Rescue Social Change Group (Rescue SCG) is searching for an experienced Youth Engagement Director to lead Rescue SCG’s youth engagement programming. Qualified candidates are experienced in managing large youth programs and/or grassroots advocacy campaigns, such as youth-led movements, youth marketing campaigns, youth after school organizations, political campaigns, and advocacy campaigns. The Director must be able to manage a large team of professionals working directly with youth or working on advocacy campaigns that youth are contributing towards. This requires an understanding of the significance of youth as agents of change in the policy change process and an ability to leverage impact. Nationwide, the Director will manage programs that engage over 10,000 youth in policy change and public awareness efforts for multiple clients. This individual must also have leadership and project management experience to recruit, train, and manage a growing team of youth engagement team members, which will include over 50 different Group Managers, Managers, and Youth Action Coordinators spread throughout at least 10 offices nationwide. Within one year, the youth engagement team is expected to grow significantly from its current count of 8 staff to over 50 staff. This individual will be a critical part of the team expansion by helping recruit additional youth engagement team members in response to newly awarded contracts. The Director will report directly to Rescue SCG President and/or the Vice President of Client Services.

The Youth Engagement Director would have five overarching responsibilities: 1) successful management of a national youth engagement program that engages hundreds of existing high school after school programs in public health advocacy campaigns, 2) successful management of youth-led policy change campaign efforts for clients at the local and state level on topics including tobacco control, physical education mandates in schools, and other public health-related issues; 3) successful management of a youth-led nationwide public awareness campaign on the negative impact of tobacco use in the entertainment industry; 4) improvements on the concepts and processes of Rescue SCG’s proprietary youth engagement model to meaningfully engage youth in policy change efforts in a quantifiable and tangible manner; and 5) advocacy and promotion of Rescue SCG youth engagement services when appropriate for business development purposes. To achieve these responsibilities, the Director must have strong skills in client management, project planning, budgeting, team management, reporting, communications, new media, advocacy, and mobilizing the public while being a self-starter, inquisitive, up-to-date on best practices in youth engagement, and able to effectively work with federal-level organizations. Other opportunities to implement Rescue SCG’s youth engagement model on non-public health issues may arise in the future, including but not limited to environmental efforts, education, and others, and the Director’s responsibilities and abilities would be expected to grow with these opportunities. In addition, because of the high-tech nature of the youth engagement system, the use of social media, and the need to communicate with youth on their devices and platforms, a strong understanding of current technologies is necessary; non-tech savvy individuals need not apply.

Rescue SCG’s youth-led policy change and public awareness campaigns include the following topics:

- Comprehensive tobacco-free schools and higher education institutions;

- Tobacco retail licensing;

- Mandatory physical education in schools;

- Voluntary policy change for smoke-free homes and cars;

- Tobacco-free media including movies, TV shows, music videos, magazines, social media and websites.

In addition to managing youth engagement programs for various clients, this individual will assist Strategic Initiatives Director if/when necessary to pursue opportunities that expand the youth engagement department. Some experience in grant writing is preferred. The position is based in the Washington DC metro area.

Company Description

Rescue Social Change Group (Rescue SCG) is a for-profit social change agency with a mission to improve people’s lives through cost-effective and evidence-based behavior change programs. Clients include local, state and national government organizations as well as not-for-profits, schools, universities, and foundations addressing issues such as tobacco, violence, underage drinking, and after school programs. Rescue SCG provides services in marketing, research, and strategic planning to execute social change efforts nationwide. Rescue SCG has been named one of San Diego’s 100 fastest growing companies for five years and expects 2012 to be its sixth year. Rescue SCG is based in San Diego, with offices in Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and Washington, DC, and new offices expected this year in 5 – 8 other cities. Rescue SCG’s efforts are focused on youth and young adult populations to cause behavior change and/or policy change. The Rescue SCG team is youthful and energized, challenging industry standards to develop effective and sustainable solutions for public health issues.

The Youth Engagement Director will focus exclusively on Evolvement, Rescue SCG’s proprietary youth engagement model implemented nationwide for high school students. Currently, the Evolvement model is active in Virginia, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado with a primary focus on fighting tobacco use. The model is expected to be implemented nationwide in Fall 2013, with set-up for that contract beginning in February 2013. Evolvement members educate the public and present a call to action with specific tobacco control campaigns. Evolvement does not focus on traditional health messages, but rather on social justice issues, consumer advocacy, and local public health policy.

Evolvement recruits new members annually through a subcontract program where school- and community-based high school organizations nationwide (i.e.: DECA, FBLA, Key Club, NHS, Student Council, etc.) apply for the available subcontracts. Recipients receive up to $2,000 to recruit youth to be Evolvement members by attending an in-person training and completing projects throughout the year. Rescue SCG staff train and work with youth directly, while managing the campaigns that youth members support with their projects.

Position Description

The Youth Engagement Director’s responsibilities in management would include, but are not limited to:

1. Lead growth of youth engagement team which includes duties such as supervision, management, hiring, training, evaluating, and mentoring;

2. Develop processes to ensure smooth workflow and quality control protocols that are implemented across all youth engagement staff levels;

3. Further Rescue SCG’s proprietary youth engagement model to include best practices;

4. Assist in abstract writing and present findings at relevant conferences;

5. Stay up-to-date on advocacy, grassroots, and youth engagement strategies and be active in the youth engagement forum at large to ensure that Rescue SCG’s practices remain innovative, unique, and of top quality;

6. Work with evaluators to document the success of youth engagement efforts;

7. Ensure that standard operating procedures on youth engagement are appropriately implemented across all offices and across all levels of the youth engagement team;

8. Contribute to the ongoing development of Rescue SCG’s proprietary technologies to manage youth engagement;

9. Respond to new and unexpected challenges as the team grows and evolves;

10. Provides ongoing, constructive feedback on staff performance, leadership, and mentorship, including conducting performance reviews for each staff member;

11. Communicates expectations clearly and establish a unified vision for all staff;

12. Support and sometimes identify business development efforts to expand the youth engagement department.

The Youth Engagement Director’s responsibilities in youth engagement would include, but are not limited to:

1. Direct policy change and/or awareness campaigns for local, state, and federal-level clients, which include duties such as development of scope of work, campaign strategic planning, budget management, client presentations, and others;

2. Develop logic models for process of change in youth engagement campaigns;

3. Develop and track youth engagement metrics and process outcomes that is consistent with logic models;

4. Apply best practices of youth engagement, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to campaign activities;

5. Ensure that social media campaigns are planned and implemented strategically and appropriately;

6. Continuously improve the format of youth trainings to cause more impact;

7. Cultivate and maintain relationship with leadership of national youth organizations with local chapters such as FBLA, Key Club, FCCLA, and other youth groups to ensure the highest quality of Evolvement subcontracts;

8. Manage development of client-reporting processes for all campaign activities;

9. Manage client relationships for all projects to ensure overall client satisfaction;

10. Manage project contractors, such as data entry, graphic design, web design, recruiters, and tech partners;

11. Ensure earned media coverage on Evolvement projects, events, and/or overall model;

12. Serve as key liaison between Rescue SCG and health-based or advocacy organizations such as Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Legacy Association, American Lung Association, and American Heart Association, among others;

13. Work with external evaluations as needed.

Candidate Requirements

Work Experience:

8 years of professional experience in grassroots advocacy, public health policy, youth programs and/or youth engagement required

Education Level:

Bachelor’s degree in communications, political science, public health or related field Minimum Age: Must be 21 y/o or older

Environment:

Must have valid driver’s license, a reliable vehicle, computer and Internet access, must be available to work non-traditional hours such as late nights and weekends, must be a non-smoker, and must be able to lift 30 lbs. Travel within the U.S. multiple times per month on average based on client needs.

Required Skills:

Demonstrated leadership and management experience;

Strong organizational skills to oversee numerous projects at once;

Strategic vision to identify objectives and strategies to achieve them;

Capacity building to effectively build an organization and mentor staff;

Team builder to scale up operations across multiple offices nationwide;

Savvy with technology and new media;

Able to operate independently and run projects from inception to completion;

Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and work effectively in teams;

Strong verbal and written communication skills;

Demonstrated professionalism with people throughout all organizational levels;

Ability to excel in high-stress, fast-paced environments;

Highly attentive to detail and perfectionist with ability to quickly identify and solve problems;

Ability to see the big picture while keeping track of details; Excellent interpersonal skills;

Ability to quickly identify problems and troubleshoot;

Strong public speaking skills;

Ability to remain flexible and modify priorities as needed;

Action- and results-oriented with attention to proper process implementation;

Team player with a positive attitude.

Desired Skills:

Experience working in public health or policy field, budget management, and team management

Training:

A comprehensive training would be provided to the selected candidate reviewing Rescue SCG’s Evolvement youth engagement model concepts and processes. The training is conducted at RSCG’s Washington, D.C. area office and paid for by RSCG.

Location:

Washington, DC metro area

Salary/Status:

Salary Based on Salary History, Experience and Education Level - Full Time, Exempt Position / Salary Range Possible - $80,000 – $110,000

Benefits:

Eligible to participate in Performance-Based Bonuses and company benefit plans

Target Start Date:

ASAP