We’re looking to hire a Children’s Program Manager for our Primary Program (Grades 1-4). This core staff member is responsible for planning, implementing, and coordinating the licensed primary-age stream of Promise Vancouver’s out-of-school programs.
About Promise
Promise Vancouver believes every child is valuable and loved and our mission is to help children and youth find security and wholeness in this knowledge. We are a Christian-based nonprofit organization, serving Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and are an independently operating member of UrbanPromise International. The Promise approach is to “Reach a Child, Raise a Leader, Restore Community”, which we put into practice through long-term relationships and intentional programs.
Promise Vancouver offers year-round, trauma-informed programming for primary children (grades 1-4), preteens (grades 5-7), and youth (grades 8-12) in the Downtown Eastside. Our elementary programs (out-of-school care and summer camps) help students to overcome systemic barriers by increasing their competencies in literacy, social connection, and mental health. Meanwhile, our Young Leaders Program empowers local teens with leadership training, paid employment, and opportunities to mentor their younger peers.
What you’ll be responsible for
As Children’s Program Manager, you will be responsible for planning, implementing, and coordinating Promise Vancouver’s primary-age programs in the Downtown Eastside. As a leader on the programs team, your work will have a meaningful impact on children in a community that faces complex challenges.
This is a permanent full-time position (40h/wk, Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm). You will be entrusted with the following responsibilities:
- Oversee and coordinate Promise out-of-school programs for children in grades 1-4.
- Plan and implement program plans and activities.
- Lead ‘from the front’ in programs, directing and providing leadership.
- Deepen the impact of Promise’s work through regular evaluation, research, and consultation.
- Provide care for all children, with attention to their physical safety, emotional safety, and personal development through adherence to safety protocols and careful attention to relationships.
- Recognize that the children we serve are more likely than average to have factors in their life that make them vulnerable and apply this sensitivity as you lead and plan.
- Plan and implement seasonal training and orientation sessions with Promise program staff team (in July and September).
- Handle administrative work, including:
- Communication with parents (e.g. in-person, text/phone calls, and email). Briefing caregivers on activities and announcements, but also about individual children’s progress and care plans.
- Keeping child information up to date (registration, allergies, special needs, etc), and completion of other crucial forms/reports (incident, safety reports, financial aid, etc.), with a commitment to confidentiality.
- Liaising with program partners, vendors, venues, food services, etc.
- Manage teenage Young Leader staff who are working with children. This includes providing intake training, giving direct feedback, encouragement, and accountability (administering disciplinary action, when necessary).
- Collaborate with other Promise core staff in regular staff meetings (e.g. all-staff, teams, one-on-one), as well as other ad hoc staff meetings.
- Be a positive role model and mentor to all (including families, caregivers, and community members) with words and actions that affirm the inherent value of each person.
- Conduct self with professionalism, bearing a good image for Promise Vancouver in all things related to the work (e.g. treating all with kindness and welcome, being a punctual and reliable member of the team, prioritizing communication, working with integrity).
- Experience working with Indigenous populations is an asset.
What you’ll bring to the table
- You have a passion for mentoring and developing young people. You will have the opportunity to work with a team to impact the lives of youth, their families, and the wider community. You understand what it means to lead safely and humbly and you put this into practice.
- You’re charismatic and relational. You’re great at finding common ground to relate with children and teens. You’re comfortable being a day-to-day face of Promise to the children, teens, families, and community partners.
- You’re a team player. You value collaborating with your teammates to achieve meaningful goals and deliver excellent results. You model great teamwork skills and know what it takes to build and maintain an effective team.
- You thrive in complex environments. The Downtown Eastside is known for its strong sense of community and also for its complex challenges. You’re able to approach complicated situations with sensitivity and nuance.
- You strive for excellence. These kids are important, so it’s our priority to deliver programs that are first-rate. You recognize that details matter, you listen attentively to what children are saying, and you take action to ensure that they are getting a top quality program.
- You’re organized. You have more than just heart: you come prepared to take on operational, administrative, and strategic responsibilities to ensure the camp functions smoothly and sustainably.
- You’re experienced. You’ve developed a unique set of life skills and experiences that will bring value to our small-but-mighty core team. Your background might be in education, child and youth care, social services, recreation, or a different relevant field!
The following words describe our team members:
- Loving – genuine compassion to all, a trait we believe is reflective of God’s heart
- Humble – teachable and open
- Servant Leader – willing to work hard and do any job
- Relational – values relationships with children and staff
- Role Model – leads in a healthy way through actions and words
- Empowering – wants to help others grow
Working at Promise
As our Children’s Program Manager (Grades 1-4), you’ll be joining a dynamic team that is making a meaningful impact on families in the Downtown Eastside community. Benefits for full-time, permanent staff include a competitive salary, extended health and dental insurance, a flexible work schedule, generous vacation time, and a work environment where you will feel inspired, challenged, and supported.
The Children’s Program Manager will be directly supervised by the Executive Director. Early Childhood Education (ECE) Certification is preferred but not required. The pay range for this position is $55,000 – $64,000.
Sound like you?
We would love to get to know you! Send your cover letter and resume to Ricky Lee (ricky@promisevancouver.ca) by Monday, August 12 at 11:59pm and our team will follow up with you. All applicants will receive a response and qualified candidates will be asked to interview for this position.
