Purpose

Our mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Our vision is that all youth achieve their full potential. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana serves approximately 1,200 youth annually ages 8- 18 in Hamilton, Johnson, and Marion Counties. We partner with parents/caregivers, volunteers, schools, and the donors in our community to defend, ignite, and empower the potential of every child we serve.

Purpose of this function: The Mentoring Relationship team provides customized support, coaching, supervision, and engagement to all match parties to ensure that matches build strong, enduring relationships that result in positive youth outcomes and fulfilling volunteer experiences for Bigs.

Purpose of this role: In addition to maintaining a caseload of mentoring relationships, this role is designed to assist Mentoring Relationship Specialists (MRS) in peak volume months for support contact completion, improve department compliance with the Outcome Evaluation System, and provide interim support to a caseload during a hiring process, leave of absence, and PTO.

With this role, the goal is to achieve 1) higher completion rates of support contacts and surveys important to youth protection, relationship health, and youth outcomes; 2) increased retention of mentoring relationships that experience a staff transition; 3) improved retention of Mentoring Relationship Specialists (MRS); and 4) elevate the match experience by supporting activities celebrating match milestones.

Responsibilities

Program Specialist Expectations:

• Assist MRS with match support contacts and match introductions during peak times and PTO.
• Provide temporary match support and match introductions during MRS transition periods.
• Ensure Match Support surveys are completed on-time and according to BBBS standards.
• Process and review on-going mentor background checks.
• Promote mentor and parent/guardian development by monitoring participation in The Learning Exchange. Assist with identifying and arranging program participant learning opportunities.
• Collaborate with the other Agency Department to support communication and engagement among program participants.

Mentoring Relationship Responsibilities:

• Introduce and continually assess and coach the match relationship by maintaining contact and survey schedule, at a minimum, with a focus on child safety, match relationship development, positive youth development and volunteer satisfaction. Methods of support may include but are not limited to in-person interactions, virtual meetings, and phone conversations.
• Guide the match in achieving positive outcomes for the youth and transition the match to closure and re-engagement when appropriate.
• Assist mentoring relationships in creating and routinely updating their annual plans by uncovering their aspirations, dreams, and goals. Coach, guide, and support the match to follow through with completion of goals and pursuit of dreams. Ensure the plans are youth driven.
• Promote intentional individual and group match activities to foster a strong mentoring relationship and increase positive youth outcomes.
• Increase volunteer engagement and affiliation with the agency through individualized recognition, annual events, and re-engagement strategies.
• Listen to, encourage, and support youth.
• Engage with and support parents/caregivers to focus on the strengths of families and youth.
• Complete Peer Quality Assurance file reviews.

Program Expectations:

• Assess and respond to individual training, information, and support needs for youth, parents/caregivers, and volunteers to ensure we provide a positive, developmental, and satisfying experience.
• Ensure accurate and timely documentation is completed in database according to BBBS Standards and Agency policies & procedures.
• Ensure high-level expertise in applying child safety and risk management knowledge, policies, and procedures throughout all aspects of job function.
• Work with strategically identified external partners (i.e., Schools, community centers, corporations, etc.) to build relationships for youth referrals and family resources.
• Staff recruitment booths/tables, match activities and agency events.
• Share with development, engagement, partnership and/or marketing staff potential partnership relationships and stories as discovered through match contacts with Big, Little and Parent/Guardian.
• Maintain customer service at levels exceeding expectations of our partners, volunteers, parents, and children.
• Be an ambassador for BBBSCI by representing BBBS in a professional manner, identifying and seizing opportunities to recruit volunteers, and furthering the mission of BBBS.

• Maintain budget documents including invoices and other expenses incurred by department as needed.

General:

• Attend required meetings and events as scheduled.
• Establish and promote positive communication among all team members of BBBSCI to increase collaboration and reduce inefficiencies.
• Always represent BBBSCI in a professional manner, providing courteous service to both internal and external constituent and presenting a positive image of BBBSCI.
• Abide by BBBSCI policies and practices.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Qualities

To excel in this role, the candidate will likely bring the following:

• Partnership Formation & Community-Building: An ability to work in the community to build relationships and meet constituents where they live, work, and thrive (in their homes, office, community centers, etc.).
• Empathetic, Informed, & Culturally Responsive: An ability to exercise the following skills: Trauma-Informed, Strengths-Based, Positive Youth Development, Cultural Humility, and Commitment to Equity, Justice and Liberation Work.
• Quick Learner & Self-Starter: A self-motivated, flexible, and hard-working approach.
• Proactive & Prepared: Excellent organizational and time-management skills.
• Adaptable & Attentive: Ability to handle multiple projects while maintaining an attention to detail.
• Confident: Strong decision-making, problem-solving, and communication skills.

A Glimpse into Our Team Culture and Typical Day On the Job

BBBSCI’s Team of Mentoring Relationship Specialists (MRSs) are all about connecting with and supporting people. We’re a team of 10-12 full-time MRS who’ve worked together for a range of 3 months to 13 years! We look for folks who will bring something unique into the mix. Our team has grown incrementally and intentionally over the years, building new and senior staff with a goal of collaboration and constant learning. Whether a member has just started their professional journey or has worked in social work, education, youth recreation, etc. for years, we each have a voice and lived experience to contribute. A large part of our workday is spent independently connecting with our mentoring relationships; Bigs, Littles, Parents/Guardians. When we get the opportunity to connect during scheduled weekly and monthly meetings or through pop-up Teams chats; we welcome and need the camaraderie. We have teammates who will make fun of your favorite team, recommend the latest series or podcast to binge, or has all the delicious recipes.

To meet the needs of our constituents, our schedule asks for 2-3 days each week which work until 7 or 7:30pm. However, with that, brings a fair amount of flexibility. Do you need to make that dentist appointment at 9am? In most cases, there’s no need to take PTO for something unfun, schedule it on a “late night.” A late night means you plan to work 11am – 7:00pm. We also have Paid-Time Off and Holidays to accommodate those other real-life moments. Even with a fun team and some flexible hours, the ultimate perk of the job is helping others. This team has the privilege of seeing lives change through reciprocal, meaningful, and intentional relationships. We thrive on those moments! We often do not live in a concrete-thinking world. We must embrace the gray and say, “how can we partner to make this work?” Problem-solving, coaching, and relationships can be both real and rewarding.

A Day in the Life of an Mentoring Relationship Program Specialist:

No day is exactly same, but here’s what a day could look like.

Today is a pre-scheduled “late night.” You work from 11am – 7pm to facilitate a Match Milestone Activity. You’re going to host an activity which helps matches celebrate an anniversary of the first time they met. It’s important to ensure each mentoring relationship feels celebrated, encouraged, accomplished, and recognized.

After grabbing a cup of coffee or snack, you pop-open your Outlook calendar and see the day scheduled before you. You have 3 scheduled coaching calls, a department meeting, hoping to cold call the Little you couldn’t reach yesterday, and the Match Milestone Activity to end your night. You’ve already prepped for the Match Milestone Activity in the days prior, but let’s send some reminder calls and texts to everyone so we’re ready to meet at 5:00pm. After getting everyone’s confirmation for tonight, you’ll open Chrome and enter it into our Salesforce database. Tonight, is all set.

Ready to move onto checking-in on your caseload of Bigs and Littles. It’s almost lunchtime and you’re scheduled to talk to a Big on their break. The Big says the relationship is going well, but you make sure to coach and connect on a variety of topics during your conversation. You might suggest activities BBBSCI is hosting which are rooted in helping the Little grow. Using this topic, you transition into asking in what other and deeper ways their relationship is building positive youth development. Now’s time to document what was discussed and how you helped. You spend the next few hours having scheduled and cold-call conversations with Bigs and the Littles’ Parents/Guardians.

Time for the weekly Team Huddle-up. You’ve come prepared with a couple updates to share with the team from last week’s community meeting, connect with group on what’s going-on in their worlds, and get reminders for the month’s work plan.

After school is a great time to call a Little, luckily, they answer. You chat for a bit to hear about school, friends, and what they’ve been doing with their Big. Recognize and champion them on the improvements that might seem small but are important and gradual changes! After documenting that call, you look at the clock. Almost time for the Match Milestone activity.

You do a quick refresher on who you get to meet tonight and how long they’ve been matched. This activity is set to occur at our office, and you move onto setting-up the room. You greet everyone when they arrive and facilitate the activity. During the event you see matches connecting, reflecting, and looking ahead to another solid year. You’ve helped them see the strengths each person brings to the relationship, recognize, and respect differences, and identify what they want to learn next together. It’s almost 7:00 PM, so you decide to clean-up the space and jot-down some notes to help you document everything first thing in the morning. You sign-off your laptop, make sure everything confidential is stored securely, and head-out to relax and unwind.

Experience, Education, Degrees, and Licenses

Minimum requirements:

• Experience in social services, education and/or child development along with a commitment to principles of positive youth development is required.
• Lived experiences and cross-transferable skills are welcomed and will be considered.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Services, Social Services, or related field, is desired.
• Participation in continuing education programs as requested.

Physical demands/Work environment

• Must be able and willing to work evenings and weekends as required by agency.
• Must be able to work proficiently with computers, agency database and other office equipment.
• Required to travel approximately 60% of time to meet agency needs (often in places of employment or individual homes), attend conferences and meetings, etc. Travel is generally within Central Indiana.
• Must have reliable transportation. Drivers of privately owned vehicles must have valid driver’s license and meet state required automobile insurance minimums. May be required to transport clients.
• Must be able to meet eligibility requirements in a background check consisting of National Sex Offender, Criminal History and Motor Vehicle Registry.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $37,000.00 - $39,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Mileage reimbursement
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Patient demographics:

• Adolescents
• Adults
• Children

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Evening shift
• Weekends as needed

Application Question(s):

• Are you willing to work some evenings and weekends?
• Are you willing to undergo a background check?

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Indianapolis, IN 46202: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Indianapolis, IN 46202