Program Leader

Program Leader

Organization Overview | Close Up’s mission is to  inform, inspire, and empower young people to exercise the rights and accept the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. As a non-profit/non-partisan leader in civic education since 1971, we believe that a strong democracy requires active and informed participation by all citizens; therefore, we seek to reach participants of every race, creed, geographical community, socio-economic level, and academic standing. We reach about 25,000 participants annually through our in-person, placed-based programming, teacher professional development, virtual programs, and classroom curriculum.

We Believe:

1. Democracy requires members who are able to reflect on their own values and interests as well as the values and interests of others, communicate their ideas and visions, and take active steps to advance their political goals. 
2. Young people must learn and practice the dispositions and skills needed to become lifelong active and engaged participants in democracy.  
3. Engaging young people in public policy discussion and deliberation of current controversial issues will give them the skills and desire for lifelong participation in the democratic process.  
4. By remaining nonpartisan and exposing young people to a variety of perspectives, we encourage them to consider a range of ideas and form their own opinions. 
5. Encountering and engaging with those who may have different backgrounds provides young people with a more nuanced understanding of how policy decisions will affect all within a community.

Position Overview | The Program Leader is passionate about working with diverse students in grades 6-12 in a residential week-long academic program. As the manager of the program, the Program Leader balances the many needs of program by ensuring the safety of participants, maintaining the academic integrity of program, managing program staff and working cross functionally within the organization and external vendors to provide excellent customer service to our participants and to respond to emergent problems on program.

As part of the Program Leader Team, they recruit, hire, help train and manage a staff of Program Instructors. Program Leaders stay up to date on Close Up Curriculum and work with Curriculum & Training Specialists to develop their staff. Program Leaders utilize their expertise of curriculum and program to contribute to the overall design and execution of program. While not on program, Program Leaders assist on projects and tasks that facilitate program implementation and generally further Foundation goals.

Primary Responsibilities | Program life moves very quickly. The Program Leader should expect to be faced with a variety of complex situations simultaneously and must prioritize based on importance and urgency.

• Serve as the administrator of record for assigned Close Up programs and be present on these programs and being on call 24/7 during the program
• Ensure Close Up policies are followed by program staff and participants
• Provide logistical and academic leadership for a staff of about 10 including giving feedback and written evaluations
• Work with internal Foundation staff to produce the best possible program outcomes
• Provide customer service to our partners, students, teachers, and parents
• Maintain and improve external vendor relations in collaboration with other departments
• Recruit, hire and manage program staff in conjunction with other Program Leaders
• Other program-related tasks as assigned/necessary
• Seek to innovate and improve program for participants and staff

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from accredited college/university (preferably in political science, history, education, social science or related field)
• At least one year of experience delivering and/or managing educational programs
• At least one year of supervisory experience, coaching and managing a team
• Willingness to travel overnight for program responsibilities
• Authorized to work in the U.S. for any employer
• Willingness to submit to a post-offer criminal background check according to federal regulations

Other Qualifications

• Passion for working with diverse students in grades 6-12
• Experience in a school, camp, or other educational setting
• Interest in current public policy issues, history, politics, government and experiential education
• Familiarity with Washington, D.C.
• Strategic thinker who can prioritize multiple tasks at once and use sound judgement in decision making process
• Ability to prepare for and react to challenging situations with program participants and staff
• Excellent communication skills including speaking and presentation skills
• Attention to detail and organized
• Calm under pressure and ability to manage stress and balance needs of others

Schedule | Program Leaders are typically assigned to about 25 programs per year, concentrated between October through June. While assigned to a program, the Program Leader’s schedule is not your standard 9 to 5 work week. It mirrors the program schedule to which a Program Leader is assigned, generally a 50-60-hour week. Program schedules typically run from 8a.m. through 11p.m. most days, and programs usually start in the afternoon on Sundays and run through Thursday night.

Training | The Program Leader will have an extended training period during which they will be trained in and execute the roles that they would eventually aid in the management of including: Program Instructor and Program Assistant. This would happen gradually and overlap with becoming integrated into the Program Leader team.

Compensation and Benefits | The starting salary range is $48,000 to $52,000 per year . In addition to meaningful and rewarding work, Close Up provides a comprehensive benefits package which includes three robust medical insurance plans, dental insurance, and vision discount (more than 90% of the premiums are company paid). Close Up pays 100% of the premiums for both life/AD&D insurance and short- and long-term disability insurance, and offers flexible spending and dependent care accounts, a 403(b) retirement savings program, paid vacation/sick/holidays, paid parental leave , metro subsidy or free garage parking , subsidized gym membership, and a positive work environment.

Work Conditions and Physical Demands

Standing : Remaining upright on the feet, particularly for sustained periods of time; Walking : Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another; Talking : Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; those activities where detailed or important spoken instructions must be conveyed to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly; Hearing : Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and making fine discriminations in sound; Visual acuity : Performing an activity such as preparing and analyzing data; viewing a computer terminal; reading; Environmental conditions : Activities occur inside and outside, potentially in extreme heat or cold, at times at a high noise level.

Close Up Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Compensation details: 48000-52000 Yearly Salary

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