Senior Manager, Youth Grants & Educator Engagement

Active Minds•Washington, DC

10d•$80,850 - $91,700

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Youth Grants & Educator Engagement oversees the Active Minds Youth Mental Health Innovation Fund, a national microgrant program for youth-designed mental health projects, and Youth Champions, Active Minds’ engagement strategy for adult stakeholders. The role manages grants, mentorship, technical assistance, and scaling support for youth grantees, centering BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth. It also leads professional development, coaching, and training to help adult allies sustain youth mental health leadership in schools and communities. Reporting to the Senior Director, Youth Leadership, the Senior Manager manages program operations, school and community partnerships, impact measurement, and grant resources. The role directly supervises the Manager, Middle School Engagement and may supervise assigned interns. It collaborates across departments and with external partners to advance youth mobilization, strengthen school-based mental health strategies, and support equitable, youth-led change.

Requirements

At least 6 years of professional experience in K-12 schools, higher education settings, or youth-serving organizations in school-based or campus-based environments, with deep familiarity with school culture, administration, and student programming.
Proven ability to cultivate and sustain relationships with adult and parent/caregiver stakeholders, including teachers, school counselors, school and district administrators, parent-teacher associations, and community partners.
Expertise in youth development, student mentorship, and leadership coaching, including experience guiding youth-led projects, advocacy campaigns, or social entrepreneurship initiatives.
Experience in program design and project management, including managing multi-phase initiatives, establishing timelines, coordinating cross-functional deliverables, and tracking budgets.
Experience designing and facilitating adult learning or interactive youth programming, including engaging virtual and in-person workshops and trainings.
Demonstrated commitment to racial equity and social justice, with experience designing culturally responsive programming and centering the lived experiences of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth and adult communities.
Strong oral and written communication skills, including translating program data into narratives, presentations, and stakeholder reports.
Willingness and ability to travel periodically and participate in occasional scheduled evening programming.
Proficiency with Google Workspace, project management software such as ClickUp or Asana, and CRM systems such as Salesforce.

Responsibilities

Manage the annual planning, launch, and distribution cycle of the Active Minds Youth Mental Health Innovation Fund, awarding microgrants to youth-designed mental health projects.
Develop and maintain eligibility, selection, and equity criteria for the Innovation Fund, centering BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth and historically under-resourced communities.
Facilitate virtual and in-person Youth Champion workshops and Connection sessions for adult stakeholders.
Track and report youth and young adult mobilization through Innovation Fund and Youth Champion programming.
Maintain records of project milestones, partner interactions, grant awards, and participant data in Salesforce and ClickUp.
Partner with schools and districts to position peer-led mental health strategies within school wellness priorities and MTSS frameworks.
Collaborate with Chapters and Community Programs teams to support Chapter Advisors as technical assistance providers and champions for high school youth mobilization.
Coordinate with the Youth Leadership team to ensure consistent youth advocacy pathways and program handoffs.
Cultivate relationships with K-12 districts, education associations, charter networks, and funding partners; contribute to grant proposals, concept notes, and stewardship reports.
Work with Marketing & Communications on outreach campaigns, newsletters, web content, and stories highlighting youth grantees and Youth Champions.
Work with the Measurement Team to collect and report standardized participation, completion, participant experience, and leadership outcome data; establish baselines and improvement targets and document annual program improvements.
Establish annual participation baselines and demographic tracking across Innovation Fund applicants and grantees to support equitable representation.
Manage Innovation Fund disbursements and program budgets, ensuring accurate records, fiscal compliance, and timely stipend and grant payments.
Contribute to annual budget planning for Innovation Fund and Youth Champion programming with the Senior Director, Youth Leadership.
Build and manage mentorship, coaching, and technical assistance for Innovation Fund grantees, connecting them with subject matter experts.
Design, deliver, and improve professional development, coaching, and training for Youth Champions, including educators, administrators, counselors, and caregivers.
Grow Youth Champion and parent/caregiver ally networks and ongoing engagement pathways.
Connect Innovation Fund grantees to related leadership opportunities, including the Mental Health Advocacy Academy, Mental Health Advocacy Institute, High School Advisory Board, and Chapters.
Engage BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth, including High School Advisory Board members and past grantees, in shaping Innovation Fund design, selection, and resources; document resulting improvements.
Collaborate with the Measurement Team to establish, monitor, and report KPIs evaluating Youth Champions’ impact on youth mobilization and school climate.
Partner with Innovation Fund grantees to document outcomes, case studies, and scalable practices for program strategy and external thought leadership.
Supervise, coach, and develop the Manager, Middle School Engagement and assigned interns, setting expectations, timelines, and professional development pathways.
Oversee middle school engagement goals, including year-over-year growth in sites implementing the Middle and High School Mental Health Curriculum.
Share tools, training, and practices with colleagues to strengthen adult support for youth leadership across the department.
Advance Active Minds’ racial equity and social justice goals through inclusive, trauma-informed, strengths-based programming.
Represent Active Minds at conferences, symposia, and working groups as a subject matter expert in youth-led innovation and adult stakeholder engagement.
Support cross-functional organizational initiatives and strategic planning deliverables as assigned.
Travel periodically for conferences, summits, site visits, and team retreats, and participate in occasional scheduled evening programming.