Founded in 2009, Green City Force’s (GCF) mission is to break the cycle of poverty, preparing urban young adults to succeed in their chosen careers by engaging them in service, training and work experiences related to the clean energy economy. GCF simultaneously addresses three imperatives –unemployment and the lack of prospects for family-supporting careers among low-income youth; changes to the urban environment that must be made to mitigate climate change; and stimulation of the green economy through awareness-raising and individual behavior change.

GCF has garnered awards including the NYC Mayor (Most Innovative Nonprofit), the NYC City Council, the White House (Champions of Change), Environmental Advocates of NY, The Corps Network’s Project of the Year 2016, NY Housing Conference Community Builders First prize 2016,. This is an opportunity to join an organization with a proven track record, strong growth potential, and a positive organizational culture for personal growth and collective impact as part of a dynamic team.

The Chief Program Officer (CPO) oversees all aspects of Green City Force’s Service Corps, Support Services, Career and Alumni Services and employment initiatives, including through our current social enterprise projects.

The CPO is responsible for proposing and implementing integrated program strategy and design, data design, setting and supporting staff in attaining Program-related metrics and driving towards quality and continuous improvement in the pursuit of our mission.  GCF’s holistic program is rooted in our flagship AmeriCorps program, which enlists young public housing residents aged 18-24 in impactful service on a path to careers. A hallmark of GCF’s success modeling an effective service-to-careers approach is our sectoral employment and training initiatives for program graduates, as well as our fee-for-service-based employer-driven partnerships. Since our founding, GCF has been a constant innovator in the pursuit of making the promise of a green economy real for young adults in public housing, building inroads into fields such as energy efficiency, solar, urban agriculture, composting, building maintenance and operations and green construction.

The CPO is the “drum major” for integrated service delivery and development across our four program departments: Service, Support Services, Career and Alumni Services and Social enterprise. The CPO leads a team of full-time and part-time staff and contractors as well as social work interns, who manage an annual service corps of 100-150 projected members annually with 50-75 members at a time during the year as well as 500 alumni.

The CPO reports to the Executive Director and is a member of the GCF Executive Leadership Team. The CPO works closely with GCF strategic and city agency program partners as well as the Program Committee which includes a number of GCF board members. Our strategic partnerships for program span multiple departments at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the City of New York, NYSERDA, as well as leading sectoral employers and nonprofits large and small.

Leadership:

• Member of Executive Leadership team
• Key role in organizational strategic planning, for alignment of program strategy with overall organizational goals
• Leads effort for program Departments to operate through a racial equity lens

Program Oversight

• Establishes youth development objectives, staff accountability, and ensures alignment across all program departments. Establishes and measures programmatic KPIs to track progress against GCF’s theory of change.
• The CPO leads continuous learning and improvement around youth development practices, opportunity youth, workforce and support service philosophy, and implementation for member retention and success.

Program Strategy

• Designs GCF’s large-scale service projects for environmental and behavioral change improvements in public housing developments, using them as a platform for building Corps Members’ job skills and leadership development.
• Drives conception and implementation, planning, and oversight for GCF’s impact in communities and with Corps Members and graduates doing contract work with the community and/or sustainability partners.
• Responsible for GCF service sites, service content, and multiple institutional, nonprofit, and resident-based service partnerships.
• Designs cohesive corps curriculum and annual sectoral employment strategy for graduate placement and career advancement.

 The CPO is a/n:

• Issue area expert at the intersection of youth and workforce development, national service, sustainability, urban agriculture, and low-income housing, who is able to drive strategy and programming in these areas internally and with external partners
• Confident manager, able to lead diverse teams and large groups, exercising sound judgment in constantly evolving circumstances in communities and with Corps Members individually and as a group
• Collaborative leader, affirmatively identifying opportunities to integrate key practices and learnings from the service team with the entire organization
• Expert communicator and motivational speaker
• Excellent listener and collaborative partner responsive to residents and community and youth voices
• Tactical thinker, with exceptional problem-solving skills
• Effective coach and mentor to GCF staff, with a commitment to building an impactful, high-performing team.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university required. Master’s degree in sustainability, urban planning, public administration, or related field preferred
• 10+ years’ experience in youth development, sustainability, workforce development, service, social justice program delivery, and design, with minimum 3 years in a managerial capacity and substantial experience working in low-income housing communities, required
• Sector expertise related to GCF’s areas of focus for service in the community: sustainability, resiliency, urban agriculture and land improvement, energy efficiency and green infrastructure, resident engagement , social enterprise
• Persuasive and effective communicator both oral and written
• Demonstrated experience in partnership development and management, strong analytical skills, and problem-solving capabilities.

Green City Force is an equal opportunity employer and encourages candidates of all racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds to apply. Personnel are chosen on the basis of ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation, in accordance with federal and state law. GCF is an Employer of Service.

COMPENSATION: Competitive salary, generous leave, and comprehensive medical & dental benefits