Program Specialist

The Organization

Back on My Feet combats homelessness through the power of running, community support and essential employment and housing resources. Operating coast-to-coast, Back on My Feet recruits members (those experiencing homelessness) at homeless and residential treatment facilities and begins with a commitment to walk, run, or jog in the early morning while connecting with a supportive community of volunteers and members. The second pillar of the program, Next Steps, provides educational support, workforce training, employment referrals and housing support. Please click here to see our program in action:

http://www.backonmyfeet.org/BoMFVideo.  

Since 2007, Back on My Feet has served more than 7,000 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 4,000 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    

The Program Specialist or Manager (PS/PM) 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/PM 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/PM 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/PM 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/Manager will report to the assigned Territory Director.

Based on the level of experience/qualification, this position is open to hiring at one of two levels: Program Specialist or Program Manager. This job description applies to both levels with Program Managers having an increased expectation of autonomous function within organization policy, procedures, and best practice in executing all aspects of this role.

Specific responsibilities will include:

Impact and Growth

• Ensure the robust and impactful implementation of the Back on My Feet program aligned with the organization mission, vision, and core values.
• Execute on growth strategy to grow the Back on My Feet program in Chicago and surrounding areas through new facility partners, deeper impact with current partners, and effective utilization of volunteer support/engagement.

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: build and 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 consistent/ongoing 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 and coordination of employment services, including both direct support to members and volunteer assistance with job searching and application processes, interview preparation, referrals to employment partners, and financial aid. 

General and Administrative

• Ensure complete and timely tracking of all data in Salesforce.
• Proactively collaborate with BoMF central 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.
• Collaborate with other Back on My Feet staff and volunteers to identify and execute events geared toward community awareness and member, volunteer, and/ or donor engagement.
• 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.
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including excellent public presentation skills.
• Willingness/ability to travel to multiple locations in Chicago and surrounding areas.
• Ability to adhere to unconventional work schedule (e.g. morning circle-ups, starting between 5:30am; occasional evening and weekend programmatic activities).
• Understanding of homelessness, social services, and non-profit landscape preferred. 
• Proficiency with technology required, including CRM or case management software (Salesforce experience preferred), Slack, Asana, Microsoft Office.

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.

Contacts

For qualified candidates, please submit a resume and cover letter to hr@backonmyfeet.org

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.

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

Benefits

Benefits include health and dental plans; childcare, travel and medical flex reimbursement plans; retirement savings plan; annual reimbursement for athletic gear; generous PTO; and flexible work scheduling.