Youth Program Coordinator

Scope of Work:

The Youth Program Coordinator ensures school aged refugee youth and their families have the academic and socio-emotional support necessary for a successful adjustment and transition to school. The coordinator oversees IRC’s youth programming, including program intakes and service planning, school enrollment, ongoing case management, school advocacy, parent orientations, refugee youth summer academy and development of other services as needed. The program currently serves approximately 160 refugee youth in Elizabeth and Roselle public schools, along with select high needs students out of district. They manage a small team in accordance with IRC’s people manager standards.

Responsibilities:

School Enrollment and Program Intake

· Ensure timely school enrollment for all newly arrived refugee youth in Elizabeth and Roselle Public Schools, including collaboration with Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs) to meet vaccination requirements

· Coordinate with schools and families to gather appropriate documents necessary for registration.

· Complete intake with families and gather information about children’s educational histories and needs; distribute this information to educators and school officials at time of enrollment.

Youth Case Management

• Manage a team of staff in accordance with IRC’s people manager standards: share time and credit, create an inclusive environment, manage performance, and develop direct reports.
• Provide supervision and support to masters-degree and bachelor level interns; collaborate with SIFI social work supervisor when interns are MSW students.
• Oversee case management for students, including initial intake and orientation with newly arrived refugee youth and their families, and development, implementation, and evaluation of individualized service plans to ensure youth and families make a positive transition to education in the US.
• Ensure high quality case management services are provided to families including appropriate follow up and developing strong connections between the family, school, IRC and relevant community agencies. Ensure all services are appropriately documented in case files.

Out-of-School Time Programming

· Oversee planning and implementation of IRC’s Refugee Youth Summer Academy (RYSA) and afterschool homework help and social emotional learning programs

· Recruit and interview RYSA administrative staff, paid teachers and volunteers.

· Coordinate and schedule enrichment events with community partners

· Facilitate program orientation for families and communication with parents

· Plan and facilitate staff and volunteer training

Parent Orientations

· Facilitate and/or supervise intern facilitation of parent orientations including introduction to the U.S. school system, parent engagement, how to choose a high school in Elizabeth and post-college pathways

· Assess parents’ understanding of information and develop tools to evaluate increases in knowledge

Reporting, Data Collection and Funding

· Ensure program participants are properly enrolled and files are up to date

· Prepare timely reports on youth programming to meet donor and contract requirements

· Ensure data collection systems are up to date with program information at all times

· Coordinate with IRC development staff and resettlement director regarding funder reports and new potential donors

· Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

· Master’s degree in education and/or social work

· A minimum of 2 years’ experience working with children and youth, specifically in the context of educational and social programs

· Experience working with English Language Learners, refugee and/or immigrant populations

· Experience working in New Jersey public schools and afterschool programs preferred

· Demonstrated ability to promote an organizational culture that reflects IRC’s core values of service, accountability, integrity, and equality. Ability to lead in a way that recognizes that IRC’s work is best accomplished through the true collaboration of individuals from many cultures with a great variety of skills and perspectives

· Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills

· Ability to work well with people of diverse cultural backgrounds

· Ability to work independently and as part of a team

· Organized and flexible: able to maintain responsibility for multiple tasks in the context of a diverse, fast-paced work environment

· Fluency in English required. Fluency in one of the languages of IRC’s client base is preferred (Arabic, Kiswahili, French, Dari, Pashto)

· Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite

Working Environment*:*

Standard office work environment. Local travel to client homes, schools and other community-based organizations is required. Some evening/weekend work may be required.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires candidates who are selected for interview to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for this position.Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.**

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.**

We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.