Peace Games Program Specialist Boston

About Peace Games

Peace Games, a national non-profit, (www.peacegames.org) was founded in 1992 on the belief that young people have the power and responsibility to change the world. It is an innovative violence prevention/social-emotional learning/school climate program that teaches students in grades K thru 8 to be peacemakers. The unique Peace Games approach engages whole school communities—families, teachers, teen and college volunteers—to teach lessons of cooperation, communication and conflict resolution using games and community service projects. Peace Games currently operates school-based programming in Boston, Los Angeles, and New York and has conducted trainings and spawned affiliate programs in sites ranging from Chicago to Colombia.

In Greater Boston, Peace Games supports programs in nine schools, reaching more than 2,200 children and their families and tapping the energies of more than 130 volunteers. In the past year we have conducted trainings for staff in partnering organizations such as Boston Center for Youth and Families, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, and Citizen Schools, reaching at least an additional 1,500 youth in settings ranging from summer camp to after school programs.

Peace Games is poised to broaden and deepen both its footprint and impacts in Boston. With a proven program model and 15 year track record, the organization is in a unique position to help respond to the continuing problems of violence surrounding youth in many of the city’s neighborhoods.

About the position

Working as one of the senior members of a 3 to 4 person team reporting to our Boston Program Director, the Program Specialist will, at different times, wear one of many hats depending on program needs:

· Serve as a coach/trainer working with principals and teachers in our partner schools to facilitate effective delivery of our program

· Recruit, train, and manage volunteers who deliver our program to schools, and secure and maintain partnerships with colleges or other institutional partners serving as sources for volunteers

· Provide support and guidance to other Peace Games program staff

· Assist the Program Director with outreach, partnering or other initiatives as needed.

The successful candidate will be steeped in the dynamics of schools and Boston’s neighborhoods, adept at managing young volunteers and a network of relationships with other organizations, and comfortable balancing the aspirations and resource constraints inherent to a growing non-profit. In addition, a successful candidate will have a passion for our mission, be a strong and effective communicator, and be looking for a place to grow professionally.

With ambitious plans for growing our Boston presence and an organization-wide strategic planning effort currently underway, the position is likely to evolve over time, presenting multiple opportunities for career development and growth.

Responsibilities

The Program Specialist’s primary areas of responsibility will focus around ensuring strong delivery of Peace Games programming to schools and other partners, including:

· Support effective collaborations with schools

Ensure that Peace Games programming is effectively implemented and sustained at Peace Games partner schools and manage relationships within those schools. This work will include spending considerable time at partner schools working closely with principals and teachers to aid in effective delivery of the Peace Games curriculum.

· Support effective collaborations with volunteers

Create and maintain effective relationships with partners (currently primarily universities) capable of serving as an ongoing source of volunteers. Recruit, train, supervise, coach and support the work of volunteers in schools.

· Provide support and guidance to other program staff

Help the Program Director provide structure, coaching and on-site troubleshooting to other program staff working in our partner schools

· Assist with outreach, partnering and training

Assist the Program Director in communicating about the program to other prospective clients and partners, nurture and manage relationships, and serve as a lead in marketing and delivering training programs to schools outside our current network and to staff of other organizations working with children and youth.

· Other Projects as assigned by the Program Director

The Program Specialist will serve as the Program Director’s right hand person for taking on special projects as needed.

Desired Skills and Experience

The ideal candidate will possess most, if not all, of the following skills and experience:

· Significant experience in or around schools

The work requires someone who appreciates, understands, enjoys and is excited by the opportunities and challenges posed by elementary and middle schools (both public and private). The successful candidate will have both the credibility and understanding that comes from previous work in or around schools, helping him or her to directly navigate priorities with school leaders, teachers, and community members and to provide effective coaching to young staff and volunteers working within these systems.

· Strong coach and organizer

Peace Games asks young staff and volunteers to step into challenging roles to help create and sustain a climate of peacemaking in our network of schools. For the work to succeed, the Program Specialist needs to be an effective coach, mentor, motivator, and setter of priorities and boundaries with these volunteers. Being a team player, knowing how to set realistic expectations and keep people focused on priority tasks, being flexible, and having a sense of humor will all be helpful assets for this job.

· Deep cultural competencies

Peace Games schools tend to be located in urban neighborhoods wrestling with issues of race, youth violence, and financial challenges. A Program Specialist will be most effective possessing an understanding of the history and dynamics of these neighborhoods, and a strong appreciation for both the resources and challenges that Boston’s children and families bring to our schools. The Program Specialist must be a culturally competent leader: eager to learn, open to diversity, a good listener, and capable of working well with people from different backgrounds.

· Strong program management and administrative skills

The Program Specialist needs to be well organized and able to prioritize and manage effectively given ambitious goals and limited resources, and needs to be adept at juggling administrative work as needed.

· Passion for Peace Games mission and goals

It helps both credibility and motivation when working in a non-profit like ours to have a passion for our mission and the work we do.

Compensation and Benefits

This is an exempt, full-time position reporting to the Boston Program Director. The salary for this position is commensurate with experience, with a generous benefits package.

To Apply

To be considered for a position, please send a resume and cover letter with any supporting information. Please address the following questions in your cover letter.

o Why are you a strong candidate for this position?

o Why is this position a good fit for your life/career at this juncture in time?

o The Program Specialist position will entail holding many relationships; how has your life/career experience prepared you to manage and successfully foster relationships?

Peace Games seeks to fill this position no later than January, 2009. Please either mail a resume, references and cover letter to Human Resources, Peace Games, 280 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210, or by email to: talent@peacegames.org. For more information on Peace Games, please visit our website: www.peacegames.org.

Peace Games is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and healthy work place.