Join Our Team as Youth Development Programs Director!

Imagine a place where who you are, where you're from or the circumstances that surround you don’t determine your access to experiences or opportunities. Now imagine a mission, created to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. The Boys & Girls Clubs are making that vision a reality — in your community and communities around the world. 

About Us:

At Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we're more than an organization; we're a community dedicated to transforming lives. Our mission is to empower young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. Our HR Mission is to support the success of our employees and strengthen BGCA, while our HR Vision is to attract, develop, recognize, and retain talent, fostering a people-first culture that empowers growth, diversity, inclusion, and engagement.

Click here, Working At BGCA, to hear from our President and CEO, Jim Clark, about what makes working at Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA) so special.

Summary of the Role: 

Are you passionate about creating impactful youth programs? Do you have a deep understanding of youth development and experience designing engaging curriculum for diverse audiences? We’re looking for a creative, adaptable leader who thrives on collaboration and is driven to make a difference. As the Youth Development Programs Director, you will play a central role in developing and delivering engaging, meaningful experiences for youth at our clubs. This position is perfect for someone who loves to brainstorm, write, and bring big ideas to life—especially when it comes to creating dynamic, youth-focused curriculum and content.  

Leading as Youth Development Programs Director, you'll be at the heart of developing and delivering engaging, meaningful experiences for youth at our clubs. This role is perfect for someone who loves to brainstorm, write, and bring big ideas to life—especially when it comes to creating dynamic, youth-focused curriculum and content.  You’ll design resources and curriculum that support whole-child development, focusing on health and well-being, character and leadership, academic success, and life and workforce readiness. 

As an individual contributor, this self-directed role involves strategic thinking, content creation, and cross-functional collaboration with internal and external partners. You’ll work closely with various teams to manage projects, some of which include grants and distributing funds, ensuring that our programs have the resources they need to succeed. If you’re adaptable, organized, and excited about shaping the future of youth development, we want you on our team! 

Reporting to the Senior Director Youth Development, you’ll develop and deliver high-quality, culturally relevant programs for youth ages 6-18. We offer a hybrid work schedule, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays required in the office and the flexibility to work remotely on the other days, ensuring you have the balance you need to thrive both personally and professionally. 

• Curriculum and Content Development: Lead the design and creation of innovative, impactful content that resonates with young people. You’ll be writing and ideating new programs that will inspire and engage our club youth and staff. Your work will focus on creating developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed programs that foster youth growth in cognitive, social, emotional, and physical areas. 

• Collaborative Project Management: Collaborate with internal and external partners to move projects from brainstorming sessions to final delivery. You’ll manage multiple projects, ensuring each meets its goals and deadlines. 

• Grant Management: Oversee the distribution of funds from grants, making sure resources are allocated effectively to support our programs. Your role will be key in ensuring financial resources are used to their fullest potential. 

• Strategic Thinking and Scaling: Think big! Your ability to scale programs across different clubs and age groups will be crucial. You’ll be responsible for adapting content so that it reaches and impacts as many young people as possible.  Create scalable curricula for both in-person and digital delivery, ensuring relevance across diverse audiences and maximizing the impact of our programs. 
• Continuous Improvement: Embrace a mindset of continuous improvement, always looking for ways to enhance the effectiveness and reach of our programs. You’ll be encouraged to make decisions, even when faced with ambiguity.

What You'll Bring: 

• Proven Track Record in Youth Development: Experience in creating and delivering content that has a lasting impact on young people, with expertise in positive youth development principles, out-of-school programming, and instructional design. 

• Organizational Skills: Ability to juggle multiple projects, set measurable goals, and articulate clear steps to achieve them. 

• Strong Writing and Presentation Skills: You’ll be writing a lot—everything from program materials to reports—and you’ll need to communicate your ideas clearly and compellingly. 

• Collaboration Across Teams: You’re a natural collaborator, able to work effectively with diverse teams to bring projects to life. 

• Adaptability and Flexibility: You thrive in a fun, fast-paced environment where no two days are the same. You’re always ready to pivot and find creative solutions. 

• Innovative Thinker: You are action-oriented, willing to take calculated risks, and provide technical leadership for youth-focused interventions. 

Ideal Candidate: 

• Youth-Centered Mindset: You’re passionate about ensuring that young people have access to high-quality opportunities and experiences. 

• Broad Knowledge Base: You bring a wide array of knowledge and a strong desire to keep learning. You’re not afraid to step outside your comfort zone to design for various areas, even those you’re not an expert in. 

• Self-Directed: You’re capable of setting your own deadlines and managing your time effectively. You enjoy a role where you can choose your own adventure and see your projects through to successful outcomes. 

• Digital Platform Savvy: You understand the importance of digital platforms and social media in engaging youth and delivering content effectively. 

• Proven skill in positive youth development, education, instructional design, or curriculum design required. 

• 3-5 years of experience working with youth in a developmental setting, instructional design, training, or related disciplines, with increasing responsibility. 

• A degree in  education, youth Development, instructional design or a related field or equivalent experience. 

• Experience in managing multiple projects and grant budgets. 

Why Join Us? 
This is a highly impactful role where your work will directly contribute to the growth and development of young people across the country. If you’re an experienced, polished professional with a passion for youth development and a drive to create innovative, relevant programming, we’d love to hear from you! 

• Click I*Care Values to find out about how team members demonstrate Boys & Girls Club of America’s mission driven values, and integrate these beliefs into their environment and ways of work. 
• Click About Us to access: 
  • Benefits Information 
  • Our Diversity and Values Mission 
  • About Boys & Girls Club of America 
  • Empowering Kids Programs 
  • Getting Involved 
  • News and Stories  

About the Youth Development Team 

Who We Are and “Our Why” 
The Youth Development Programs teams serve Club Professionals across our network of over 5000 Clubs by ensuring they have high quality resources, programs, and tools available to implement a high-quality Club experience.

How We Extend the Mission/Movement 
A high-quality Club experience is core to ensuring youth and teens have opportunities to develop essential skills and develop competencies in health and well-being, character and leadership, academic success, and life and workforce readiness. Our team works closely with Club professionals and leaders to develop and maintain innovative resources to support future ready Clubs.

How We Create Impact/Value 
Our Formula for Impact says that when we provide youth and teens in our communities a high-quality Club experience, they are set up to experience transformative outcomes.