Position Title: Chief Program Officer (CPO)
Department: Program
Location: Newark, NJ
Reports To: CEO
Salary: Highly Competitive Salary and Benefits Package Commensurate with Experience
Overtime Status: Exempt
Number of Directly Supervised Staff: 2-5
Number of Program Team Members: Approximately 25
POSITION PURPOSE & DESCRIPTION
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress,” Frederick Douglass. Rooted in the belief that an effective and thriving program staff is a critical driver to manifesting ultimate progress in social justice within our communities, the CPO will be an internally-facing leader who excels in the diurnal management necessary for larger impact. With an ultimate goal of showing the world the brilliance of our children, the CPO will lead us to become one of the highest quality Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) programs in the nation through data-driven, passionate, customer-focused leadership.
The CPO will oversee all aspects of program including our Community-Based, School-Based and e-Mentoring models, through the Program Leadership Team (PLT) who manage 20+ partnership, enrollment and match support staff in delivering exceptional customer service to volunteers, youth, families, and community partners. In alignment with the BBBS Standards of Practice and Service Delivery Model, this position also ensures child safety, efficiencies in procedure and practice, and adherence to the Agency’s mission in the community-based and school-based program functions consisting of Recruitment, Customer Relations, Enrollment, and Match Support. They will work with schools, groups, agencies, and other nonprofits in the community in order to provide effective solutions for youth and families, contribute leadership ability within the community, and promote BBBSEHU and its services.
This position, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), will also play a key strategic role in focusing on agency goals and structures required to meet and exceed objectives, helping to position the agency for immediate growth. This is a senior management role; a successful candidate will be a member of and collaborate closely with the Leadership Team and PLT, as well as potentially Board members, government and community partners, and donors, as appropriate and under the direction of the CEO. The CPO must be motivated to foster a positive organizational culture ensuring a professionally thriving workforce where employment tenures increase alongside improved staff effectiveness and grounded in our values and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and trauma-informed practices.
Job Responsibilities
The following statements reflect the general duties, responsibilities and competencies considered necessary to perform the essential duties a responsibilities of the job and should not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements of the position. BBBS may change the specific job duties with or without prior notice based on the needs of the organization.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership, Management, & Accountability
Program Strategy & Planning
Program Oversight & Child Safety
Partnership & Grants Management
|
JOB QUALIFICATIONS
Academic: Minimum – Bachelor’s degree is required; master’s degree strongly preferred
Professional: Minimum of 10 years of professional experience overall, with a minimum of eight years of senior-leadership experience supervising seasoned staff operating multiple human services programs across a broad geography. Management and supervisory experience in a non-profit environment, ideally in a youth-serving / human service environment preferred. High degree of experience with human resource and grants management. Ability to work with many diverse constituencies. The successful candidate will display a record of leadership and accomplishment with a proven track record with customer service deliverables.
Skills: Exemplary interpersonal skills with a strong customer/client focus are essential, along with the ability to engage effectively with families, sophisticated volunteers, and donors. Attentive and active listening skills, organization, flexible thinking, ability to function well in a fast-paced environment. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and CRM/Case Management packages required (Salesforce preferred).
Personal Attributes: Must be flexible to accommodate job responsibilities (including ability to work evenings/weekends as required); willing and able to travel, when necessary, with daily and dependable access to a car, valid driver’s license, and meet State-required automobile insurance minimums. Results/outcome orientation with a proven track record of exceeding goals, strong written and verbal communication skills, ability to think strategically and anticipate future consequences, action-oriented and promoter of operational agility to meet changing client/constituent needs/environmental changes. Strong relationship builder and communicator with experience leading diverse work teams, developing an organization-wide strategy for program excellence, engaging community partners, and partnering with a CEO. Sees our communities full of abundance and potential and holds a no-excuses attitude to ensuring bold qualitative and quantitative goals are developed and met. Strong yet collegial management style reflecting the ability to manage and lead people and groups, develop leaders and teams, and build organization and staff capacity and promote individual and organizational success. Unwavering commitment to quality programs, data-driven program evaluation, and evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning and professional growth are expected. Our best employees 1) set the bar high 2) are intentional and thoughtful about their choices 3) collaborate as a means to community solutions 4) are positive, can-do, and solution-oriented 5) embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion, and 6) are accountable and get it done. Travel Requirements: 5-10% annually |
WORK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
(Describe any specific workplace conditions and/or physical abilities that are related to and/or required by this job)
Minimal physical requirements to include walking, standing, sitting at workstation, normal office environment. Ability to effectively transition to a work-from-home set-up, as needed. |
Critical Job Specific Competencies / High Performance Indicators
KAIZEN:
CONTINUOUS QUALITY & PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT |
Able to encourage a culture of constant reflection, peer sharing and improvement; minimize barriers to accomplishing the team’s work; hold others accountable for identifying and removing obstacles that negatively affect quality; monitor the group’s process for quality and efficiency issues that become targets for improvement; establish and document measures / benchmarks to track individual and/or team performance. |
DECISIVENESS & JUDGEMENT | Able to consider both the short- and long-term impact of decisions; plan for how the consequences of decisions affect the team; coach others to make effective decisions; hold others accountable for making sound decisions; make and act on decisions even if they are unpopular. Able to establish resources and/or processes to gather information/data for problem solving or analysis; create an environment that supports cross-functional analysis and problem solving; ensure that organization-level decisions are based on data and sound reasoning. |
DEVELOPS CAPABILITY | Able to proactively coach others to help improve their contribution; provide positive as well as constructive feedback on an ongoing basis; take responsibility for conducting regular coaching and development discussions with team members; delegate assignments which provide others learning opportunities; reinforce the value of active learning and highlight its organizational impact for others; seek ideas from others in improving the team’s capabilities; ensure that others are taught key skills. |
FLEXIBILITY & ACHIEVING CHANGE | Able to help others overcome their resistance to change; gain others’ willing participation for change initiatives; help others translate new change goals into practical implementation steps and adapt to change without disruption of productivity; coach others in accomplishing goals in an unstructured environment. Able to pursue and generate innovative ideas that further the group or team’s goals and foster an environment that encourages innovation. |
GETS RESULTS | Able to create an environment of accountability for meeting agreed upon expectations; hold others accountable for managing the performance of a group; eliminate barriers to group performance; lead/champion efforts that increase productivity and goal accomplishment throughout the group or team; drive the implementation of systems that reward employees for contributing to group or team goals. |
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT | Able to ensure that all systems in the group or department are aligned toward achieving strategic goals; continually communicate and reinforce the highest priority initiatives to keep the group or department focused on the right things; hold others accountable for meeting the needs of the group or department rather than optimizing the performance of only their function; ensure that the group or department has broad strategies and plans that focus on community needs; set and articulate a compelling vision for the group or department. Able to focus team on delivering services in a way that enhances / maximizes performance. |
VALUING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION | Able to make diversity/inclusion an integral part of overall long-term plan; sponsor/mentor individuals from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives; communicate and enforce a department-wide zero-tolerance policy toward inappropriate, illegal or discriminatory behaviors; make departmental or team changes that enhance workforce diversity. Able to communicate internally and externally that diversity/inclusion is an integral part of how our organization does business. |
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS |
This position is open to internal and external candidates. Please submit your cover letter and resume here. |
Equal Employment Opportunity
BBBS provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or non-disqualifying physical or mental handicap or disability.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Applicants as well as employees who are or become disabled must be able to perform the essential duties & responsibilities either unaided or with reasonable accommodation. The organization shall determine reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable law.