JOB OPPORTUNITY

PROGRAM MANAGER, PART-TIME (Firewriters at IYC-Chicago)

To apply, please send your cover letter and resume to jobs@storycatcherstheatre.org with the position title in the subject line.

Position Summary.

The Program Manager (PM) is the administrative leader of a residential program and is responsible for ensuring all organizational and program goals are met. The PM maintains communication between program staff, facility staff and Storycatchers administrative team. They support the program Artistic Lead in developing training plans for teaching artists, advocate for the program needs and enforce company policies. They keep the program running within budget and collaborate with key staff to create a safe, nurturing and structured environment that allows for optimal youth interest and personal development.

This position requires a decisive leader who thrives in a dynamic, unpredictable environment and sincerely believes that regardless of background or personal history, we should never give up on people. A successful PM will have a performance background with project management and team leadership experience. The PM demonstrates collaborative skills and is a role model for others, especially in stressful situations.

This individual must work successfully with all persons in the organization without regard to ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, physical challenge, sexual orientation, or gender.

This position requires in person and on-site attendance in a secure partner facility.

Job Expectations.

  • Create and maintain a safe and trauma-informed environment for all program staff and participants.
  • Execute the program within the budget provided by the Director of Arts Education Programs.
  • Build and maintain relationships with the facility, program staff, and youth participants.
  • Keep relevant program staff updated with important company information.
  • Ensure that the program has the resources needed to succeed by managing supplies for program sessions, performances, and special events, including printouts, writing utensils, snacks, equipment, and reception supplies.
  • Schedule and lead weekly program meetings; manage program calendar.
  • Complete Daily Activity Reports and other reports in a timely, accurate fashion.
  • Attend all Manager Meetings, All-Staff Meetings, and Staff Trainings.
  • Proactively assess the quality of program content, its results and effectiveness and communicate needs and opportunities with Storycatchers leadership team.
  • Lead the setup of the program session/rehearsal space.
  • Be prepared to share or write about youth stories for external communications.
  • Be available for and attend all program sessions in-person.
  • Equitably communicate and enforce company policies.
  • Assist Artistic Lead in implementing the daily agenda and activities.
  • Assist in managing classroom behavior, mediations, de-escalations and other youth interactions as requested.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Essential Skills and Qualifications.

  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Project management and team management experience
  • Valid driver’s license
  • Extensive experience working with youth who have a history of trauma
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office
  • Familiarity with the criminal justice system a plus
  • Ability to work in person
  • Completion of facility required background check.

Essential Attributes.

  • Self-starter and team player with a positive mindset.
  • Ability to balance short-term and long-term responsibilities with urgent tasks.
  • Be willing to respectfully accept and apply feedback.
  • Be innovative and forward thinking about how to move the mission forward.
  • Able to accommodate a flexible, changing schedule.
  • Be level-headed and able to process challenges and/or volatile situations effectively.
  • Be patient, yet decisive.
  • Have “thick skin” and the ability to always see the best in people.

Required Availability.

  • Part-time position, average of 12 hours per week
  • Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-6:30p at IYC-Chicago, 136 N Western Ave, Chicago.

Compensation.

  • Paid hourly, we compensate for program time and assigned off-site prep time including curriculum planning, staff meetings, and training.

Why Work Here.

We believe our staff is the heart and soul of the organization. Our workplace culture is challenging, supportive, collaborative and mission driven. We take a genuine interest in career paths, work-life balance, and welcome contributing ideas from staff at all levels. Working at Storycatchers means working somewhere full of engaging, savvy, diverse people who care deeply about pushing our work forward. If you want to work in a progressive organization, where you can build something meaningful and have fun while doing it, we would love to hear from you.

About Storycatchers Theatre.

Storycatchers guides young people to transform their past experiences into expressive arts-based presentations while developing the courage and vision to become leaders and mentors. By creating support for youth within the criminal justice system, Storycatchers prepares them to change their lives and emerge successfully from court involvement. We dedicate all our resources to meet the complex needs of adolescents and young adults who have become involved in the justice system. We have worked with young people in the Illinois juvenile justice system since 1990, developing and refining a nationally recognized, award-winning, trauma-informed creative youth development methodology. We conduct year-round residential programs in three separate juvenile justice facilities and offer a post-release performing arts jobs program, Changing Voices, to young people navigating reentry to Chicago.

We are a collaborative organization that believes in committing to each other as well as the youth we serve. We implement a uniquely effective arts education model that helps marginalized young people develop the capacity to envision and pursue meaningful futures. We believe in second chances.