Program Specialist

Back On My Feet

Job Description

Program Specialist

The Organization

Back on My Feet combats homelessness through the power of running, community support and essential employment and housing resources. Operating in 17 major cities coast-to-coast, Back on My Feet recruits members (those experiencing homelessness) at homeless and residential facilities and begins with a commitment to run or walk three days a week typically in the early morning. The second phase of the program, Next Steps, provides educational support, job training programs, employment partnership referrals and housing resources.

Since 2007, Back on My Feet has served more than 10,000 individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness and engaged more than 100,000 volunteers and supporters. Our members have run a collective 500,000 miles and obtained more than 5,000 jobs and homes. Within six months of becoming a Back on My Feet Alumnus, 90% of members maintain their employment, 60% receive a wage increase and 20% achieve a promotion. Every $1 invested in Back on My Feet returns nearly $2.50 to the local community through increased economic output from employment and reduction in costs for shelter, medical services, incarceration and drug and alcohol treatment.

Through our innovative program, Back on My Feet proves that there is hope, that individuals can achieve things they never thought possible and that there are people who will support them along the way. For additional information, please visit www.backonmyfeet.org.

Our Core Values

Be Results Driven: Goals: Own them, crush them, seek more. Others are relying on you to deliver. Be decisive. Prioritize. Measure and act on what matters most to our vision, operating with speed and simplicity. Own mistakes, learn from them and do better.

Be Bold: Think BIG. Innovate. Take calculated risks. Be entrepreneurial. Seek to develop new ways we can enhance and grow our mission. Identify challenges, solve problems, create solutions. Take initiative but ask for help when you need it.

Be Respectful: Embody integrity without compromise. Recognize what you can control, what you can’t and have the wisdom to know the difference. Engage in direct, transparent and respectful dialogue.

Embrace Change: Be nimble, flexible and ready for change. Drive change for the benefit of the vision. Thrive in ambiguity. Take initiative to find ways to harness change and drive innovation. Be a champion of organizational transformation with members, volunteers, donors, partners and staff.

Welcome Diversity: Seek, encourage and celebrate diversity as an opportunity to learn and grow stronger communities. Pursue and embrace diverse perspectives to better move our vision forward. Work together to create and inclusive workplace that values the voice and dignity of every individual

Win Together: Engage in purposeful collaboration to achieve our vision. Leverage collective genius- embrace the value of colleagues’ expertise and have the humility to tap into it. Cultivate each employee’s strengths and abilities to support the mission. Work as ONE united team across the country.

Aim Higher: Own your journey. Be empowered to drive value to strengthen our vision. Strive every day to perfect your craft. Find the balance you need to excel but also take care of yourself

The Position


Back on My Feet is run like a fast paced, innovative, corporate start-up and led by a former Strategy Consulting Executive from a leading firm. Many of our senior leadership team originate from corporate backgrounds and we are entirely privately funded through corporations, foundations and individuals. Our National Board includes many industry leaders from a variety of corporations including Accenture, AT&T and Cigna. We are relentlessly focused on improving the organization’s impact and constantly looking at new ways to bring more supporters to the mission.

The Program Specialist (PS) is responsible for ensuring a sustainable, effective and efficient program that achieves Back on My Feet’s primary objective of helping members obtain and sustain employment. The PS will be responsible for managing and engaging volunteers to support our members in a variety of capacities along their journey toward self-sufficiency. Additionally, the PS is responsible for the development and maintenance of key relationships that are critical to the implementation of the program (e.g., facility relationships, corporate partnerships, and community partnerships). The PS is responsible for growing our impact and adding value for our stakeholder groups – members, alumni, volunteers, and donors – through principled entrepreneurship, innovation, and informed experimentation within the overall organizational vision. The Program Specialist will report to the Territory Director.


Specific responsibilities will include:

Impact

  • Ensure the robust and impactful implementation of the Back on My Feet program aligned with the organization vision and core values.


Volunteer Engagement and Management

  • Responsible for the implementation and oversight of robust volunteer programs and services, consisting of individual and corporate volunteers, for the purpose of driving sustainable growth and exceeding engagement and employment targets.
  • Recruit, train, manage, and retain volunteers to execute local program initiatives and exceed goals.
  • Collaborate with centralized staff to ensure volunteers receive appropriate orientation and onboarding and understand and adhere to Back on My Feet policies and procedures.
  • Identify and fill ongoing volunteer needs, including on-going volunteer recruitment and community awareness.
  • Ensure that volunteers have a shared understanding of the organization’s vision and goals as well as their opportunity to create impact as volunteers.


Program Implementation

  • Partnerships: maintain effective relationships with facility partners, referral partners (e.g., for training, education, additional workforce development, and/or other resources members would benefit from), employment partners, and BoMF corporate partners as appropriate.
  • Members: Ensure the execution of regular member recruitment and onboarding activities at referral partner facilities to maintain and grow member pipeline to meet and exceed our employment goals.
  • Workforce Development: Successfully execute Back on My Feet’s Next Steps program, which includes workshops on financial literacy and employment preparation (typically facilitated by corporate partners or other volunteers) and coordination of employment services, including volunteer assistance with job searching and application processes, interview preparation, referrals to employment partners, and financial aid.


General and Administrative

  • Regularly attend programmatic activity, including weekly Circle Ups, workshops, recruitment events, etc.
  • Ensure complete and timely tracking of all data in Salesforce.
  • Proactively collaborate with BoMF Communications and Marketing staff to document member and volunteer stories to highlight the impact of the program.
  • Serve as a role model in exemplifying the organization’s Core Values.
  • Oversee management of gear and inventory as needed, along with other administrative tasks.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.


Qualifications & Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent combination of education, training, and 2 to 4 years of relevant work experience.
  • Volunteer management experience highly preferred.
  • Understanding of homelessness, social services, and non-profit landscape preferred.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including excellent public presentation skills.
  • Proficiency with technology required, including CRM or case management software (Salesforce experience preferred), Slack, Microsoft Office.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations.


Personal Characteristics

  • High-energy, results oriented individual who is able to adapt quickly to a fast paced, changing environment.
  • Leader that is driven to contribute to overarching organizational goals.
  • Proactive, assertive, and hands-on individual who is self-motivated and autonomous.
  • Able to quickly assess the inner workings of a national nonprofit structure with the purpose of driving continual improvement in organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
  • Unquestionable integrity and highest ethical standards.
  • Able to work effectively with diverse groups of people from a variety of backgrounds and embrace working across lines of difference.
  • Can build trust and establish effective work relationships at all levels of the organization.


In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

At Back on My Feet, diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values, essential elements of how we engage with each other as employees and the members we serve. We have always been committed to building communities that dismantle stereotypes and prejudices and working toward a more equitable, inclusive, and just world.

Back on My Feet is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

For more information on the organization, please visit: www.backonmyfeet.org

Benefits

Benefits include: Very generous Health and Dental Plans, Travel and Medical Flex Reimbursement Plans, 401K match, generous PTO (unlimited - subject to supervisor approval) and flexible work schedule. The salary range for this role is $55,000-$65,000.

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