Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Associate Program Consultant is responsible for ensuring the highest quality of Play At The Core support services.
Associate Program consultant in New York City area
WORK LOCATION
Throughout the five boroughs, with most partners located in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn
POSITION SUMMARY
In the fall of 2012, Play At The Core was launched in New York City as a program initiative of the global humanitarian organization, Right To Play. Through foundational partnerships, with the New York City Department of Education and the Administration for Children’s Services, Play At The Core offered training and technical assistance aimed at improving teaching practices through play. Over the course of five years, Play At The Core developed into an innovative, research-based consulting model, empowering dramatic program quality gains among some of New York’s most undersupported youth programs. In early 2018, Play At The Core became an independent youth development consulting organization. To date, Play At The Core has partnered with more than 50 different youth development organizations and 500 program practitioners, impacting over 10,000 children.
Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Associate Program Consultant is responsible for ensuring the highest quality of Play At The Core support services.
To do this, the Associate Program Consultant is responsible for ongoing workshop development and facilitation, practice-based coaching, and resource creation for our partner’s program practitioners (educators, coaches, youth workers, caregivers, resource professionals, and program leaders). Our partners serve communities throughout New York City.
As an Associate Program Consultant, the overall goal is to build supportive and empowering connections with communities and individuals throughout service delivery. The Associate Program Consultant will liaise with partners and community stakeholders; collaborate in the design and delivery of tailor-made supports that leverage strengths to promote exceptional program quality; and assess the impact of supports through feedback and reporting of outcomes. This position requires frequent travel throughout the NYC metropolitan area.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- SUPPORT DELIVERY OF HANDS-ON, DYNAMIC WORKSHOPS FOR PROGRAM PRACTITIONERS (75%):
- Support the implementation dynamic play-based workshops that leverage practitioner strengths to explore critical program and build capacity;
- Employ group facilitation skills with an understanding of adult learning principles;
- Help create an intentional learning environment for program practitioners that directly mirrors best practices in youth development programming;
- MONITOR AND EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUPPORTS AND GROWTH IN PARTNER PROGRAM QUALITY (15%):
- Help prepare and administer workshop evaluations that assess outcomes and create opportunities for feedback;
- Support the adaptation of data collection tools to ensure they are user-friendly and aligned with partnership goals;
- Support the creation of outcomes reports for partners.
- SUPPORT THE DESIGN, ADAPTATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF RESOURCES AND TOOLS TO ENSURE THE EFFECTIVE DELIVERY AND DOCUMENTATION OF PROGRAMS (10%):
- Support the creation of new resources, tools, curriculum and training components that will help to enhance the quality of partner program design and delivery;
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE
Required:
- Undergraduate degree and/or equivalent experience in any of the following areas: Child Development, Social Work, Early Childhood Education, Psychology, Community Development or related field
- 3+ years of direct practice program work (planning, implementation, and reporting)
- Skilled in the design and facilitation of leadership, recreation, sport and/or youth related training sessions for large groups.
Desired:
- Master’s degree and/or equivalent experience in any of the following areas: Child Development, Social Work, Early Childhood Education, Psychology, Community Development or related field
- 3+ years youth program management experience (strategic planning, program implementation, and assessment, staff supervision)
- Experience coaching staff to build skills and improve program quality
- Bilingual (Spanish)
- Experience working within a community development context
KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS
- Speaking, reading, and writing fluency in English
- Analytical skills, including research and timely writing of proposals and reports
- Able to use data collection for program evaluation and reporting
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Drive applications
- Skilled in internet navigation and email
- Attention to detail in coordinating complex programs and events
- Ability to manage budgets
COMPETENCIES/PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
- Highly motivated and committed to youth program success
- Excellent teamwork ethic, community-oriented
- Best-in-class communication skills (written and verbal), accurate and timely reporting
- Highly skilled at developing, building, and maintaining relationships
- Ability to work independently – strong coordination and planning skills
- Professional maturity, credibility, good judgment, honesty, integrity
- Experience working across cultures and with diverse populations
- Ability to work under pressure
EMPLOYMENT/COMPENSATION
Part-time (contract/project-based), flexible work schedule required, hourly-rate based on experience. Potential for full-time employment in late 2019.
START DATE
Rolling
About Play at the Core
Play At The Core is a youth development program consultancy. We amplify the impact of a broad range of organizations, serving youth from early childhood through adolescence, by putting play at the core of everything we do. We use play to build relationships, communicate ideas, explore challenges, and unlock capacity for change. Our work strengthens the quality of programs, and improves outcomes for children who face adversity.
Our Mission? To help youth thrive by inspiring growth and change through play. We utilize youth development methods to meet youth development challenges, through strategic planning, training, coaching, resource development, and performance evaluation that fortify the quality of our partners’ work.
TO APPLY
Please send a cover letter and resume to: brandon@playathecore.com.
Kindly include “Associate Program Consultant – YOUR NAME” in the subject line. Play At The Core is a child-centered organization. Our recruitment and selection processes reflect our commitment to the safety, protection, and well-being of the children our partners’ programs serve.
While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.