Student and Community Manager - New Haven, CT

Y2Y Overview

Y2Y Network is building student-led programming to interrupt the cycle of homelessness for a generation of young adults. Y2Y employs a youth-to-youth model to provide a safe and affirming environment for young adults ages 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness. After successfully launching and operating Y2Y Harvard Square, the nation’s first youth-led shelter for young people experiencing homelessness, Y2Y Network has been working in partnership with Youth Continuum and students from across New Haven to operate Y2Y New Haven, a student-led overnight program for young adults, ages 18-24, experiencing homelessness.  

Y2Y’s work has been locally and nationally recognized for its innovative approach and shelter design.  Our co-founders Sam Greenberg and Sarah Rosenkrantz  have been honored as Forbes 30 under 30, and Honorable Mention for the Boston Globe Magazine’s Bostonian of the Year. For more information about our work, our team and our partners, please visit www.y2ynetwork.org. Click here to hear Sen. Elizabeth Warren talk about the power of the Y2Y model.

At Y2Y, our core values are Dignity, Safety, Adaptability, Collaboration, Affirmation.  We actively work to pursue an inclusive workplace every day. We work hard, have fun, and value mental health and work-life balance.  Another way that we walk in our values is having monthly closed days, optional sick-of-work days every other month and flexible options schedule to help you re-energize and show up to be the best you that you can be!

Position Overview

Y2Y is seeking a dynamic self-starter that has demonstrated experience collaborating and managing relationships with multiple stakeholders and takes a project management approach to their work.  The Student and Community Manager will coordinate all of the stakeholders operating the Y2Y New Haven project (Youth Continuum staff, student leaders, and network staff) to maintain quality operations and ensure mission fidelity.  

The ideal candidate is equally passionate about young adult leadership development and disrupting young adult homelessness and thrives in a highly collaborative environment.  Additionally, the right Student and Community Manager is capable of modeling Y2Y Core Values and is deeply committed to social justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion.  The Student and Community Manager is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with community partners that strengthen the Y2Y New Haven program, as well as coaching, mentoring, and supporting students and holding them accountable in the operation of the shelter.  While the Student and Community Manager will usually default to working within typical business hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m., the position also requires some weekend and evening hours, which can be accommodated on a flexible schedule. 

Key Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions

Essential functions of the position are the reasons why this position exists. Applicants should be able to perform the functions below with or without reasonable accommodations. 

Student Staff Support and Program Development

• Serve as primary support for students involved in the Y2Y New Haven project.  Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring and technical assistance for students
• Convene Youth Continuum staff, Network staff, and student leadership to develop and implement a program strategy
• Strategize with Y2Y Network staff around student development
• Support work plan development and implementation for multiple student staff members
• Work with student leaders and Youth Continuum staff to manage and resolve conflicts and crises on an on-call basis 
• Meet with student staff, Youth Continuum staff weekly
• Attend student workgroup meetings to provide mentorship

Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Building

• Support student leadership and Youth Continuum in developing a strong and cohesive communications infrastructure
• In conjunction with student staff, serve as a liaison for partnerships with community-based organizations, provide continuity for relationships management
• Attend relevant homeless service provider meetings as needed and work with providers to serve guests in collaboration with students 
• Support Network directors with the preparation of content for stakeholder engagement, including board meetings, committee meetings, presentations, etc.

General Program Management and Operations Support

• The Program Coordinator must be willing to be available to assist with programmatic or operational needs during shelter hours as needed 
• Meticulously read shelter notes on a daily basis and thoughtfully respond to issues that arise and offer support to staff
• Build and sustain relevant information systems to maintain institutional memory 
• Maintain full personal knowledge of all in-space policies and procedures 
• Ensure program milestones and goals are met while adhering to approved budgets
• Support Associate Director in thinking through overall program strategy

Additional Job Expectations -These are just some of the competencies and behaviors we believe will make the program Coordinator successful in this role. If you possess many or all of these you may be the person we are looking for:

• Able to grasp and model Y2Y pillars of harm reduction, trauma informed, and positive youth development. 
• Growth Mindset: Deeply reflective, self-aware, and ability to think critically; sees setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow while being accountable 
• Problem Solving:  Weighs, reflects upon, and contextualizes information in an effort to solve complex problems; works to uncover root causes and consults with stakeholders to identify solutions
• Must be able to establish self as thought-leader and mentor in student spaces; offers Network-level context, direction around values, and strategic realignment input 
• Planning, Tracking & Reporting: Prioritizes, orders, and communicates tasks to ensure clarity of ownership, deadlines and expectations; uses milestones to measure, track, and report progress towards the achievement of desired project outcomes
• Reliability & Trust: Perceived as a credible and reliable source of information; documents information and is committed to closing communication loops
• Initiative & Managing Up: Proactive about communication and action instead of waiting to be asked; brings up concerns, blind spots, & issues to direct supervisor(s) 

Qualifications

At Y2Y, we recognize that there are many ways to learn, grow, and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each application. This said, an ideal candidate would demonstrate a majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

• 2+ years staff experience in supervision, program management & training delivery
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills 
• Appreciation of student leadership and demonstrated commitment to volunteerism & service
• Ability to lead meetings and presentations and interface with all levels of staff 
• Strong relationship building skills and an enthusiasm for building relationships with students and partners
• Must be collaborative, possess a strong customer service orientation, and be a consultative problem solver
• Well-versed in issues of diversity, equity & inclusion, current events, political issues
• Displays empathy and a dedication to ensuring that all young adults have a safe place to rest, grow, and lead
• Capacity to work both independently and collaboratively as well as very strong organization skills, orientation to detail, and sense of self-direction
• Ability to work in a high-pressure environment and navigate ambiguity 
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite

Preferred Qualifications

These are the qualifications we consider would be a plus in this position.

• 2+ years’ experience in youth work and/or working in homeless services or lived experience 
• Background in psychology, sociology or related field, or 3+ years experience is a plus
• Crisis management and de-escalation especially in the context of dealing with historically marginalized groups

Benefits

Salary for this part time position will be commensurate with experience, around the range of $28,000 to $32,000/year.  Y2Y Network offers Flexible Time Off and supports work-life balance. 

To be considered for this position:

• Please submit a resume, and, in lieu of a cover letter, please submit responses to the following questions in no more than two pages:  
• 1) Please choose one of Y2Y's core values (Dignity, Safety, Adaptability, Collaboration, Affirmation) and describe how you exhibit that value in your work/daily life
• 2) What is the role or experience you’ve had that is most analogous to the Student and Community Manager position we’re hiring for, especially in the context of homelessness, and/or student or youth leadership and guiding their decision-making? Please provide details. 
• 3) Tell us about a professional experience where you were able to show initiative and/or navigate ambiguity to find a solution to a complex problem . 
• Send combined Résumé and responses in one PDF to sharon@y2ynetwork.org 
• Email subject line: Student and Community Manager-NHV [First and Last Name]

Y2Y Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustaining a diverse community with a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and encouraging to all. We foster a culture of inclusion that celebrates and cultivates diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, out of home care, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, culture, and experience.