Director of Community Life at Oakwood Shores

CHICAGO, IL—Ways & Means Community Programs Initiative: In today’s challenging economic climate, a host of barriers to economic advancement have kept many low and moderate-income families out of the mainstream. These barriers not only hold adults back, but also constrain opportunities available to children. To find new approaches and create more opportunity for our residents living in affordable housing communities, TCB has invested significant resources to redesign our practice, built on our 20 years of experience delivering programs for residents, and with the help of the nationally recognized design and firm, IDEO, and the nonprofit management consultant, Bridgespan. After year and a half of design and input from leaders at TCB and the community development field, we launched this new effort which we call Ways & Means.

Ways & Means is a new, comprehensive model of neighborhood self help that leverages the stability of our affordable and mixed-income housing “platform” to drive economic opportunity for our residents. More than an initiative or a new program, TCB is integrating Ways and Means into its core business practices in order to give our residents access to the financial, workforce development and youth development tools and supports they need to succeed and offer coaching to them in the use of these new tools. Finally, Ways & Means will provide physical and web based environments to facilitate neighbor networking–supporting and expanding existing neighborhood connections with the goal of developing rich, peer support networks and re-knitting families and our communities into their surrounding neighborhoods.

This practice is focused on enabling neighborhood residents to double their earned income on average within ten years and on halving the drop out rate with increases in high school graduations over the same period.

Position:

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Community Life (DCL) reports to the Vice Presidents of Community Programs in TCB’s corporate office. The Director of Community Life leads a team of 5-10 people to oversee the complex programs deliverables for all residents of Oakwood Shores and partner programs and opportunities to ensure that the goals of a nationally-visible, dynamic new operating model for mixed-income communities are met. The DCL will oversee a team to provide opportunities for families through strong partnerships with residents, community leaders, and potential philanthropic partners for this initiative.

Responsibilities:

Lead Community Initiatives at Oakwood Shores (45%)

Ensure accountability of site team to work plans and team deliverables for Oakwood Shores.
Supervise and develop work plans and goals for Community Initiatives staff to support programs to support families at Oakwood Shores.
Develop and monitor budget for programs operations.
Meet reporting requirements for all grant funded activities, including authoring grant reports and tracking progress towards grant deliverables.
Work closely with the Vice President of Community Programs to establish goals and objectives for the community and the Community Initiatives team. Establish benchmarks and maximize community potential to achieve the goals of Ways and Means for Oakwood Shores.
Support the Community Initiatives team to implement the TCB principles of coaching residents and watch for opportunities to coach residents towards resident-identified goals
Supervise Community Resource Specialist Staff Lead, staff, and approve all time sheets and monitor staff performance.
Ensure staff is trained and supported by TCB to implement programs and opportunities as established in person development plans.
Attend trainings, community forums, and network meetings, as assigned.

Program Development & Fundraising (25%)

Research, develop and implement new projects (such as community activities for residents), through aggressively seeking program support to gain access to resources available to promote and expand opportunities for families at Oakwood Shores.
Support local fundraising efforts, including follow up with meetings and assistance to research and write grant applications.

Build and Manage Partner Relationships (20%)

Work closely with staff to ensure effective communication between site team, community partners, agencies, funders, and TCB corporate support.
Oversee relationship-building and contract negotiations with a wide range of national youth development, workforce development, and financial services providers so that a clear, cohesive platform of services is available for residents.
Represent organization in a professional and ethical manner when meeting with area agencies, funding bodies and community stakeholders.
Link residents to each other and the larger community to increase social capital and community revitalization.

Coordinate with Property Management and Real Estate Development Teams (10%)

Monitor lease renewal schedule for all Oakwood Shores households. Ensure that community participation, and program opportunities are being addressed upon renewal of leases.

Qualifications:

B.A. a minimum, ideally a Licensed Clinical Social Worker or a focus in social work, sociology, public policy or a related field with 7+ years of overall professional experience.
Entrepreneurial, creative with an interest in guiding an initiative through uncharted waters.
Excellent communication, organization and writing skills.
Ability to represent Oakwood Shores and The Community Builders at various venues to diverse stakeholders, and serve as a representative of senior management staff.
Ability to maintain positive relationships with a wide variety of people, including but not limited to: senior staff, volunteers, interns, community partners, organization donors, media.
Ability to prioritize, multitask, and be self-directed.
Proven ability to make social networking connections between community residents, and use of coaching skills to help residents, such as active listening and a coaching approach, not a counseling approach.
Commitment to the mission of Oakwood Shores to build a community where people of all incomes can succeed and support each other toward their achievements.

Salary:

$60,000 - 80,000 plus benefits. Compensation commensurate with experience.

To Apply:

Please e-mail a cover letter and resume to oakwoodprograms@gmail.com.

The Community Builders, Inc. is committed to ensuring diversity in its workplace. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply for employment.