Under the direction of the Senior Program Manager, the Youth Development Coordinator will: oversee TFFJ’s afterschool programs related to health, nutrition, food justice and advocacy; develop workforce development programs both internally and in partnership with existing school-based programs; assist with coordinating TFFJ’s weekly community food distribution programs; and coordinate all school and community-related outreach and engagement events. This role will also support the recruitment, training, and management of TFFJ’s interns and on-site program mentors.

Please note: This role requires regular travel between TFFJ’s New York City-based partner school sites, in addition to the locations of other community partners. Flexibility in working location is available with access to a shared office and remote work options; however, this role requires in-person and on-site work.  

Responsibilities and Essential Functions

Afterschool Program Coordination (35%) 

• Coordinate TFFJ’s afterschool programming with teachers, Farmer-Educators and mentors at all partner school sites throughout the school year, by: 
  • Recruiting school-based faculty/teachers to co-lead afterschool programs at each school campus. 
  • Training Farmer-Educators, lead teachers, and mentors in afterschool program curriculum and facilitation, and site-based program management (such as attendance tracking, supply ordering, and expense tracking).
  • Regularly meeting with school-based staff and supporting their work related to afterschool program facilitation, goal-setting, evaluation, and student engagement.
  • Supporting afterschool curriculum development with a focus on hands-on and engaging activities related to hydroponics, food justice, health, cooking, leadership and advocacy. 
  • Planning and implementing TFFJ’s annual Student Leadership Conference, during which TFFJ students convene and showcase their food justice and advocacy projects. 
  • Identifying and participating in school- and community-based outreach and engagement events to include broader community and stakeholders in TFFJ’s work. 
  • Collecting and organizing program data such as student rosters, attendance, mentor agreements and stipends. 

Workforce Development Program Coordination (35%) 

• Coordinate TFFJ’s workforce development programming with Farmer-Educators, teachers and school-based workforce development program managers by:
  • Creating workforce development activities, curriculum, and trainings for high school students in career and technical education programs, school-based workforce programs such as the Training and Opportunities Program (TOP), Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), Work, Learn, Grow (WLG) and others. 
  • Collaborating with Farmer-Educators and TFFJ’s Farm Operations Manager to coordinate workforce development program integration at each TFFJ site. 
  • Assist in managing and growing relationships with NYCDOE school-based workforce development programs (TOP, SYEP, WLG, etc.) and other school stakeholders with the goal of full management of these relationships.
  • Training TFFJ Farmer-Educators and other program staff on the workforce development program, facilitation, and site-based program management (such as attendance tracking, supply ordering, etc.). 
  • Collaborating with Senior Program Manager, Senior Farm Operations Manager and Farmer-Educators to identify workforce development opportunities within food distribution programs. 
  • Building capacity for campus produce distributions to be student-led and aligned with workforce development goals. 
  • Collecting and organizing program data such as student rosters, schedules, and hours. 

Community Food Distribution (15%) 

• Support the coordination of TFFJ’s community food distribution programs across sites by:
  • Working collaboratively with TFFJ’s Farm Operations Manager and Farmer-Educators to evaluate site needs and distribution capacity. 
  • Managing and growing relationships with food distribution stakeholders within each school campus and broader community to maintain and establish partnerships. 
  • Screening potential food distribution partners to ensure community food distribution arrangements are of a high standard, impact and efficient for all parties.
  • Developing and maintaining free produce distributions for campus students, families, and staff across sites. 

Administrative Responsibilities (15%) 

• Maintain organized work streams and ensure youth development programs are aligned with TFFJ’s overall program goals, mission and strategy by:
  • Preparing for and attending program team and all-team meetings.
  • Tracking expenses, preparing reports, and managing budgets across youth development program areas. 
  • Collaborating with the program and executive teams to prepare for and implement annual program evaluations. 

Required Qualifications: 

• Three to five years of relevant experience working with youth, food, nutrition or agricultural education, workforce development, community-based programming, social services or other related fields.
• Experience supporting program implementation in a related field.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• The ability to successfully and empathetically engage various stakeholders, including youth, external partners, and internal, cross-department colleagues.  
• Strong organizational skills and demonstrated ability to work independently while self-managing multiple priorities and deadlines. 
• Passion for youth empowerment, education, food justice and advocacy. 
• Must be able to clear a required background check. 

An Ideal Candidate Will: 

• Have an Associate’s degree or higher. 
• Bring energy, enthusiasm and empathy to TFFJ’s farm classrooms and youth programs. 
• Be able to collaborate with diverse groups and maintain professional and respectful relationships with students, TFFJ staff, teachers, school administrators, mentors, interns, funders, and community and industry partners.  
• Seek new ways for collaboration, partnership and programming across TFFJ sites with a specific eye towards developing young people as leaders in their communities, emerging STEM fields, and food policy and advocacy.