Program Director

Mission – Hope Creates empowers youth and adults in recovery from, or at risk of, Substance Use Disorder to stay sober by engaging in the expressive arts and a vibrant and creative sober community.

Organization Overview – Getting sober is difficult, and maintaining that hard-won sobriety can be equally challenging, especially when one lacks a supportive community. Hope Creates focuses on helping youth and adults stay clean and sober by coming together through expressive arts education to explore holistic and creative ways of having fun by playing music, creating art, engaging in poetry, and more. Hope Creates works hard to foster an accepting community of sober arts friends who can uplift each other.

Position Description – The Program Director reports to the Executive Director and is responsible to oversee, deliver, and grow Hope Creates’ programs. The Program Director will engage in multiple areas of the organization’s operations.

The Program Director will support the design and implementation of Hope Creates’ programs with a particular focus on our Make Your M.A.R.C. program. The Program Director will coordinate instructor and volunteer recruitment, initiate and schedule programs with program partners, manage program metrics, and coordinate all program execution. In order to achieve our goals, we need strong programs, supportive and engaged instructors and volunteers, a culture of philanthropy, and the ability to support the “Art of Sobriety”.

The Program Director will be responsible for leading, developing and implementing specific program objectives related to each of these programs:

Make Your M.A.R.C. (Music. Art. Recovery. Connection.) – A nine-session program for a cohort of 10-15 youth and young adults in recovery from or deemed at risk for substance use disorder. Participants meet for 3-4 hours each session, engaging in a multi-disciplinary healing arts experience in painting, drawing, music, drums, and storytelling, and deliver an exhibition and concert the final week.

Community Creation Events (CCEs) – CCEs are delivered at various studios, galleries, and parks in the St. Louis area. These collaborative gatherings are open to all young people in recovery and their families. This provides an easy, entry-level activity for all involved. Events are free for participants. In CCEs, participants are provided art supplies and/or performance training so they can create in different settings and with different mediums. All events are adrenaline-pumping fun and emphasize a safe and sober community.

Expressive Arts Exhibitions (EAE) – EAEs are professional-level art exhibitions. Hope Creates works with participants to develop artwork in diverse media. Exhibitors must have one-year sobriety or more to sign their work with their first name and last initial. Artwork by artists with less than one-year sober is anonymous.

Education and Outreach (E&O) – E&O services are provided to St. Louis area residents to convey the scope of the disease of Substance Use Disorder (SUD), to support those in recovery from, or at risk of SUD, and raising awareness of innovative solutions to prevent relapse through the expressive arts.

Core Responsibilities
Program Management (80%)
·    Manage existing programs, with a primary focus on scaling Make Your M.A.R.C.

·    Develop objectives and metrics for programming in collaboration with the Executive Director

·    Monitor programming for performance and develop ways to improve programming and processes

·    Develop and implement program policies and procedures

·    Develop operation manuals for program staff and volunteers

Volunteer Supervision (15%)
·    Provide regular supervision to program volunteers, including setting goals and objectives, evaluating performance, providing emotional and logistical support, and offering constructive feedback where appropriate.

·    Implement operation manuals for volunteers

·    Develop and implement onboarding procedures

·    Onboarding volunteers in collaboration with the Executive Director

Program Development (5%)
·    Identify opportunities for new programming and conduct preliminary research into the relevant field, such as identifying peer programming and key partners

·    Create and present to the Executive Director a Project Plan for new programming/curriculum that explains key logistics for the project, such as an actionable timeline, estimation of time/resources necessary, and rationale for how the program furthers Hope Creates’ mission and vision

·    Establish policies and procedures necessary to effectuate new programming

General Responsibilities
·    Collaborate with the Executive Director and staff to ensure successful and sustainable Hope Creates operations

·    Other duties as required

Competencies
·      Team-oriented and high-energy

·      High attention to detail, process-driven work ethic, and ability to hit deadlines and handle time-sensitive, fast-paced and demanding situations

·      Highly collaborative and able to work with diverse partners to serve our youth and young adults in recovery from or at risk of a Substance Use Disorder

·      Excellent written and verbal communication skills with thoroughness in documentation

·      Learning orientation, supporting a sensitive population, creating a high-trust and trauma-informed work environment, and being able to respond quickly to issues that arise

·      Strong passion for the mission and supporting under-served youth

Qualifications
·      Excellent writing skills and strong oral communication and presentation skills

·      Superior ability to work with students/participants, instructors, partners, and volunteers at all levels

·      Organized, mission-oriented, detail-aware, and data-driven

·      Strong interpersonal skills

·      Ability to handle multiple and varied tasks with ease, while striving for accuracy, high-touch and compassionate instruction, and excellence

·      Able to attend evening sessions and work some weekends for program delivery

·      Able to develop creative and innovative approaches to reaching partners and participants.

·      Ability to identify artistic excellence and encourage artistic exploration

·      Enthusiasm to learn new skills and deliver high-quality arts education programming and services

Education
A bachelor’s degree is required, a master’s degree preferred, in art education, social work, public health, or equivalent professional experience.

Experience
·      Work in a non-profit environment, ideally in program management or delivery

·      Developing and delivering a program or project from conception to execution

·      Curriculum development

Skills
Ability to use Microsoft Office products as well as familiarity with program metrics/measurement and database programs.

You must possess a valid driver’s license and a vehicle.

This is a full-time position with a stipend for health insurance and monthly cell phone expenses. The salary range for this position is $46,000-$55,000 depending on experience.

Hope Creates is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants and employees committed to our mission and vision will be considered on an equal basis regardless of an individual’s race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other categories protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Please send your resume and cover letter to Kathie Thomas, Executive Director, at kathie.thomas@hopecreates.org with the subject line “Application for Program Director”.