Who We Are
At Raise the Future, we believe every young person goes through life knowing they have a caring adult by their side. So, every day, we show up for kids in foster care by listening to their needs and introducing them to adults they can rely on. We then surround those connections with support so that they grow into meaningful, lasting relationships that help our youth heal from the past. Because to truly raise the future, we must raise the bar for what it means to support vulnerable youth and families as they navigate life, and work to transform the systems they engage with.
Since our founding in 1983, Raise the Future has designed and implemented evidence-based, wraparound services that reduce the amount of time youth in foster care live without a permanent family. We also offer programs that sustain the connections made between youth and caring adults so that they can have positive, permanent relationships that transform their futures.
Your Why?
The idea of waking up every day to support children and families who need it most fills your cup. You believe deeply in the potential of our work to transform lives because you also believe in the promise of the children we serve. You see diversity, equity and inclusion as values and mission imperatives. When asked, those in your orbit consistently say they feel seen, supported, and elevated by you. You take responsibility for your role, and you also believe that teamwork and partnership are where it's at. Your curiosity and creativity allow you to handle just about anything that comes your way. You’re seeking an organization where you can learn and grow as you help your colleagues and clients do the same, and you've found it.
Welcome to Raise the Future. We're glad you're interested in this role on our team!
The Role
The Vice-President (VP) of Programs has overall strategic and operational responsibility for all program services in Utah. The VP will report to the Chief Operating Officer and be part of the leadership team that drives the overall strategy for Raise the Future and will represent the organization on a local, regional, and national basis.
The VP is responsible for cultivating and nurturing strong relationships throughout this multi-state organization and with Raise the Future's partners, both in the government and private sectors.
With a program budget of approximately $1.7 million and program staff of over 20, this position has significant purview within Raise. The VP will develop deep knowledge of each program area, program operations, and will develop and lead the achievement of the business plan for growing and sustaining key programs that help Utah's youth and families thrive.
The VP will oversee program leadership and management, knowledge and data management, program evaluation and innovation, business development, and nurturing internal and external relationships. This leader will work with others on the Raise programs leadership team to develop programmatic and quality improvement consistency across the agency in shared program models.
The ideal candidate will creatively work to promote a positive culture that brings to life Raise the Future's organizational values: Embrace Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging/ Value You (meet people where they are)/ Foster Relationships/ Strengthen Partnerships/ Raise the Bar.
Duties and Responsibilities
Program Leadership and Management
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Enhance, grow, and implement organizational vision as established in Raise the Future's strategic plan.
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Ensure ongoing programmatic excellence.
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Attract, develop, coach, and retain high-performance team members, empowering them to elevate their level of responsibility, span of control, and performance.
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Partner with Raise the Future's human resources, supporting a culture of belonging and strategic learning and to promote and ensure programmatic excellence that relevantly reaches and positively impacts the diverse youth and families we serve.
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Provide leadership in developing intra-team communication and cohesiveness, sustaining a diverse and inclusive culture, and supporting staff during organizational growth.
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Institute a data-driven culture to ensure that Raise the Future is collecting, analyzing, and acting upon data as the foundation of a continuous quality improvement cycle.
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Deliver consistently accurate and timely budgetary and financial information, and drive efficient budget development (e.g., recommend timelines and resources needed to achieve program goals; monitor programmatic expenses; and manage the budget efficiently and effectively).
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Provide input on program budget development and ensure adherence to approved budgets and maximize spend-down of approved grant funds.
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Analyze current and past financial data and provide strategies to reduce costs and maximize efficient, effective use of revenue.
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Communicate clearly and transparently both internally and externally in a way that motivates and inspires teammates and partners to actively support Raise the Future's vision and mission.
Knowledge Management
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Collaborate with other members of the Senior Leadership Team to develop and integrate systems, processes, and tools that support cross-agency facilitation, collection, and sharing of knowledge to promote programmatic consistency and mutual learning.
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In alignment with Raise the Future's overall communication plan, develop a dissemination process to share organizational learning with a broad range of external communities to grow the agency's reputation as a leader in the field.
Program Innovation / Business Development
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In partnership with Raise the Future's finance, fundraising, and government affairs teams, strategically plan for and ensure long-term funding streams, renewal of existing contracts, and appropriate budget planning for changes in funding streams (expected and unexpected).
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Actively remain up to date on the forefront of industry trends and strategize with other senior leaders in the development of market research plans that identify ways to scale Raise the Future's capacity to serve youth and families (e.g., find new funding and programmatic opportunities that will continue to fuel Raise the Future's vision / mission).
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Encourage existing partners to expand their investment in the organization's programs by creating responsive, quality proposals and improving service delivery.
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Ensure that program outcomes are evaluated and leveraged for maximum organizational impact and are aligned with the dynamic landscape of federal, state and local legislation, policies, and political agendas (i.e., identification of new or sustained program initiatives).
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Cultivate new relationships with public and private partners that will financially and operationally support program innovation and amplify Raise the Future's impact.
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In partnership with the VP of Development, government affairs teammates, and others as appropriate, develop and pitch ideas to potential funders.
External Relationships
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Seek out, initiate, and collaborate with external partners in the human service (and associated) systems, serving as a leader to identify where existing organizational programs can meet the needs of youth, families, and partners and/or where new programmatic opportunities might exist.
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Create and implement outreach and engagement plans for developing and maintaining relationships with key partners in designated service area(s) and nationally, as appropriate.
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Work with Raise's emerging government affairs team to build and foster relationships with key governmental and legislative constituents, enhance the organization's public image, and advance legislative priorities to support and/or grow Raise's program services and credibility / leadership in the field of child welfare.