Executive Director, St. Stephen's Youth Programs

St. Stephen’s Youth Programs (SSYP) seeks a full-time Executive Director to lead the organization, fulfill the mission, and deepen impact in our communities.

Organization

The mission of St. Stephen’s Youth Programs is to promote equity in education, employment, and opportunity through long-term relationships with young people and their families and communities.

SSYP accomplishes its mission through:

• Out-of-school time programs that keep young people safe and healthy within a supportive community and strengthen critical thinking through academics and enrichment.
• Teen and alumni programs that provide teens and young adults with the tools they need to achieve their own academic and career goals.
• Intergenerational community organizing and family engagement programs that equip parents and young people with the tools to build power and make material changes in our neighborhoods and schools.

The Vicar of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church founded SSYP in the South End of Boston and served as the part-time Executive Director of the organization from 1999 to 2022. This deeply committed and highly respected Executive Director stepped down from his position this past winter. SSYP functions as an independent non-profit organization and remains wholly owned and operated by St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church overseen by the Executive Board of St. Stephen’s Church. Currently, SSYP employs 12 full-time staff, 7 part-time salaried employees, and more than 210 seasonal staff including teens, young adults, and parents. SSYP has an annual operating budget of $2.4M that covers a variety of youth program costs (60%), community organizing engagements (20%) as well as administration and development expenses (20%).

SSYP has a unique model of deep relationship-building with youth which includes restorative justice practices. Thanks to these relationships and connections in the community, SSYP has the ability to adapt programs rapidly to respond to community input and changes. SSYP uses nationally recognized evaluation and measurement tools to analyze the success and areas for improvement in all programs. In 2021-2022, SSYP’s out-of-school time programs engaged 400 young people ages 5-25 and 250 parents from across the City of Boston. SSYP seeks a leader who embodies the core organizational values and who brings a positive vibe to the team and organization. SSYP is a dynamic, supportive work environment where the team takes its crucial work to heart while also enjoying lots of laughs together.

SSYP values:

• Welcoming: We welcome everyone who walks through our doors, and we continually reach out to engage with the communities around us.
• Relational: Our work is rooted in healthy one-on-one relationships, thriving partnerships and a supportive and dynamic community.
• Responsive: We pay careful attention to evolving youth, family, and community needs and respond as quickly and effectively as possible to what emerges.
• Equitable: We actively work to create greater equity of opportunity for all people to participate in and benefit from the common good, public institutions, and democracy, especially those who have been systematically marginalized from these public goods due to race, gender, ethnicity, age, and other factors.
• Resource Wise: We are attentive to the needs of our community and how to match effectively the resources of funds, people, and materials to meet those needs.

Opportunity

The Executive Director will lead an organization dedicated to promoting equity and supporting youth, their families, and other parents in the vibrant and culturally diverse community of Boston. This is a unique opportunity to sharpen SSYP’s vision and to deepen its impact; the new leader will increase SSYP’s ability to achieve its mission and strategic goals. Priorities for the next Executive Director include:

Strategic planning to define SSYP’s vision for the future

The Executive Director will play a strategic role in the direction and growth of the organization. They will continue to refine and sharpen the mission and vision to help drive and guide the work. The Executive Director will bring a clarity of understanding around mission and vision to staff, stakeholders and community partners.

Build relationships and strengthen community awareness

Strengthen relationships with community partners and expand the network of SSYP supporters. The Executive Director must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, be eager to be out in front as SSYP’s primary spokesperson and be a consummate networker, able to interact and communicate with staff, board members, community partners and funders to proactively build and sustain thoughtful, supportive, caring relationships and deepen the community’s knowledge of SSYP.

Develop a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy

Embed a focus of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within the framework of the organization to ensure those most affected by decisions have not only input but also decision making power; and that staff and board members reflect the race and experiences of the neighborhoods and communities of SSYP. Maintain the organization’s values and standards by continually inspiring a positive culture of empathy, inclusivity, and care for employees and develop leaders and professional opportunities.

Build and diversify funding to expand network of donors 

The Executive Director will passionately convey the story of SSYP and take a strategic approach to determine fresh avenues of individual and corporate funding. SSYP has an experienced team of development staff who support the Executive Director in maintaining existing donor relationships and developing new relationships.

Administration and Operations

• Identify, develop, facilitate, implement and monitor the strategic planning process, including short- and long-term goals and objectives.
• Streamline operations to optimize business processes.
• Oversee the organization’s operations, finances, programs and staff, decisively and efficiently aligning and maximizing resources to set and achieve ambitious strategic goals, while also holding self, staff and the board accountable to measurable goals.

Fundraising and Partnership Building

• Review current revenue streams that consist primarily of individual giving, foundations, and Episcopal Church-related support, and prioritize how and where to expand fundraising efforts.
• Expand marketing and communications to increase awareness and grow partner relationships in alignment with the organization’s strategic goals.
• Grow corporate and individual donors, and identify and pursue grant opportunities.

Staff and Board Leadership

• Build the capacity and expertise of the six-member Church Executive Board, staff and volunteers.
• Provide on-going decision- and problem- solving expertise and assistance to ensure a positive, productive working environment.
• Manage and develop the board to steer the organization through the growth phase to maturity.

• Passion for SSYP’s mission with a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and a demonstrated ability to lead with love.
• Prior experience in a community-based organization, community organizing and youth work is highly desirable.
• Staff management and team leadership; demonstrated ability to retain and develop staff.
• Proven record of successful fundraising with a clear understanding of diverse and equitable fundraising principles and practices.
• Nonprofit management experience, including board management, development, and financial management.
• Excellent communication and listening skills, internally and externally, with the ability to be out front as a visible and active community member.
• Skilled in relationship building and collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders and groups; eager to engage with individuals, corporate stakeholders and community leaders.
• Prior experience evaluating programs including development of metrics to demonstrate the organizational impact.
• Multi-lingual, fluent in Spanish strongly preferred; fluency in Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole or Arabic is a plus.
• Experience working in a similarly ethnically and economically diverse urban environment; previous experience working in Boston preferred. Strong familiarity and experience with the type of work SSYP is doing and type of communities it serves.
• Ability to embrace a highly stimulating and fast-paced environment and navigate working within a complex structure.

Guidelines for Applicants

This search is being conducted by TSNE in partnership with St. Stephen's Youth Programs. Interested candidates should submit materials via this application link provided on this posting.

Electronic submissions sent through this link are preferred. All submissions will be acknowledged and are confidential within TSNE and the SSYP search committee.

Candidates should include a resume and a cover letter that describes how their qualifications and experience match the needs and mission of SSYP. The search will remain open and applications accepted until the right candidate is identified.

The Executive Director is a full-time, year-round, exempt position. Salary is commensurate with relevant experience, within the framework of the organization’s annual operating budget, and in the approximate range of $115-135,000. SSYP offers 100% of health and dental coverage for the employee with family options, a 4013b plan, five weeks of vacation, and 12 paid holidays.

St. Stephen’s Youth Programs is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants shall be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability or marital status.