New Americans Initiative Director

About this role

New Americans Initiative Director

Employment Type

Full-Time

Job Category

International Programs

Borough

Queens

Location

Flushing YMCA

Salary: $66,300 - $70,000 Annually

The YMCA of Greater New York is here for all New Yorkers – to empower youth, improve health, and strengthen community. Founded in 1852, today the Y serves a diverse population of more than half a million New Yorkers who learn, grow, and thrive through programs and services at our 24 branches. Community is the cornerstone of the Y. Together, we connect active, engaged New Yorkers to build stronger communities.

To help fulfill our mission, we cultivate a culture of learning, leading, and collaboration to enhance community impact. Through our talented staff and “LEAP” career framework (Leadership, Empowerment, Accountability, Personal Growth), we are committed to a people-first approach that fosters trust, inclusion, growth, and development for all.

The Flushing YMCA is seeking a New Americans Initiative Director who will be responsible for leading the strategy, implementation, fidelity, and quality of the New Americans Initiative (NAI) Welcome programs and services.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Planning and Implementation:

• Meet and/or exceed contractual deliverables for NAI.
• Assess participant/constituent needs, create and implement programs to address those needs, and measure program success.
• Use New Americans Initiative best practices to develop short- and long-term plans for programs, monitor progress, assure compliance, and evaluate performance.
• Effectively collect and manage data in various databases, including ASISTS (Adult Student Information and Technical Assistance), DYCD Connect, AS400, and Salesforce, using databases to prepare program reports for internal, city, and state use.
• Create a positive participant experience and serve as a role model for all staff.
• Work proactively to meet participants’ needs and address questions and concerns. Set annual priority objectives to improve the participant experience.
• Analyze participant data and community demographics to identify trends and make proactive decisions that will drive innovative programming, enrollment, and program growth, meeting the needs of the community in keeping with the NAI priority objectives and strategic plan.
• Lead collaboration between the Branch, community, and program to increase overall participation and impact.
• Identify local marketing opportunities unique to the area and communities being served.
• Research, facilitate, and develop high-quality programs that increase participant retention and enhance participant satisfaction.
• Work collaboratively with the Branch staff to develop new inclusive programs.
• Successfully maintain and continue to improve the quality of NAI programming.

Supervisory and Management Responsibilities:

• Supervise program and instructional staff by articulating expectations, displaying model behavior, maintaining open lines of communication, and being clear about roles and relationships.
• Maintain a climate that attracts, retains, and motivates top-quality personnel.
• Anticipate conflicts and facilitate resolution.
• Set annual priority objectives to improve service based on annual staff evaluations or participant evaluation/feedback.
• Plan and facilitate staff development opportunities to address staff needs. Identify relevant external training opportunities for staff.
• Expose instructional staff to new developments and best practices in adult ESOL and civics education, as well as ABE/HSE education if applicable.
• Adhere to Association, Branch, and Communication standards and guidelines.
• Recruit, select, develop, train, and supervise staff and volunteers.
• Train and hold NAI staff accountable.
• Uphold all association policies and demonstrate core values of respect, responsibility, caring, and honesty.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Manage fiscal operations including budget development, modifications and authorization, and tracking of expenditures in accordance with Branch and Association guidelines. Continually monitor the program’s financial health and make recommendations to the Branch Executive Director.
• Assist with the development of public relations and communications strategies to support program goals and increase community awareness.
• Assist with fundraising by identifying key sources of public and private funding for Immigrant Services and work with the development team to complete proposals and grant reporting.
• Actively participate in training sessions, designated meetings, and special events.
• Serve as a Branch Manager on Duty (MOD), as assigned.

Organizational Strategy:

• Develop and coordinate means to seek regular input and feedback from participants and key constituencies regarding the quality and relevance of programs and services.
• Ensure the integrity of the organization in written correspondence and oral communication with community members, colleagues, program partners, and funders.
• Monitor trends, legislation, and regulations and make program and advocacy recommendations to the NAI Cabinet regarding immigration, adult education, and other areas that impact the organization and its constituency as a whole.
• Keep informed of developments in adult literacy education, immigration reform, language access, immigrant rights, worker cooperatives, and civic education goals, and apply this information to create innovative programming aligned with organizational strategy.
• Assist in Annual Campaign efforts. Assist in fundraising efforts and annual sustaining campaigns.
• Develop and grow community partnerships. Work within the community to foster a positive image of the YMCA to encourage good public relations.
• Represent the Branch at assigned Cabinets.
• Maintain required certifications, tracked in Cornerstone. Attend training sessions, seminars, and conferences as required.
• Have a thorough knowledge of Branch emergency procedures and take appropriate action in emergency situations.
• Serve on the Branch leadership team for strategic planning and operations management.
• Work with the Executive Director and Board of Managers.

Desired Skills & Experiences:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience required. Master’s Degree with two (2) years of supervisory experience preferred.
• Three (3) or more years of direct supervisory experience.
• Ability and interest in working with diverse populations.
• Demonstrated commitment to immigrant rights and social justice.
• Strong and polished interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills that facilitate the achievement of desired results.
• Ability to identify/document necessary information for program functioning and evaluation.
• Creative, strategic, and analytical thinker with the ability to manage multiple projects.
• Experience developing and managing budgets and hiring, training, supervising, and assessing personnel.
• Demonstrated success in past employment.
• Must be a self-starter, highly organized, patient, and able to work well with others.
• Knowledge of principles and practices related to adult literacy and civic education, immigration legal services, and case management.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Excel, and working knowledge of Microsoft Suite.
• Knowledge of Windows-based computer applications and database management.
• Bilingual English and another language commonly spoken in our community (Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese) preferred.

Benefits: The YMCA of Greater New York offers a variety of benefits to its staff members, including retirement benefits, medical benefits, paid time off, free YMCA membership, and more! Benefit eligibility is determined by an individual’s employment status (i.e., full-time or part-time), tenure, and/or the number of hours scheduled to work. Click here for more information.

How to Apply: If you would like to be a member of our dynamic team, please complete our online application and submit your résumé and a thoughtful cover letter that explains your interest in the role and our organization.

If you are a current YMCA employee, please submit your application through the Internal Career Site in Cornerstone.