Social Action & Advocacy

Westchester Children’s Association (WCA) is an independent, non-partisan, nonprofit agency dedicated to improving the lives of Westchester’s children by shaping policies and programs to meet their needs and keeping their well-being at the top of the public agenda.

We work to ensure Westchester’s children are healthy, safe, and prepared for life’s challenges, regardless of race or zip code. We are committed to social justice and equity.

WCA is seeking a candidate with a proven track record of public policy wins and making change happen.

Job Title: Program and Policy Manager

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree and minimum 5 years leadership experience in nonprofit, government, or advocacy and systems change. Graduate degree in social sciences or management preferred and may substitute for experience. Schedule: Full time, in-office, business hours, occasional evenings. Limited local travel occasionally required. *Currently hybrid between office and remote

Reports to: Executive Director

Starting Salary: upper $60,000s
Job Summary:
The Program and Policy Manager works directly with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, other staff members, community partners, and government leaders and elected officials to develop an agenda and action plan for workable solutions on far-reaching issues impacting children, youth, and young adults in Westchester.

An ideal candidate for this position is a mission-oriented, team player who enjoys working with a diverse group of people to advance the issues affecting children and youth to the attention of the public and policy makers. Through research, public education and consensus-building, the Program and Policy Manager engages the Board, direct service providers, state and local leaders, and other stakeholders in fulfilling WCA’s mission. This role requires the ability to work independently on numerous tasks and issues at one time and meet deadlines, as well as lead workgroups and countywide initiatives. Candidates who are interdisciplinary in nature will thrive in this position.

Key Responsibilities
Program and Policy Overview
• Lead staff in developing, refining, and executing WCA’s programmatic initiatives
• Chair coalitions, workgroups and meetings on specific children-focused projects and initiatives
• Work with service providers, public administrators, and elected officials through a variety of activities to improve outcomes for children and youth
• Conduct research on various children’s issues from government agencies, community-based organizations and other research and policy organizations
• Assist Director of Data in the collection and visualization of data
• Monitor and analyze federal, state, and local legislation to assess impact on children and youth
• Support WCA and community partners in budget and legislative advocacy at county and state levels
• Staff the Board’s Research and Advocacy Committee

Community Engagement and Mobilization
• Build and maintain strong, sound relationships with WCA’s partner organizations and public officials
• Represent WCA on numerous outside committees of constituency groups, including community, governmental, and private organizations
• Convene and build consensus amongst individuals, agencies, and interests
• Educate the public and policy makers on priority children and youth issues
• Provide advocacy training to community partners
• Be the point person for program events, including but not limited to annual Advocacy Breakfast, roundtables, and town hall meetings
• Manage the creation, development, marketing, and distribution of effective public education materials, including E-Advocacy alerts, reports, brochures, fact sheets and other documents

Management
• Support the ED in the administration and management of the organization’s mission, including program development, strategic planning, and event planning and execution
• Participate in Board meetings as needed
• Supervise, coach, and develop Program and Project staff
• Maintain connections with area schools, colleges, universities and other relevant entities with potential interns and volunteers, and supervise hiring and work of interns and volunteers
• Support grant writing and fulfill grant requirements, including proposals, budgets, and reports

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of successful and progressively responsible experience in nonprofit management and relationship building.
• 5 years leadership experience in a nonprofit, government agency, or advocacy organization
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including public speaking
• Team player with excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build community contacts
• Proven experience in building consensus, working in coalitions to develop and implement strategic work-plans
• Ability to multitask and meet project deadlines with meticulous attention to details
• Demonstrated ability to distill complex ideas and data into clear, concise, engaging, and accessible language
• Supervisory experience, ability and willingness to coach and develop staff, interns, and volunteers
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office required.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
• Understanding of legislative process and experience working with elected officials
• Experience working with Board of Directors or other governing bodies
• Experience in Tableau Desktop or other data visualization software, R programming and relational database environments a plus
• Advanced degree MSW, MPA, JD or MBA

To Apply:
• Email resume and cover letter to Limarie Cabrera, Director of Data, Operations and Finance, [email protected]
o Include “Program and Policy Manager” in the subject line of your email
• No phone calls please

The Westchester Children’s Association seeks to be a diverse and inclusive organization. WCA maintains a policy of equal treatment to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, creed, color, national origin/nationality, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
Frequently cited statistics show that women and members of structurally marginalized and/or underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Westchester Children’s Association encourages you to apply, even if you don’t meet all the qualifications for the position. We look forward to your application and hearing about why are you interested in our work.