Director of Youth Development, Prevention & Intervention

YMCA OF YONKERS INC•City of Yonkers, NY

2d•$66,300 - $75,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Youth Development, Prevention & Intervention provides strategic and operational leadership across the YMCA of Yonkers' continuum of youth development, prevention, and community violence intervention programming. This position leads the YMCA's Teen Center and associated youth development and prevention initiatives while also serving as the designated Site Administrator for the YMCA of Yonkers SNUG program. The Director is responsible for ensuring strong program quality, staff leadership, grant and regulatory compliance, participant outcomes, cross-program coordination, and organizational accountability across these areas. The YMCA's youth development and prevention portfolio includes OASAS-funded recovery-support and Clubhouse programming, workforce development, mentoring, academic and career supports, wellness and prevention activities, leadership development, recreation, and other grant-supported youth initiatives serving adolescents and young adults. As SNUG Site Administrator, the Director provides leadership, administrative oversight, and organizational accountability for the YMCA's community violence intervention program. The Director directly supervises the SNUG Program Manager and SNUG Social Worker and works collaboratively with SNUG program leadership and frontline staff to support effective implementation of the SNUG model, compliance with funder requirements, staff accountability, program performance, and community impact. The Director works across the YMCA's youth development, prevention, and intervention portfolios to strengthen a coordinated continuum that supports positive youth development, addresses risk factors through prevention and early intervention, and connects individuals and communities experiencing elevated risk to intensive intervention and support. Reporting directly to the President & CEO, this position serves as a key organizational leader responsible for advancing the YMCA of Yonkers' mission through youth empowerment, prevention, community safety, relationship-building, operational excellence, and high-quality community-based programming.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required, or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant professional experience as described below.
Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in youth development, community programming, prevention services, community violence intervention, behavioral health, recovery-support services, workforce development, human services, or a related field.
Minimum of three (3) years of supervisory, management, or program leadership experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience supervising staff, managing programs, and holding teams accountable for performance and outcomes.
Experience working with grant-funded, compliance-driven, government-funded, community-based, OASAS-funded, violence intervention, or similar programming strongly preferred.
Experience working with adolescents, young adults, families, and/or individuals and communities experiencing elevated risk.
Strong organizational, leadership, communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple programs, priorities, funding requirements, and stakeholder relationships in a fast-paced nonprofit environment.
Ability to effectively supervise multidisciplinary program staff while maintaining appropriate accountability and delegation.
Ability to work effectively with government agencies, community partners, schools, families, funders, and multidisciplinary teams.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, data-management platforms, and organizational management systems preferred.

Nice To Haves

Preferred fields of study include Human Services, Social Work, Youth Development, Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Recreation, Education, Psychology, Public Health, Business Administration, or a related field.
Candidates who have not yet completed a bachelor's degree may be considered when they possess substantial directly relevant professional experience.
In lieu of a completed bachelor's degree, candidates should demonstrate a minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in youth development, community programming, prevention services, community violence intervention, behavioral health, recovery-support services, workforce development, human services, or a related field, including demonstrated program leadership and supervisory responsibility.
Candidates hired through the education and experience equivalency pathway must be actively enrolled in, or establish an approved educational plan for enrollment in, an accredited bachelor's degree program, with the expectation of completing the degree within approximately twelve (12) to eighteen (18) months of appointment.
Familiarity with community violence intervention, violence prevention, credible-messenger approaches, street outreach, youth diversion, or related strategies strongly preferred.
CASAC, CASAC-T, or prior experience working within OASAS-funded prevention or recovery-support programming preferred.
Candidates without a CASAC credential must be willing to obtain CASAC-T certification within a timeframe established by the YMCA of Yonkers upon hire if required for assigned program responsibilities.
Knowledge of trauma-informed practices, positive youth development, prevention strategies, community violence intervention, recovery-support models, and youth engagement principles preferred.
Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide leadership and operational oversight of the YMCA of Yonkers Teen Center and associated youth development and prevention initiatives serving adolescents and young adults.
Oversee implementation of OASAS-funded recovery-support and Clubhouse programming and ensure compliance with applicable programmatic, regulatory, and grant requirements.
Lead a coordinated portfolio of programming focused on positive youth development, mentoring, workforce readiness, academic and career support, leadership development, recreation, wellness, prevention, life skills, and community engagement.
Support implementation and continued development of Y-Achievers, mentoring initiatives, workforce development, recreational programming, wellness and prevention activities, and other youth-focused initiatives.
Ensure programs remain engaging, youth-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, outcome-focused, and aligned with YMCA values and organizational priorities.
Monitor participant recruitment, engagement, attendance, retention, program utilization, and outcomes.
Ensure the Teen Center maintains a safe, clean, structured, organized, and welcoming environment.
Respond appropriately to participant concerns, incidents, behavioral challenges, and significant programmatic or operational issues.
Identify opportunities to strengthen connections among youth development, prevention, intervention, education, workforce development, behavioral health, and other community resources.
Serve as the designated Site Administrator for the YMCA of Yonkers SNUG program.
Provide leadership, organizational oversight, administrative accountability, and performance management for the SNUG program.
Directly supervise, coach, and support the SNUG Program Manager and SNUG Social Worker.
Work collaboratively with SNUG program leadership and staff to support effective day-to-day implementation of the SNUG model.
Ensure SNUG operates in accordance with applicable New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services requirements, contractual obligations, program standards, YMCA policies, and approved program design.
Monitor program performance, staffing, service delivery, required documentation, data, contractual deliverables, and progress toward established outcomes.
Identify and address operational, staffing, compliance, performance, and resource needs in collaboration with SNUG staff and organizational leadership.
Serve as an organizational escalation point for significant SNUG operational, personnel, compliance, safety, and performance matters.
Participate in required funder meetings, trainings, technical assistance, site visits, program reviews, and other SNUG-related activities.
Coordinate with the President & CEO, Finance, Human Resources, grants and compliance staff, and other departments to ensure appropriate administrative support and accountability for SNUG.
Support appropriate coordination and referral pathways between SNUG and the YMCA's broader youth development, prevention, workforce, wellness, and community-based services while maintaining program-specific requirements, boundaries, and confidentiality.
Promote collaboration with community violence intervention partners, schools, government agencies, service providers, community organizations, and other stakeholders supporting violence reduction and community safety.
Provide direct supervision, coaching, performance management, and professional development for assigned program staff.
Establish clear performance expectations and promote accountability across the Director's program portfolio.
Conduct regular supervision sessions, staff meetings, performance evaluations, and leadership development activities.
Support recruitment, onboarding, training, retention, and professional development of program staff.
Develop the leadership capacity of staff and support effective delegation and decision-making.
Promote professionalism, communication, collaboration, accountability, and a positive team culture.
Encourage appropriate collaboration across programs while maintaining clear supervisory structures and program-specific responsibilities.
Ensure accurate and timely program documentation, attendance records, participant records, incident reports, data collection, and other required records across assigned programs.
Oversee preparation and submission of required reports, statistical summaries, grant documentation, performance updates, and other program deliverables.
Ensure compliance with YMCA policies, grant requirements, regulatory standards, funder expectations, contractual obligations, and organizational procedures.
Work collaboratively with Finance and organizational leadership to monitor program budgets, expenditures, staffing allocations, purchasing, inventory, and operational resources.
Review program performance data and use findings to strengthen implementation, address gaps, and support continuous quality improvement.
Support grant monitoring, audits, site visits, program reviews, corrective actions, and other compliance activities.
Maintain appropriate separation and documentation among funding streams and program requirements.
Strengthen coordination across the YMCA's youth development, prevention, and intervention programming.
Develop effective internal referral pathways so participants can access appropriate educational, workforce, wellness, mentoring, prevention, intervention, and supportive services.
Identify service gaps, emerging community needs, and opportunities for program improvement or expansion.
Use program data, participant feedback, staff observations, and community input to inform program development and decision-making.
Support strategies that strengthen protective factors, reduce risk, increase opportunity, and improve outcomes for youth and families.
Work with the President & CEO and organizational leadership to align programming with the YMCA's broader strategic priorities and community impact goals.
Build and maintain collaborative relationships with schools, families, community organizations, government agencies, funders, violence intervention partners, behavioral health providers, workforce partners, and other community stakeholders.
Support youth and community outreach, recruitment, engagement, and retention strategies.
Represent the YMCA of Yonkers professionally at community meetings, coalitions, funder meetings, conferences, special events, and collaborative initiatives.
Identify opportunities for partnerships that expand resources and opportunities for youth and strengthen prevention and intervention efforts.
Promote community awareness of available YMCA programs and appropriate pathways for accessing services.
Participate in leadership meetings, staff meetings, trainings, planning activities, and organizational initiatives as assigned.
Collaborate with other YMCA departments and program leaders to advance organizational priorities.
Maintain a work schedule responsive to program operations, participant needs, community activities, meetings, and organizational priorities.
Provide appropriate leadership support during critical incidents or urgent programmatic situations within the scope of assigned responsibilities.
Perform all other duties as assigned.