About Room to Grow

Room to Grow is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the vision that one day all parents will have the resources they need to unlock their families’ potential and become champions for babies and their community. Its mission is to offer structured parent support, material goods, and community connections to support parents as they activate their natural strengths and expand their knowledge, so children thrive from the start. Room to Grow was founded in New York in 1998 and expanded to Boston in 2005, currently partnering with over 1,500 families with an annual budget of $8.5M and a team of 50 passionate and dedicated staff members. 

Room to Grow uses a two-generation, preventative, and strengths-based approach to engage families. Through its unique program, parents and caregivers partner with program staff to develop strategies to support their child's development, select the material items that their child needs, and connect with community resources that can expand their support network. Room to Grow program staff work alongside parents and caregivers as they build upon their existing skill sets and parenting styles and promote the well-being of their children and family. 

As an entrepreneurial and growth-oriented organization, Room to Grow is in an exciting period of development as it continues to expand its reach and impact in Boston, New York and Chicago. 

Position Summary

The Family Support Manager (Regional) is an evolved, full-time position that will oversee all aspects of local program delivery. This role will directly manage the 1st and 2nd Hour Family Support team leads in their region, in order to provide a locally-informed, high-quality and standardized source of clinical mentorship, Room to Grow practice principles, and program implementation support. This role will facilitate cohesive communications between and across 1st and 2nd Hour Family Support teams related to practice, as well as between all local teams related to program context and implementation. 

The Family Support Manager will function as local program leadership for all applications and program decisions within the region. This role will partner closely with the Regional Director to provide local program context and, at times, additional capacity towards local operational, communications, and fundraising efforts. This position will also coordinate local community and family-oriented events in their region, in close collaboration with the Regional Director and other local teams.

This role will report to the centrally-seated Sr. Manager, Family Support. This relationship will ensure that the Family Support Manager has the dedicated and direct support of high quality clinical mentorship and programmatic support from the National Program Department, while also supporting the National Program department staying directly informed about, and responsive to, existing and emerging context at the regional level.

Operational Note: This role may be fulfilled by a 1st or 2nd Hour Family Support practitioner who carries a modified caseload or hosts a modified amount of 2nd Hour visits, respectively, depending on their number of direct reports. The Family Support Manager provides direct management of the Coordinators of the regional 1st and 2nd Hour Family Support teams, or, if a team size hasn’t yet required a Coordinator position to emerge, the Associates of that team. This role should have no more than 4 direct reports.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Provide direct management to the Coordinator, 2nd Hour Family Support and Coordinator, 1st Hour Family Support. (If either team size has not yet required a Coordinator role to emerge, the Associates of that team will receive direct management from this role.)
• Provide direct and indirect clinical mentorship, high-quality representation and reinforcement of Room to Grow’s practice, and program implementation improvements support to all regional Family Support team members.
• Collaborate closely with the regional Inventory and Volunteers team lead related to program inventory materials and processes, troubleshooting issues that arise, and general coordination across regional Family Support and Inventory and Volunteers team activities.
• Lead achievement of local program goals through data-informed discussions across local and national stakeholders, reflective conversations and coaching with 1st and 2nd Hour Family Support teams, and coordination between involved regional teams.
• Support the Regional Director in representing the program externally and in reporting through routine, deep context-sharing and updates on regional practice and program implementation, as well as other context gleaned from being in the position of local program leadership.
• Identify opportunities for on-site community and family engagement events based on team, participant, and community feedback. Lead the planning, implementation, and follow-up for these events, tapping other local and national collaborators as is relevant to the success of the event and organizational policies.
• Ensure cross-regional alignment of standardized, high-quality practice in collaboration with the Sr. Manager, Family Support and the Family Support Managers in other Room to Grow regions.
• Provide direct Family Support through either 1st Hour or 2nd Hour visits with families, either maintaining a modified caseload & corresponding 1st Hour visits, or hosting a modified amount of 2nd Hour visits in alignment with capacity and number of direct reports.
• As capacity allows, provide strategic relationship management with community partners with clinical focus, such as prenatal programs and social work-focused organizations, to support Room to Grow's community partnership network for in-coming applications and out-going referrals
• Occasionally serve as substitute for 1st or 2nd Hour family visits, in the event of unexpected absences on either team, where possible based on the candidate’s capacity and competencies.

Qualifications and Experience

• A passion for the mission, vision, and core values of Room to Grow
• Deep understanding of the Room to Grow practice & competencies, or the practice & competencies of similar organization working to support families with young children in low-income circumstances
• Passion for coaching and developing others
• Demonstrable history of successfully managing others/teams
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organized, resourceful, and solutions-oriented
• High level of professionalism, integrity, accountability, and judgment
• Experience, knowledge, or interest in the application of DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging) principles in social services and/or other supportive organizations
• Competency in Google Suite
• Fluency in both Spanish and English
• Experience in supporting families with young children, families living in low-income contexts or who face other forms of systemic oppression, and/or non-profit organizations
• Experience in event planning and management
• Experience using CRM/other database platforms (e.g. Salesforce) to manage participant data

Core Competencies

Mission & Culture Alignment - Allows a candidate to thrive at Room to Grow and to be highly motivated by the organization’s work and mission. A successful candidate:

• Embodies RtG core values, including integrity, respect, growth, collaboration, community and inclusion
• Articulates an authentic passion for and unwavering belief in RtG’s mission, demonstrating a commitment to and literacy around the issues of equity that undergird the work 
• Navigates ambiguity and pivots with ease; presents as collaborative and flexible with a strong service mentality and ability to navigate a local/national structure
• Models transparency and encourages open dialogue and inclusivity
• Demonstrates a growth mindset; approaches work with a learning orientation, continuously seeking to improve his or her own work and the work of the organization
• Possesses a deep appreciation for diversity, equity and inclusion and seeks to bring people together along lines of difference; is able to model this value in Room to Grow’s internal work by treating our diverse population of families with sensitivity, respect, compassion, and dignity, as well as demonstrating this value with an external presence

People Management - Enables a candidate to lead, motivate, and manage a cross-functional team to results while managing organizational priorities and operations. A successful candidate:

• Is committed to acknowledging and leveraging the strengths of team members to accomplish goals in addition to applying a growth mindset when identifying, communicating, and supporting team members’ areas in need of improvement.
• Motivates team members to pursue the utmost degree of accuracy, integrity, and efficiency in their work
• Demonstrates the ability to build, develop, and inspire high-performing, diverse teams, with an eye towards meeting / exceeding goals, professional development, and clear delegation.

Operational Focus - Enables a candidate to efficiently and effectively fulfill their responsibilities while maintaining Room to Grow’s high level of professionalism and integrity to the program. A successful candidate:

• Monitors the progress of tasks and communicates clearly with team members about ways to fulfill the organization’s needs
• Anticipates operational obstacles and demonstrates expertise in and innate desire to tackle operational challenges and more productively enact Room to Grow’s mission and vision
• Structures tasks in a systematic way by establishing priorities in support of achieving the team’s goals, and accomplishing them in a timely manner

Communication - Allows a candidate to represent the organization across a range of internal and external stakeholders and share written and verbal information in a clear and compelling manner. A successful candidate:

• Communicates effectively and impartially towards the intended audience, orally and in writing

• Is comfortable navigating the balance between a customer service mindset and the organization’s goals while interacting with stakeholders (i.e. in-kind donors, volunteers, program participants)

• Generates communication that is inspiring, effective, and engaging, with a constant awareness of staying true to Room to Grow’s mission and integrity

Organizational Leadership - Enables a candidate to inspire team members at all levels to achieve results, while upholding organizational priorities and operations. A successful candidate: 

• Has experience creating and managing complex organizational or departmental budgets, as well as experience managing cross-functional, multi-layered teams across regions 
• Anticipates challenges, remains flexible and adjusts course as needed in the face of challenges and opportunities to maximize impact and deliver results, including possessing independent judgment in high stress situations
• Demonstrates self-leadership and self-reflection; is proactive and learns from one’s own experience

Compensation and Benefits

Salary and benefits will be competitive for our field and commensurate with experience. Room to Grow is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. We encourage you to share any required accommodations with april.beakley@roomtogrow.org and elise.spector@roomtogrow.org, who will treat your requests as confidentially as possible.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We view differences between individuals (e.g., race, gender, age, cultural heritage, physical ability, education, beliefs, and lifestyle) as an asset. We celebrate what makes us unique and strive to create an inclusive environment for all. We are focused on fostering a culture of empowerment in an effort to better understand and serve the multifaceted cultures and identities of all of those within the Room to Grow community.

At Room to Grow, our DEI efforts focus on uplifting the experiences and perspectives of underrepresented groups and doing the work that draws out the best in all of us.

To Apply

Submit your application via Room to Grow’s career portal.