure that YA is being a model partner to our host schools.
  • When needed, serve as “Regional Director” of at least 4 SALA sites. Regional Directors will split time amongst their sites, providing onsite support to site directors, liaise between sites and City Schools personnel, troubleshoot issues, oversee budget and personnel, and coordinate and chaperone on field trips as needed.
  • Provide leadership and oversight to YA full-time staff supporting individual sites.
  • In partnership with the Communications Manager and the Development Office, serve as a point of contact for media and donor visits to the sites.
  • Provide weekly reports on attendance and other progress monitoring to City Schools and program funders.
  • In partnership with the Data and Systems Manager, develop systems to ensure that all data collected is thorough, timely and accurate, collected and stored efficiently, and is made easily accessible to staff that need this data to make program decisions.
  • Collaborate regularly with various offices within City Schools that support the program including Food and Nutrition, Nursing Services, Special Education Services, English Language Learner Services, and the Office of Achievement and Accountability.
  • When needed, observe within classrooms and provide feedback to ensure high quality and rigorous instruction and a positive classroom climate.
  • Act as an emergency fill-in/substitute for any position on the summer staff.

Evaluation and Data

  • Develop, in partnership with the CEO, the Education Director, and the Data and Systems Manager, as well as an external evaluator, a comprehensive evaluation plan including goals and methodologies that evaluate the efficacy of the program and meet the needs of stakeholders including City Schools and funders.
  • Support an external evaluator in completing a thorough final evaluation in a timely manner.
  • Further develop YAMD’s proprietary Student Management System on the Salesforce platform. This may involve working with external contractors to develop new functionality and improve existing processes.
  • In partnership with the Communications Manager, develop collateral, reports, and other materials to distribute results of evaluations.

Organizational Leadership

  • Provide supervision and mentorship to direct and indirect reports within the SALA team.
  • Meets regularly with the CEO and COO to serve as a thought partner on strategic, financial, and operational issues.
  • Meets regularly with the Chief of Arts & Learning Academies.
  • Serves as a vital member of the leadership/directors team, modeling behaviors we seek in all of the organization’s leaders.
  • Serves as a leader within the organization that people can go to for guidance and support to uphold the values and mission of the organization.

Qualifications:

While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, the successful candidate will fit many of the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

  • 5-10 years of experience working in nonprofit administration, education, or a related field.
  • Experience creating and managing budgets in excess of $1M.
  • Experience with Salesforce CRM platform.
  • Experience hiring large numbers of temporary staff.
  • Excellent partnership development skills.
  • Experience working with Baltimore City Public Schools or other urban school system.
  • Extensive knowledge and experience directing programs in summer and out-of-school-time settings.
  • Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
  • Exceptional managerial experience, with an inclusive leadership style, skill in giving and receiving feedback, the ability to hold staff accountable, and drive continuous results and improvement.
  • Commitment to race equity; preferred experience applying a racial justice and race equity lens to their work, and an ability to examine biases and an understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and its impact on policies and practices, especially related to the administration of public education.
  • Strong communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills, especially when working across differences, with demonstrated ability to form and maintain strong collaborative partnerships and to build consensus with colleagues, program staff, and other strategic stakeholders.
  • Ability to thrive in a high autonomy/high accountability environment, and to adapt to changing circumstances, working flexibly to handle multiple priorities.
  • Excellent computer skills.

Compensation:

We offer an attractive benefits package which includes medical, dental and vision health care coverage, retirement contributions, paid sick leave, and vacation time.

To Apply:

For consideration, please apply on our website, https://www.yamd.org/join-us/internship-and-employment-opportunities/dir.... There is a rolling deadline to apply. Please do not send applications that include headshots or photos of yourself. No phone calls or recruiters please.

Salary Range
$60,000 - $70,000
Employer Name:
Young Audiences of Maryland
Job Title:
Program Director - Summer Arts and Learning Academy
Job Submission Requirements:
For consideration, please apply on our website, https://www.yamd.org/join-us/internship-and-employment-opportunities/director-sala/. There is a rolling deadline to apply. Please do not send applications that include headshots or photos of yourself. No phone calls or recruiters please.
Benefit Package
We offer an attractive benefits package which includes medical, dental and vision health care coverage, retirement contributions, paid sick leave, and vacation time.

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As a member of GBCA, you will not only gain access to wonderful benefits, but you will also become an active participant in a broader cultural community. Your organization and employees will directly benefit from opportunities to collaborate, connect, learn, network and share with your colleagues in the cultural community. Join our growing constituency of over 300 individual artists and organizations representing the region's extraordinary range of arts, culture, history, heritage, humanities, and attractions.

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