Organization Overview 

The mission of the Urban League of Louisiana is to support African Americans and others seeking equity to secure economic parity and self-reliance. Founded in 1938 as the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, Inc., the organization expanded its footprint to Baton Rouge and changed its name to Urban League of Louisiana (ULLA) in 2017. ULLA is one of nearly 100 affiliates of the National Urban League, headquartered in New York. Today, ULLA’s work lives in three Centers of Excellence: Education and Youth Development, Economic Development and Workforce Development and Policy and Social Justice. 

Benefiting from a remarkable history and tradition, ULLA has a strong and positive brand coupled with a track record of successfully serving the African American community. Using this as a foundation, ULLA is poised to expand to other cities across the state, making it an integral part of the state’s economic growth and development. 

The organization’s structure includes the President and CEO, Executive Vice President, Vice President for Finance and Operations, Vice President for Education and Youth Development, Vice President for Workforce Development, Vice President of Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Vice President, Strategy and Engagement along with director level positions in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Position Summary

The Vice President of Education & Youth Development leads program planning and execution for the Urban League’s Center for Education & Youth Development, establishing a vision for community impact that is achieved throughout the state of Louisiana through the efforts of a diverse team.  Serving as the organizational Education & Youth Development lead, the Vice President will oversee programs of the Center for Education and Youth Development which include the Urban League’s Parent Information Center, Clarence L. Barney Head Start Center and Project Ready. The Education and Youth Development Vice President also oversees advocacy and policy initiatives such as Urban Leaders for Equity and Diversity (ULEAD) and the Education Empowerment program (EEP).  The Vice President of Education & Youth Development will be a champion for equity in education, creating an active parent base, quality early childhood education and college and career readiness. The Vice President of Education & Youth Development establishes program goals and objectives, and develops priorities and standards for achieving success. The Vice President of Education and Youth Development generates innovative education and youth development solutions for children, youth and families, and ensures programs are aligned with national best practices. 

Essential Functions

1. Provides management and administrative oversight for the Center for Education and Youth Development, ULEAD, Education Empowerment Program, and associated staff.

2. Manages vision and innovation by building and sustaining a core team of individuals who are linked to the success of Urban League’s mission. Provides strategic decision making and initiative through obtaining information, and identifying key issues and relationships relevant to achieving the Center for Education and Youth Development’s goals and vision, along with EEP and ULEAD; commits to short and long-term action plans to achieve programmatic deliverables by utilizing data, logical assumptions, available resources, opportunities, constraints, and organizational values.

3. Possesses the ability to manage teams across cities utilizing proven project management skills and techniques, and is flexible to travel frequently to manage multiple sites.

4. Provides oversight to ensure compliance with federal Head Start performance standards and state of Louisiana licensing requirements for Class A Childcare centers.

5. Establishes and maintains relationships with a range of education stakeholders and thought leaders including district office leadership, school board members, community-based organizations, educational institutions, local and state education officials, etc.

6. Demonstrates a high level of professional skill and knowledge in position-related areas; stays current on developments in the education landscape statewide, education policy, educational news, best practices in early childhood education, pre K-16, youth development, and parent engagement, and all matters pertaining to families and students.  

7. Demonstrated experience in successfully developing, leading and supporting multi-sector partnerships and initiatives– with a focus on equity, excellence, expanded access and opportunity across the full range of PreK-16 education settings.

8. Utilizes visionary leadership and is adept at developing ideas and concepts into program components.

9. Oversees coordination of advocacy activities with policy and communication staff and assists in informing ULLA’s education policy agenda.  Provides testimony as necessary at various legislative, municipal and education policy meetings.

10. Provides leadership in identifying and pursuing new funding sources, partnerships and service strategies in response to community needs.  

11. Assists in the development of concept papers, proposals and grant applications individually and as part of a team.

12. Develops presentations, focus groups, education retreats, statewide convenings, workshops, surveys, etc., engaging multiple stakeholders, and assists with data analysis and synthesis.

13. Facilitates tactical leadership on Education and Youth Development initiatives such as Schools Expo, Resource Guides, Parent Leadership Academies, literacy initiatives, college and career readiness activities, and advocacy issues such as school equity, etc. 

14. Serves as a thought partner to various groups locally and nationally, and represents the Urban League on education task forces, committees, working groups, and collaboratives, etc.

15. Facilitates the development and creation of content for program marketing materials, communications and messaging to inform a range of stakeholders on education advocacy and policy issues.

16. Responsible for grant reporting, compliance, and evaluation of all education and youth development programs. 

17. Assists in the preparation and management of the Center for Education and Youth Development budgets.

18. Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibility

The V.P. Education and Youth Development has direct supervisory responsibility for director level positions within the Center for Education and Youth Development and EEP.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position, Monday – Friday. Routine weeknight and weekend assignments may be required. Statewide travel is required for this role. 

 Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field, required.

• At least 8 years relevant experience as a senior leader in a non-profit or philanthropic organization, or other institution overseeing multiple programs or contracts, required.

• Professional and practical background in administration, education, policy, pedagogy, research, practice and advocacy, with a particular emphasis on issues of equity, required. 

• Demonstrated successful experience developing and implementing multi-year programs, projects and initiatives, required

• Experience interfacing and working collaboratively with a range of organizations and groups. 

• Deep commitment to improving the lives of kids and families from low-income communities; especially communities of color.

• Deep content knowledge and expertise around education and youth development, as well as comfort with research, policy and data analysis.  

• Grant writing skills and Grant management experience, reqiured

• Budget management skills, required. Candidate will be expected to work effectively with senior Finance executives to monitor spending, forecast budgets and make modifications as needed

• Must be a self-starter and able to process information quickly into actionable tasks.  

• Detailed–oriented and should be comfortable working on multiple projects simultaneously. 

• Possess excellent organizational skills, and possess the ability to be flexible and prioritize work under competing deadlines.

• Effective oral and written communication skills, and the ability to manage people and resources.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google equivalents, and Adobe Acrobat.

• Have the ability to manage vendors and consultants where applicable.  

• At least 3 years of experience focused on key social and racial justice issues, required.