Program Coordinator

Soccer Without Borders Boston (Soccer Without Borders)

Job Description


Soccer Without Borders (SWB) is a non-profit organization that uses soccer as a vehicle for positive change, providing newcomer refugee, asylum and immigrant youth with a toolkit to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion, and personal success.  Our programs provide youth who are traditionally excluded from extracurricular opportunities with a platform for positive engagement, an avenue for personal growth, and a toolkit for a brighter future. 

**Note that this position is contingent on securing tentative grant funding.**
 
About SWB Massachusetts

Our vision is to build a more inclusive world through soccer, where all youth have the opportunity to reach their inherent potential. Newcomer youth are one of the most vulnerable populations in the United States today, facing complex barriers to integration, academic success, and leading happy and healthy lives. Our model is rooted in research, which helps us understand the complex factors that affect the youth, families, and communities with whom we work. SWB’s model includes four organizational lenses: access and inclusion, health, youth development, and trauma-informed practices, each representing a body of research that informs our program design. Our programs integrate the three pillars of soccer, education, and community, supporting our participants to grow, integrate, and be successful. 
 
SWB Massachusetts works in East Boston and will launch a new program in Somerville, serving middle school students during the spring and summer months. Middle school students participate in after-school soccer programming, along with academic workshops and individual support and case management throughout the season. In addition to these direct service programs, SWB has family engagement activities for youth and their families to help them integrate into the larger Boston community and to serve their individual needs. 

Position Description
The Program Coordinator is responsible for planning and leading implementation of after-school programming. Programming will include English-integrated soccer practice, community building activities, and academic support. The continued success of the program will depend heavily on the relationships cultivated between the Coordinator, students, school partners, and families. Additionally, the Program Coordinator will support the organization through administrative and program support roles, including but not limited to event planning and participation, partnership cultivation, communications, and other duties as assigned. We are looking for the best fit to sustain the success of the program, and aim to maximize the strengths of the person in this position. 

About this position

The Program Coordinator is responsible for the planning and implementation of quality programming in Somerville, MA.

Direct Service (75%):

  • Envision and deliver high-quality programming that centers the needs of newcomer youth
  • Relationship building with youth and families, recruitment, and retention
  • Direct program planning & facilitation, head coaching at least one team
  • Manage individual youth support and check-ins 
  • Restorative practices implementation
  • Intern & Volunteer supervision, feedback, and escalation of cases for concern 
  • Maintain high standards of monitoring and evaluation, ensuring quality and accuracy of data
 
Organizational Participation (25%): The Program Coordinator will also play a key role in securing the inputs needed to ensure SWB Massachusetts can operate successfully. Specifically, the Program Coordinator has primary responsibilities in the following areas:

  • Event Planning & Participation (including fundraising events such as Small Goals Big Change)
  • Supervising Americorps service members (in partnership with Up2Us Sports)
  • Social Media (providing material for communications, stories, photos, videos, etc.)
  • Other projects as assigned

Required Skills and Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent skills
  • 1-2 years of relevant work experience
  • Proven problem-solving skills and ability to address challenges with creative solutions
  • Strong communication abilities, including the ability to communicate positively and effectively with diverse audiences
  • Excellent organizational skills, strong attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines consistently
  • Comfortable coordinating large groups of people, youth, and adults
  • Commitment to the potential of all young people, and the power of sport to create social change
  • Ability to work independently and take initiative
  • Experience working with English as a second language students
  • Work authorization in the United States
  • Proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese

Preferred Qualifications

  • 3-4 years of relevant work experience
  • Familiarity with the Somerville community
  • Cross-cultural experience
  • Demonstrated leadership skills, strong ability to inspire and coordinate a team to deliver impact
  • Driver’s license and personal transportation

Time Commitment and Compensation 

The Program Coordinator position is a full-time position based at our East Boston office and Somerville, beginning February 2022. While the majority of this position will be completed during the weekday, oftentimes events and training will occur on weekends and evenings.  The salary for this position will be between the mid-30s and low-40s, based on experience. This position includes a generous vacation time, flexible work environment, and a 401k retirement savings plan. Unfortunately, SWB is not able to provide visa sponsorship. SWB encourages persons of any race, ethnicity, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, and background to apply. 

Interested?

Please send a meaningful email or video introduction describing why you are interested in applying and what you think makes you a strong candidate, along with a resume to SWB Massachusetts Director at bruno@soccerwithoutborders.org. To help us with our process, please put “SWB Program Coordinator” in the title. Applications will be accepted until January 31, 2021.