Alameda County Director

Position Title: Alameda County Director

Reports To: Managing Director of Programs

Community: Alameda County

Office Location: Oakland, CA (up to 50% hybrid role of in-person and remote)

Compensation: $100,084/annually or hourly, generous benefits package

Status: full-time, exempt

Start Date: June 2025

About Fresh Lifelines for Youth

Fresh Lifelines for Youth is an award-winning non-profit whose mission is to partner with youth to unlock their potential, disrupt the pipeline to prison, and advance justice in California and beyond. By 2030, through partnering with young people, communities, and systems, FLY will contribute to the fight for equity and justice by taking concrete steps to dismantle California’s pipeline to prison, equip 30,000 youth to transform their lives and create meaningful opportunities for them to live healthy, free, and productive lives.

For more information about Fresh Lifelines for Youth, please visit: www.flyprogram.org

Alameda County Director - Position Summary 

The Alameda County Director (AC Director) is a strategic, collaborative and results oriented leader responsible for executing FLY’s programmatic vision at the county level. The AC Director ensures high quality program delivery, manages county based program teams and oversees partnerships with local government agencies, funders and community stakeholders. Reporting to the Managing Director of Programs (MDP), this role ensures alignment with FLY’s Theory of Change while tailoring programs to meet local needs.

Position Responsibilities

County Level Program Leadership

• Oversee the execution of FLY’s programs in Alameda County, ensuring alignment with organizational goals while adapting to local needs
• Provide recommendations to the VP of Programs and Impact, Managing Director of Programs and Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation regarding program model enhancements and adaptations based on county-level insights and emerging best practices. 
• Offer insights to FLY’s Talent department related to staff performance, professional development, workload distribution and staffing requirements to ensure a well-supported team.
• Implement and monitor program performance indicators to assess quality and impact
• Ensure youth voice initiatives effectively collaborate with local partners without compromising youth perspectives

Program Staff Supervision and Performance Management

• Hire, train, develop and supervise a team of program leaders for the county’s programs. 
• Conduct annual reviews of direct reports which include creation of professional development plans. 
• Lead team members in setting individual and program-wide goals, guiding the process of incremental execution, and maintaining accountability for goal achievement, while navigating growth, staff transitions and evolving county wide priorities in youth justice. 
• Oversee the management team and leadership of all AC based programs. The AC Director will partner with the MDP to develop and then implement strategies related to performance management, quality of services, and contract management.
• Co-facilitate cross-program Manager Meetings, and facilitate trainings as needed, with support from the Talent Department 
• Conduct and monitors site visits for Program Quality Measurement visits for the county
• Collaborate with the MDP, other County Directors and Associate Directors in leading and coordinating Program Lead’s efforts to develop, manage, and evaluate highly effective programs and organizational systems.  
• Manage and support crises while keeping youth, staff, FLY and all involved safe.  
• Provide guidance and facilitation as needed for county practitioner forums  and lead AC leaders meetings.

Stakeholder Engagement, Partnerships and Funding

• Serve as FLY’s lead representative in AC’s juvenile justice and youth service networks
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with government agencies, funders and key community partners to ensure FLY has access to youth and programs are well funded
• Ensure grant and contract compliance by working closely with FLY’s development and finance teams and the MDP
• Represent FLY at local government and community meetings

Collaborations with Internal Teams 

• Partner with the Evaluation and Learning Department, the MDP and other internal innovation partners to analyze program data and ensure continuous improvement
• Collaborate with the Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation to scale best practices and enhance program innovations
• Work with the Managing Director of Programs and Director of Evaluation and Learning to ensure the advancement of FLY’s Learning Agenda through the implementation of FLY’s Theory of Change, which may include participation in the TOC Implementation Committee.
• Work with the Managing Director of Programs, VP of Programs and Impact, Evaluation and Learning team, as well as the Finance and Development teams to make decisions regarding contract deliverables and assess the program’s ability to meet contract requirements.  

• Other duties as needed and assigned.

Compensation & Benefits

This position is a full-time, exempt role at a rate of $100,000.84/year with differential pay options based on an advanced degree and, when applicable to the role, speaking another language. Our Total Rewards Package also includes the following: 

• Full medical dental, vision, and chiropractic healthcare and retirement contribution match
• 10+ PTO Days
• 12 Holiday Days
• FLY provides 3-4 additional "rejuvenation days off" twice per year in July and December 
• Annual Wellness Funds 
• Annual Professional Development Funds
• Employee Assistance Program (paid for by FLY)
• Annual Staff Retreat, Holiday Party, End of Year Celebration, Team Off Sites, and other FLY Events. 
• Customize your Work Schedule (dependent on supervisor approval based on positional and departmental needs)
• Hybrid of In-Office and Remote Work (frequency of required in-person work is dependent upon the role)
• 8 Hours of Civic Engagement
• Mileage Reimbursement. 

At FLY, we have adopted a no-negotiation policy. This policy reflects our commitment to equity and ensuring that the offers we make to our candidates reflect competitive and appropriate compensation given the market and the role.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion

At FLY, we embrace a diversity of identities, beliefs, thoughts, and experiences. We commit to creating an organizational culture of equity and inclusion to better serve our youth and communities. FLY is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive for an inclusive culture and a staff team that reflects diversity. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex/gender, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. We strongly encourage women; people of color, people who identify as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities; people with experience in the juvenile justice or criminal justice systems; and people with disabilities to apply.  Fresh Lifelines for Youth is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at (408) 263-2630 or compliance@flyprogram.org

COVID-19 Vaccination

At FLY, we are committed to the safety of our employees, clients, and all others who enter our workplace. As such, FLY would like to make clear that the COVID-19 vaccination is a condition of employment. However, FLY does allow staff to apply for exemptions based on medical history or sincerely held religious beliefs or practices. This must be approved through FLY’s compliance department. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact us at (408) 263-2630 or email compliance@flyprogram.org

What to expect

• Application with 8-10 questions and an applicant screening question. 
  • No Cover Letter Required
• 2-3 Interviews (for many roles, at least 1 would be in person)
• Meet w/FLY youth
• Work Product (Done in advance of the Final Round Interview)

Position Requirements

The ideal candidate will have a deep commitment to equity, social, racial, and economic justice, as well as a demonstrated ability to uplift and integrate youth voices in program development, leadership and system change efforts. They will have past experience performing effective managerial/leadership roles, an in-depth understanding of the obstacles facing system-impacted youth, and a data-informed approach. The candidate will believe in FLY’s vision and mission and will resonate with FLY’s values: accountable, dedicated, respectful, equitable and just, loving, innovative, hopeful, and youth-centered. 

Core Competencies: Skills and behaviors that FLY expects and develops all staff to exhibit across all positions at various levels of proficiency (early stage, intermediate  and advanced) 

• Cultural Responsivity: Demonstrates an openness and commitment to equity, justice, and belonging. This includes being aware of one’s own bias and privilege, building an understanding of systems of oppression, and valuing diverse perspectives; you take actions to learn and contribute to an environment that creates power-sharing, access, and opportunity within our community.
• High Quality: The ability to own your work, be accountable, and take initiative to produce high-quality results. This includes setting and achieving standards that demonstrate a high level of care and commitment to our mission, our population, our colleagues and our partners.
• Collaboration: The ability to work effectively within a team and intentionally across teams to contribute to FLY’s mission and agency goals. When working with others, you exercise your strengths and build on the strengths of others.
• Communication: The ability to convey information effectively with consideration of the situation and audience. This includes communicating clearly with people of different backgrounds and cultures in which you demonstrate self-awareness, empathy, and active listening. 
• Problem Solving: Applies critical thinking to problem solving that considers multiple perspectives and actively identifies creative solutions to address individual and systemic challenges. 
• Adaptability: The ability to adapt and respond to change effectively. This includes engaging in continuous learning, maintaining a solutions orientation, and proactively seeking opportunities to be supportive of change that  best serves our mission.

FLY’s Leadership Competencies: Skills and behaviors that FLY expects and develops all staff in Leadership positions to exhibit across various levels of proficiency (early stage, intermediate  and advanced) 

• Emotional Intelligence: Demonstrates self-awareness and the ability to process one’s own emotions and the impact and influence on others. This includes maintaining a compassionate and authentic perspective of issues and information that allows you to effectively work through challenges with teams and to respond with empathy.
• Change Management: The ability to recognize a need and assess the readiness for change. This includes effectively promoting and building commitment toward change and successfully guiding your team through the implementation process. 
• Strategic Decision-making: Effectively structures and facilitates inclusive decision-making processes. This includes responsibly making informed decisions to improve organizational health and impact through the use of key information to problem solve and to identify equitable solutions.
• Develops & Motivates Others: Motivates, inspires and supports teams and individuals through strong coaching, mentorship, and targeted development activities. Builds healthy and effective teams through regular feedback, collaboration, role clarity and conflict resolution.  
• External Relationship Builder: Invests in and builds strong, trusted and ongoing relationships with external partners and cultivates new relationships. This includes the ability to analyze and understand relationships as a strategy for achieving the mission, which often means navigating complex relationships while anchoring to FLY’s values.
• Project Management: The ability to create project plans, implement plans with effective delegation to team members, and manage those plans to intended impact, while adjusting the course when needed. This includes managing at various levels of complexity and scale, as well as anticipating potential barriers and evolving plans to achieve the desired impact.

Note on Qualifications: In FLY’s quest for an equitable hiring process, candidates are encouraged to apply even if they feel they only meet 75% of the position requirements.