About Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA)

Boys & Girls Clubs of America is the nation’s premier youth development organization, serving nearly 4 million young people each year. We are committed to creating environments where all young people can reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens.Through partnerships, programs, and people-first leadership, we support Clubs across the country to deliver safe, impactful, and high-quality experiences for youth and families.

About the Role

One set of activities may not change a child’s trajectory, but a comprehensive program model leveraging quality programming facilitated by trained professionals in the context of evidence informed strategies and structures can be transformational.  The Director of Program Design and Strategy will have a proven track record of designing impactful programming for youth ages 6-18, dynamic professional development for Club leaders and youth development facilitators, and capacity building resources that translate research and promising practices into scalable solutions. This leader must play a central role in developing and delivering engaging, meaningful experiences for youth at our clubs and adult-facing trainings and resources. They will design and write resources and curricula that support whole-child development, focusing on health and well-being, character and leadership, academic success, and life and workforce readiness. 

In addition to building tools and resources, this team coaches Clubs through increasingly rigorous programming, training and strategy, supporting Continuous Quality Improvement in advancing Clubs. Directors must have a deep understanding of youth development and a facility applying insights from Clubs into actionable skill-building curricula and resources for a range of audiences. Through individual and group consultation, they will guide Clubs to implement evidence informed programming and strategies in support of youth outcomes. When Club cohorts are aligned to grants, they will lead the execution of grant deliverables aligned to program goals.  

Under limited supervisory of the Senior Director of Program Design and Strategy, this self-directed role involves strategic thinking, content creation, capacity-building, coaching and cross-functional collaboration with internal and external partners. The Director will not manage any full time employees, but may manage contractors for specific projects. 

Why This Role Matters

This role matters because it helps ensure Boys & Girls Clubs deliver high-quality, evidence-informed programs that create meaningful and lasting impact for youth. By designing engaging curriculum, training Club professionals, and building scalable resources, the Director of Program Design and Strategy equips Clubs with the tools, strategies, and support needed to strengthen whole-child development and improve youth outcomes nationwide. Through program innovation, coaching, and continuous quality improvement, this role directly supports Clubs in creating transformational experiences for young people.

What You'll Do

• 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 programming that will inspire and engage our club youth and staff. Your work will focus on creating developmentally appropriate, evidenced and trauma-informed programs that foster positive youth development. You will also be developing trainings and capacity building resources for adults that support their delivery of programming and creating a safe and positive environment where young people thrive. 
• Research Translation: Understanding key youth development research, and translating findings into implementation strategies, recommendations and experiences for Clubs to enhance the quality of each Club.  
• 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. Some critical projects will be tied to significant grants and partnerships, for which you’ll collaborate with our External Relations department.  
• Consultation Program Models are intentionally tiered or sequenced to accommodate various entry points and goals. Through individual and group consultations, you’ll make sense of Clubs’ data and offer targeted recommendations to leaders advancing through Program Models.  
• Continuous Improvement: Embrace a mindset of continuous improvement, always looking for ways to enhance the effectiveness and reach of our programming and capacity building resources. You’ll be encouraged to make decisions, even when faced with ambiguity, be a process-oriented and systems thinker who drives results in a fast-paced environment.  

Education & Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred or equivalent professional experience. 
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in youth development, curriculum design, instructional design, consulting or related fields.  
• Proven Track Record in Youth Development: Experience in designing, writing and delivering content and adult capacity-building resources that has a lasting impact on young people, with expertise in positive youth development principles, out-of-school programming, and instructional design. 
• Experience in Providing Coaching or Technical Experience: The ability to provide regular targeted strategic support to adults in order to improve their overall practice, and ultimately youth outcomes.  
• Organizational Skills: Ability to juggle multiple projects, follow processes an procedures, set measurable goals, and articulate clear steps and strategic thinking to achieve them. 
• Strong Writing and Presentation Skills: You’ll be writing a lot—everything from program materials, trainings to reports—and you’ll need to communicate your ideas clearly and compellingly to diverse audiences. This role requires a great deal of writing and is an essential component of the role.  
• Collaboration Across Teams: You’re a natural collaborator, able to work effectively with diverse teams with different perspectives 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, results-driven and willing to take calculated risks, and provide technical leadership and coaching for youth-focused interventions. 

Skills & Abilities 

• Strong systems thinking and strategic judgment. 
• Ability to work within defined strategic direction while exercising professional discretion. 
• Strong consultation, facilitation, and influence skills. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Data-informed problem solving and synthesis. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications. 

Work Environment & Travel

• Atlanta-based hybrid position, reporting to BGCA’s headquarters on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and as required based on team meetings.
• Travel is estimated to be less than 25%, including occasional evenings or weekends. 

Why Join BGCA

At BGCA, your work directly contributes to strengthening leaders and organizations that impact millions of young people nationwide.

This role offers the opportunity to:

• Help shape and scale leadership development initiatives across a national Movement
• Influence learning and leadership experiences that support organizational growth and impact
• Contribute to innovative growth initiatives, including emerging learning experiences such as Blue Door Academy
• Collaborate with mission-driven professionals committed to youth success
• Build scalable learning solutions within an organization with deep community impact
• Grow your own leadership and professional capabilities while enabling others to thrive

Compensation

The salary range for this role is $75,000 to $85,000. BGCA takes into consideration a combination of a candidate’s education, training and experience, as well as the position’s scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required for the role and other external and internal data when establishing a salary level. We are highly invested in every employee’s total well-being and offer a substantial and comprehensive total rewards package.