Program Director

• Actively participate as a member of the senior management team in leading Friends Dallas, participating in strategic planning, budgeting, and making/implementing decisions and policies related to the organization.
• Work with Executive Director to ensure compliance with budgets and program guidelines.
• Communicate regularly and effectively with Executive Director about key aspects of the program, including status of children, performance of Friends, recommendations for improvement of the program, and potential issues with staff members or children.
• Develop, implement, and oversee other projects as required.

• Hire, supervise, inspire, develop, and evaluate the efforts of Friends. Serve as a role model and mentor for Friends, ensure that they have the resources necessary to perform their jobs, act as team leader and motivator, and facilitate effective communication in all directions.
• Manage the performance of Friends, including conducting annual and semi-annual performance appraisals. Hold Friends accountable for work performance, including time spent with children, quality and diversity of youth activities, and administrative/reporting responsibilities.
• Work with national program team to implement initial Friends training, as well as ongoing training and other required professional development and performance improvement activities.
• Lead and facilitate effective, weekly staff meetings focused on child and Friend successes, concerns, and ideas. Communicate organizational information and solicit feedback from the team.
• Communicate effectively and appropriately regarding organizational data, issues, concerns, policies, and procedures. Raise and resolve issues appropriately.

• Know and understand the needs of each family served. Utilize resources that provide feedback (e.g. STATS database reports and annual caregiver and youth evaluations) to establish priority partnerships and programming that are responsive to the needs and goals of youth and families.
• Research, develop, implement, and sustain best practice programming to serve current and future needs of the organization as required.
• Develop and implement culturally appropriate programming that supports positive identity growth of children and families in the program.
• Utilize program data to help develop, implement, and sustain enrichment activities and program excellence. Ensure the quality of program delivery at all levels.
• Maintain responsibility for the quality, integrity, and timely entry of all program data.
• Manage state and federal grant requirements related to participant eligibility, service documentation, expense reporting, and program monitoring. Participate in grant-related audits, site visits, trainings, and meetings as required.

• Develop trusting, supportive relationships with families and guardians of the children we serve.
• Meet with Friends monthly to review Road Map goals for each child. Ensure that Friends have identified and developed a specific area of interest or talent for each child. Be relentlessly committed to ensuring that youth and caregivers achieve their goals and our long-term outcomes.
• Solicit and obtain feedback from a minimum of two parents/caregivers of children per month. Document and maintain all feedback and include in Quarterly Report.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with partner schools and/or other community partners to allow for effective program implementation and sustainability. Design and implement a process to ensure others are trained/developed to work in this capacity as well, to further strengthen our efforts to cultivate and maintain these critical relationships.
• Manage the child identification and selection process; including developing and sustaining a robust, formalized process, and training and supervising process participants.
• Participate in regular conference calls with Program Directors in the national and Texas networks, and otherwise communicate with personnel at the national office and other chapters about the program.

• Participate in the recruiting, selection, and hiring of other staff as required.
• Oversee the coordination of critical issues that arise with youth.
• Ensure compliance with and accountability to organization’s policies, procedures, and practices as outlined in the Employee Manual, Program Fidelity Agreement, and Friends Handbook. Contribute to the review and improvement of these documents as needed.
• Understand the organization’s mission, vision, values, and principles and be able to clearly articulate the organization’s function. Serve as effective, compelling spokesperson for the organization.
• Create professional development opportunities for Friends to increase their capacity to provide culturally appropriate programming and interventions for children and families.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Strong interpersonal, written communication, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong time management, delegation, and follow-up skills.
• Ability to cultivate and sustain relationships and work effectively with a wide variety of constituencies, including staff, program children, caregivers, schools, organizational supporters, Board members, and community partners.
• Ability to effectively and professionally represent the organization to a wide variety of audiences.
• Ability to research, analyze data, design/develop, propose, implement, and sustain culturally-grounded programming.
• Ability to solve problems and work in a team environment.
• Strong project management skills. Proven ability to manage and meet multiple deadlines, responsibilities, and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to influence the behavior of others to achieve necessary results.
• Strategic planning and budgeting skills.
• Ability to function in different work environments (e.g. office, schools and other partner sites, community locations).
• Knowledge of child development and child issues, particularly those most relevant to our program youth.
• Awareness of community resources, and the ability to cultivate and sustain relationships with these resources.
• Enthusiasm for helping to plan and manage the anticipated growth of Friends of the Children – Dallas, and commitment to developing personal skills and knowledge as appropriate to that growth.

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field required; Master's degree preferred.
• Seven to ten years of experience working with child-related programs in progressively responsible roles.
• Three to five years in leadership or management roles with significant supervisory duties and responsibilities.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish strongly preferred.

Friends of the Children - Dallas