Executive Summary

New Door Ventures, an $7M innovative and outcomes-driven nonprofit serving disconnected youth in the San Francisco Bay Area, seeks a Director of East Bay Programs to help lead the organization’s continued expansion to the East Bay, specifically in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.  The Director will develop and implement a strategic expansion plan, refine the budget, hire and manage local program staff, effectively fundraise, and establish strong local relationships with service providers, program partners, influencers, civic leaders, and educators within the community.  This entrepreneurial leader will join a robust and high-performing team of over 50 staff across the organization’s programs and social enterprises.

New Door uses an evidence-based approach to youth development that is focused on culturally responsive and holistic employment and education support.  The organization provides meaningful paid jobs, intensive case management, skill-building workshops and educational supports which enable young people to discover and achieve their potential. The internship program includes partnerships with over 60 community businesses and two in-house social enterprises: Ashbury Images and Pedal Revolution.  The ultimate goal of New Door’s work is that young people will leave a path of disconnection and make a successful transition to adulthood that is marked by sustained employment and positive community engagement. New Door aims to support the transformation of individuals, who in turn, will transform their communities.

After more than two decades of successful and evidence-based service delivery in San Francisco, the organization has successfully launched three program sites in the East Bay. The Director of East Bay Programs will join New Door at a critical moment of growth for the organization, with the continued implementation of a strategic expansion plan that is relationship-based, community-informed, and responsive to the economic and demographic shifts in the region that are impacting opportunity youth.  

Reporting to the Chief Program Officer and working closely with members of the San Francisco Program Team, the Director of East Bay Programs will implement consistent programmatic elements with fidelity (and select adaptations as approved) to New Door’s model, coordinate outreach to local business partners, develop new institutional funder relationships, and support board engagement with local programming.  The ideal candidate will be a self-motivated and accountable leader who demonstrates effective management and fund development capacity, comfort working in an adaptive and innovative work environment, superior communication and interpersonal skills, and a commitment to advancing equity and personal integrity.

The search is being conducted with assistance from Allison Kupfer Poteet and Makeba Greene of the national search firm, NPAG. Instructions for submitting applications, nominations, and inquiries can be found at the end of this document.

Organizational Overview

In the San Francisco Bay Area, there are over 80,000 youth aged 16-24 who are disconnected from the education, employment, and social supports they need to successfully transition to adulthood. New Door Ventures was borne out of the belief that through meaningful jobs, skill-building, training, and personal support, these young people can experience greater economic opportunity and stability in adulthood.

New Door operates on an annual budget of about $7M with a staff of 50, split about evenly between its social enterprises and its programs.  New Door provides significant depth and sophistication in their programming, utilizing an evidence-based and outcome-focused approach to youth development while placing a high value on the power of youth voice and the importance of relationships. Young people intern at New Door’s two self-sustaining social enterprises, Pedal Revolution, a bike shop, and Ashbury Images, a screen-printing company, along with over 60 additional Ally Partners (local businesses who agree to host young people).  

A Focus on Impact

With a strong track record of successful outcomes, New Door has successfully begun the implementation of its expansion plan into the East Bay while continuing to sustainably address the needs of existing program participants. New Door is committed to broadening and deepening their effectiveness; seeking to be nimble but disciplined entrepreneurs and creating and capitalizing on opportunities to better serve young people. As the region has experienced significant shifts in income inequality and subsequent barriers to education, New Door has thoughtfully planned this expansion of its employment services to Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the East Bay, where the population of disconnected youth is five times larger than San Francisco.  With valuable community relationships, as well as significant investments in infrastructure, technology and evaluation, New Door is well positioned to further extend its impact. New Door benefits from a sophisticated, innovative, and compassionate leadership team that is committed to engaging young people in culturally-appropriate and effective ways.

Opportunities and Challenges for The Director of East Bay Programs

Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, the Director of East Bay Programs will lead the continued development and implementation of New Door’s employment program expansion to the East Bay, specifically in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.  In the first 12-18 months and beyond, the Director can expect to engage in the following challenges and opportunities:

Lead Development and Implementation of East Bay Expansion Efforts

With support from New Door’s operational, evaluation, and development staff, the new Director will develop and implement a strategic expansion plan, refine the budget, and hire and manage local program staff across three initial sites (currently housed in shared space with peer agencies: First Place for Youth, Bay Area Youth Center (BAYC), and Dewey Academy, as well as additional sites as the work continues.  In addition, the Director will initiate and cultivate strong funding opportunities and establish strong local relationships with service providers, program partners, influencers, civic leaders, and educators within the community.  

Manage and Oversee Program Direction and Learning and Evaluation

The Director of East Bay Programs will implement and oversee New Door’s Youth Employment Program model with a high level of fidelity. They will collaborate with key staff members and community partners in regional-specific pilot program projects, serving as strategic opportunities to refine and adapt expansion efforts in the East Bay.  Using New Door’s Apricot program evaluation system, they will partner with the Director of Evaluation & Learning to monitor all aspects of the program from outreach and intake to impact outcomes.  In addition, the Director will collaborate with New Door’s Ally Business Partnerships Manager to recruit and retain local Ally partners and to ensure sufficient opportunities to meet the organization’s annual goals for youth internships.

Develop and Strengthen Program Partnerships and Key Community Relationships

The new Director will partner with San Francisco-based staff, Board members, and the Ambassadors council to continue to strengthen and identify key relationships for New Door’s expansion into the East Bay.  In particular, the Director will establish and cultivate program partnerships for youth referrals into New Door, building a foundation for next-step programs in employment and education. They will develop, maintain, and deepen relationships with local leaders and influencers in government, education, foundations, civic organizations, and more, representing the mission and work of New Door to the broader community.  In addition, the Director will keep abreast of the field and policy/funding trends in the East Bay and provide counsel and recommendations for New Door’s participation in appropriate field-advancing or policy initiatives.

Manage and Develop a Highly Effective Team

The Director of East Bay Programs will manage at least three program sites with six initial FTE staff, 90 to 160 youth employed, and at least four cohorts of 15-20 youth each, per program site, with plans to grow to 12 cohorts.  In addition, the Director will help oversee engagement with about 70 Ally partners. Additionally, they will develop staffing plans, job descriptions and compensation plans annually, working with the San Francisco-based team to manage staff performance using New Door’s Cornerstone-on-Demand system, and developing culture and practices among the East Bay team that are consistent with New Door’s values.

Provide Ongoing Leadership and Administrative Support

The effective Director will develop and execute an annual operating plan and goals, including designing and receiving approval for annual budgeting of staff and other expenses, as well as providing input into revenue planning.  They will participate with the Leadership Team in the development of an updated strategic plan for geographic expansion and work to help secure additional space for programming and administrative needs. Finally, the Director will work to ensure adherence to proper accounting, human resources and operating procedures, consistent with New Door’s policies and values.  

Lead Region-Specific Fund Development Efforts

The Director of East Bay Programs will work with New Door Ventures’ development team to support fundraising efforts on behalf of the East Bay programs and broader programming by New Door Ventures. The effective Director will also engage Board members and local major donors to support connections with local programming in the community. They will be a skilled and effective ambassador for New Door’s work, promoting both the needs and success of East Bay operations with key community stakeholders and supporting continued program impact and expansion.

Qualifications of The Ideal Candidate

The Director of East Bay Programs will have a proven record of developing and managing successful programs in workforce development, youth development, education or related fields.  While no one person will embody all the qualities listed below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

• A demonstrated commitment to and/or experience serving disconnected or underserved youth and the firmly held belief that all young people are deserving of full access to economic opportunity, success, and independence.
• A commitment to providing culturally competent services that honor, value, and celebrate the diverse needs and backgrounds of young people; humility in service delivery that recognizes the assets and lived experiences of young people as valuable expertise.
• At least five years of experience managing and developing effective programs with ongoing evaluation, ideally with young people, and with networks within the East Bay.
• A capacity to build sustainable and productive partnerships with a diverse range of people and organizations, including disconnected youth, board members, business partners, social enterprise staff, volunteers, funders, consultants, public sector partners, and highly committed staff members.  Ability to connect diverse audiences to New Door’s mission and activities.
• Demonstrated leadership in developing staff, team building, identifying and achieving metrics, and change management. A management style that fosters respect, teamwork, and creative approaches to empowering staff to realize their full potential.  
• Self-motivated and directed, with excellent project and time management skills; initiative to identify risks and issues, solve problems, and solicit input and help from others.
• Willingness to learn from both data and the lived experiences of others; comfort with evaluation frameworks and some analysis of program data.
• Superior communication and interpersonal skills, across a variety of platforms, including public speaking, phone, and e-mail.
• Able to work in a small, start-up environment that’s part of a larger, more established organization.
• Personal integrity, emotional maturity, and the ability to have fun.

Compensation

Target compensation for the Director of East Bay Programs is between $75k - $90K depending on experience. Benefits are competitive with most nonprofits, including paid time off, health insurance (medical, dental, vision), modest life insurance, and a 403(b) plan with matching employer contribution.

To Apply

The search is being conducted with assistance from Allison Kupfer Poteet and Makeba Greene of NPAG. Nominations, inquiries, and/or applications including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), and where you learned of the position should be submitted to: [email protected]

NPAG is an executive search and consulting firm dedicated to serving the mission-driven community. We partner with global mission-driven clients to deliver highly-tailored, innovative, and strategic senior- and executive-level search services.  www.nonprofitprofessionals.com     

New Door Ventures is an equal opportunity employer.

Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.