Position Overview: 

The Youth Programs Manager oversees the development and delivery of education and youth leadership programs throughout the year. In the school year (September-May), this position focuses on partnership programs with schools from San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo Counties. These include Migratory Story, a migration-themed program aimed at elementary students; high school environmental science and service-learning programs; programming at and about the park’s plant nurseries; and programs for middle school students. All programs are primarily delivered in-person and utilize park resources to support students’ classroom learning. During the summer, (June-August), this position focuses on one of the department’s Youth Leadership programs. These include the Urban Trail Blazers program (UTB), a 6-week leadership, service learning, and environmental education program for middle school-aged youth; and Linking Individuals to their Natural Communities program (LINC), a 6-week leadership, service learning, and environmental education for high school aged youth. The Youth Programs Manager also develops and supports programming for additional schools, community groups, and youth as directed by department leadership.  

The Youth Programs Manager establishes and maintains partnerships with teachers and organizations, and co-designs curriculum and lessons with teachers that explore environmental justice, multicultural environmental education, and social justice. The Youth Program Manager coordinates outreach and recruitment for programs, manages transportation support for schools, supervises children, youth, interns, facilitates programs, tracks and reports on participant and program data. This position also supports the oversight of classroom spaces and their resources at the Youth Campus. Past youth program participants and early career staff are strongly encouraged to apply.  

During the school year, the Youth Programs Manager typically works a Tuesday– Saturday, 8:30am-5pm schedule. During the summer, the Youth Programs Manager typically works a Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm schedule. There is the possibility to have daily schedules shifted to accommodate afterschool programming, to work with community groups, and to attend trainings. The Youth Programs Manager is expected to coordinate and facilitate 3 or more overnight camping trips each year. The Youth Programs Manager is expected to work up to 2 Sundays a month to facilitate overnight programs and to support other youth and community programs.  

This Youth Programs Manager works primarily in-person and is based at the Crissy Field Center in the Presidio. Any work from home or other remote work will be very limited, will be planned with other department staff, and will require supervisor approval. 

For Fall 2022, the Youth Programs Department is specifically looking for candidates who with one or more of the following competencies: 

• Spanish Language Ability (Highly Desired). The Youth Programs Department works with many youth who speak Spanish as one of their primary languages. Candidates who can facilitate programs and build relationships with youth primarily in Spanish are highly encouraged to apply. 
• Curriculum Development. The Youth Programs Department is planning to solidify, adapt, and expand its curriculum-based outdoor education programming and seeks expertise in environmental justice and community-based science and activism and in developing and adapting curriculum to different ages, backgrounds, and identities. 
• Arts Integration. The Youth Programs Department recently moved into a new campus that includes an art lab. The department is looking to build staff capacity to manage art lab resources, teach different art mediums, and integrate art into various kinds of programming.  

Key Duties and Responsibilities: 

Management 

• Oversees multiple youth programs, including curriculum development, promotion, hiring of interns and smooth operation of the year-round programming. 
• Engages in strategic planning with partners and Youth Programs staff for new partnerships and deepening relationships in various communities. 
• Develops annual program goals and work plans and tracks progress.  
• Develops program evaluations that connect to program goals. Works with Youth Program staff to synthesize data and create program reports. 
• Collects program data. Tracks statistics such as attendance, participant-hours, demographics.  
• Supervises full-time or part-time staff, and interns throughout the year. 
• Oversees planning of annual events such as youth summits and culminating program events 
• Designs, coordinates, and implements youth campus out of school time drop in programs afterschool, in the evening and weekends. 
• Supports Youth Advisory role within the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This includes strengthening the structure for specific program areas in collaborating and leads any additional initiatives to get youth input in park design and planning. 
• Oversees management of teaching spaces at the Youth Campus, including establishment of policies, maintenance of resources, budget tracking, staff training, and curriculum development. 
• Co-designs, coordinates, and implements additional programming and projects with other staff. 

Programming 

• Responsible for developing and delivering weekly programming. Designs and implements programs using best practices in youth development and education pedagogies.  
• Facilitates programming in a variety of settings, including parks and other outdoor spaces, in classrooms/labs, and online when appropriate. 
• Oversees development of dynamic curriculum that incorporates a mix of leadership development, multicultural environmental education, future planning, and project-based learning. 
• Collaborates with Youth Programs staff, park partners and other community-based organizations to develop and implement curriculum, including outdoor outings, workshops, annual projects, and other events for middle and high school students. 
• Responsible and accountable for the physical, social and emotional safety of participants in the program while in training, on field trips, on overnight trips and while driving. 
• Responsible for driving 15 passenger vans for programs. This includes being able to secure and maintain the appropriate California Driver's License and necessary endorsements.  
• Oversees coordination and implementation of service projects, field trips, special projects, and overnight activities. 
• Provides regular mentorship and evaluation of participants and provides guidance in setting goals and exploring college and career paths. 
• Engages and meets with parents and guardians and provide an open door for communication and progress of their children. 
• Supports coordination of Summer Youth Internship placements. 
• Provides training for park staff, early career educators, interns, and community groups. 
• Ensures programs meet quality standards. Provide assessment and implementation of regular evaluations. 

Supervision 

• Supervision of full-time and part-time Youth Programs staff, number varies on season and program priorities. 
• Supervision, mentorship, and independent oversight of up to 30 youth. 
• Supervision of volunteers. 
• Provides mid-year and end of the year evaluations focused on goal setting and growth for staff and for youth.  

Fiscal Management 

• Oversees annual program expense budgets (typically $30,000-100,000). 
• Purchases supplies, tracks expenditures. 
• Manages distribution of youth educational awards. 
• Tracks expenses connected to grants to ensure appropriate and timely use of restricted and unrestricted grants. 
• Tracks participation and use of resources using Salesforce CRM. 
• Assist with grant reporting and presentations. 

Collaboration and Outreach 

• Coordinates with program managers to develop strategy and recruit motivated youth from Bay Area Public Schools that are from often marginalized communities, which include Black, Indigenous and people of color, LGBTQ youth, low-income families or have barriers that traditionally prevent them from taking part in opportunities such as Park Youth Programs. 
• Outreaches to low income- serving community groups and schools for public events and programs 
• Supports youth to effectively outreach opportunities to their peers. 
• Tracks and communicates with alumni networks. Designs and implements events to continue engagement 
• Works in partnership with Parks Conservancy, Presidio Trust, and National Park Service to develop youth leadership opportunities at park and community events. 
• Represents the Parks Conservancy Youth Programs at regional conferences, gatherings, and events. 
• Helps to create and manage communication, social media content and outreach materials via website material, brochures, images, videos, and other promotional material. 

Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Multiple years of direct service with youth, program coordination and design. An educational degree will be considered and valued. 
• Background in youth development, ethnic studies, environmental studies, education, child and adolescence development, recreation, or related field preferred. 
• Three years of combined experience in youth development and leadership, delivering programs for Middle or High School aged youth, particularly in underserved communities. 
• Demonstrated experience in curriculum development and delivery for middle and high school youth and can implement youth development principles, able to respond to youth needs, skills in crisis intervention, knowledge of local community resources. 
• Demonstrated experience in Multicultural Environmental Education, understanding of environmental justice issues, knowledge with issues related to the urban environment, current local, regional, and global events. 
• Demonstrated experience working with Middle and High School age youth from underserved, low income, and/or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) communities in the Bay Area including mentoring and helping youth set goals and overcome obstacles. 
• Interpersonal skills: considers and responds appropriately to the needs and capabilities of different people in different situations; is tactful and treats others with respect; relates effectively to others when encountering difficult situations. 
• Teamwork: Pitches in and contributes to achieving group goals; supports everyone's efforts to succeed; balances team and individual responsibilities. 
• Judgment: exhibits sound and accurate judgment; can clearly explain reasoning for decisions; includes appropriate people in decision-making process; demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles; takes calculated risks to accomplish goals. 
• Leadership: exhibits confidence in self and others; inspires and motivates others to perform well; effectively influences actions and opinions of others, takes ownership and responsibility for challenges and successes of program, staff, and interns. 
• Experience leading groups on outdoor and overnight trips. 
• Strong group management skills and ability to build a community with participants; exhibits confidence in self and others; inspires and motivates others to perform well. 
• Creative, energetic, and self-motivated, ability to take initiative and recognize what needs to be done.  
• Ability to take direction and feedback in a constructive manner. 
• Able to work a flexible work schedule including weekends and overnights. 
• Organization: able to work on multiple projects, set milestones and ensure timelines and deadlines are met. 
• Multilingual: able to speak language(s) other than English that serve Bay Area communities. 

Licenses 

• Valid CA Driver’s License with 2 years of driving experience and ability to operate a 15-passenger vehicle. Employees must have a clean driving record and can obtain the appropriate California Driver’s License with passenger endorsement. Training and testing will be incorporated into work time. Fees for license and required medical examination will be reimbursed.  
• CPR and First Aid certification- will assist upon hire. 

Computer Skills 

• Competent in the use of Microsoft Office suite, especially including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Digital Editing software. 
• Experience with media, audio/visual technology, and video editing/production desired. Familiarity with Salesforce or other program tracking system for tracking program statistics. 

Health and Safety

It is the policy of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy to create and maintain a safe and healthful workplace free from recognized hazards that may cause harm to employees, consistent with and in compliance with applicable state and federal laws. Employees will play an active role in creating a safe and healthy workplace and will comply with all applicable health and safety rules. The Conservancy is committed to the goal of implementing an effective health and safety program and an injury prevention program. 

Based on the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Parks Conservancy requires all employees, interns, and independent contractors to be vaccinated and to provide proof of such vaccination as a condition of employment or performing contract work.   

Physical Requirements & Work Environments:  

• Schedule (School Year): Typically Tuesday– Saturday, 8:30am to 5pm, with some after school programming. Schedule (Summer): Typically Monday-Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, with some weekend and evening work. Some Sundays. 3 or more overnight programs a year. 
• Works primarily in-person and is based at the Crissy Field Center in the Presidio. Youth Programs Staff are expected to be in person 3-5 days a week. Any remote work is planned in advance with other department staff and requires supervisor approval. 
• Work is performed in multiple settings, including at a desk in an office, in front of a computer, in indoor teaching spaces such as classrooms, and in outdoor settings such as parks.  
• Work is both sedentary and active—including sitting, standing, walking, moderate hiking, squatting, kneeling. 
• Work requires regular trips by car. 
• Ability to work outside in inclement weather, and ability to navigate uneven terrain. 
• Ability to work in an active and sometimes noisy office environment. 

Supervision: This position is supervised by one of the Parks Conservancy’s Associate Directors.