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Strategy Specialist

Youth Villages is a non-profit organization helping youth, young people, and their families across the United States who face a wide range of emotional, mental, and behavioral challenges. As a leader in the field of youth mental and behavioral health, Youth Villages earns its status as one of the nation’s most promising results-oriented non-profits as recognized by Harvard Business School, U.S. News & World Report and The White House.
 
Our commitment to helping youth and families find success spans 30 years and includes a comprehensive array of programs and services. We work to find solutions using proven treatment models that strengthen the youth’s family and support systems, dramatically improving their long-term success. With a dedicated staff of more than 3,400 working in 23 states, the organization serves more than 32,000 youth annually, further increasing our impact through partnerships and advocacy.
 
Our Strategy team is seeking a passionate individual to join our high-performing team as a Strategy Specialist. Working on the Youth Villages’ Strategy team means collaborating with purpose-driven people on high-impact strategies and making a direct impact on the youth and families who need us the most.
 
For more information about Youth Villages, please visit www.youthvillages.org.
 
This position can work remotely from any location. 


As a Strategy Specialist, you’ll apply and develop your analytical, interpersonal, creative thinking, and non-profit management skills from day one. You'll collaborate with Youth Villages’ departments, working side-by-side with officers and directors, on strategies that support the organization’s ambitious growth goals and innovative spirit.
 
Reporting to the Director of Strategy and Special Projects, s/he will support our strategic and tactical planning process and consulting-like Innovation projects. Recent Innovation projects focused on developing a new service line for older youth, launching an online expert resource for counselors and related roles, and elevating the staff experience on our Residential campuses.
 
The Strategy Specialist will support the development of annual tactical plans at the jurisdiction level, as well as other ongoing department and organization work, as needed. The projects fall into the following categories:
 
Strategic Planning:
Support the development of our long-term National Strategic Plan and annual business plans for Youth Villages states, internal departments, and partner organizations, producing objectives, budget projections, tactics, and key performance indicators that advance our mission and strategic priorities.

Responsibilities include:
  • Partnering with leaders to identify and plan for high-impact growth opportunities in alignment with our National Strategic Plan,
  • Conducting and managing market research and operational analyses to inform business plans, including stakeholder interviews, internal staff interviews, surveys, market analysis, and organizational analysis,
  • Positively and professionally working with a broad range of stakeholders, including Youth Villages’ officers, state leaders, and business development leads, and
  • Providing strong project management.
Innovation Projects:
Support projects for new and/or expanded services and organizational improvement that help teams meet annual and national goals and/or broaden and deepen our impact on the youth and families we serve and the broader space in which we operate.

Responsibilities include:
  • Autonomously conducting data analysis and compiling industry trends, including identifying and teaching back key insights from analysis,
  • Driving utilization of project management tools and resources to ensure project effectiveness and efficiency,
  • Providing regular communication for project updates to all project leads and sponsors,
  • Proactively and independently scheduling meetings and developing agendas and meeting materials.
Additional duties as requested by managers in support of organizational priorities

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have:
  • A bachelor’s degree (required)
  • A master’s degree in business administration (MBA), healthcare administration (MHA/MHSA), public administration (MPA), or related field is preferred
Work Experience
  • Some professional and/or internship experience relating to strategy or strategic planning, either at a consulting firm or doing similar consultative work, ideally in the social impact or healthcare industries
  • Professional and/or significant volunteer experience with non-profits or other social sector organizations
Skills and Qualities
  • Strong, demonstrable Microsoft Office skills, specifically Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook
  • Experience building financial models and projections 
  • Experience with data analytics and developing presentations with professional use of data visualizations
  • Strong communication skills, written, verbal and non-verbal (be prepared to provide work samples) including:
  • Strong ability to synthesize information identifying key points/insights from analysis
  • Comfort presenting to, and engaging with, senior leaders
  • Meeting facilitation skills to ensure all participants are heard and engaged
  • Experience working closely with management and senior leadership teams in strategy development and project implementation, with demonstrated success utilizing analytics, problem solving, and consensus building,
  • Proven capacity to manage multiple projects at once
  • Demonstrated critical thinking skills
  • Experience in process improvement and initiative deployment projects
  • Strength in cultivating relationships with a broad range of stakeholders who span ethnicities, racial backgrounds, personal viewpoints, ages, and communities of origin
  • Collaborates with empathy, humility, and flexibility
  • Experience providing valued recommendations showing s/he has worked with and gained the respect of senior leaders/clients in high-performing and fast-moving environments
  • High energy and positive attitude; shows passion about Youth Villages’ mission
  • Personal experience with foster care, child welfare, and/or child protective services is preferred

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement
 
As of October 15, 2021, Youth Villages has required the COVID-19 vaccine for all employees, excluding those with an approved medical or religious exemption, as a condition of employment to help ensure the safety of all employees and youth and families served. 
 
Benefits
  • Medical, Dental, Prescription Drug Coverage and Vision
  • 401(k)
  • 2 weeks paid vacation
  • 12 paid sick days per year
  • 10 paid holidays
  • Mileage & Cell Phone Reimbursement (when applicable)
  • Paid parental leave
  • Tuition & licensure reimbursement
Youth Villages is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
 
Youth Villages is committed to not only advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace but also in our work with children and young adults. We know that children, families and young people of color can face inequity in child welfare and justice systems, and we train our employees to build the skills they need to work with the communities that we serve, as well as, other employees from different cultures and backgrounds. Youth Villages is opposed to racism in any of its forms and is committed to inclusion, equity, and diversity. We believe that respect for each other is crucial in the work that we do each day.