Youth Art Exchange‘s Program Manager is a vital member of the YAX team, managing across programs. The Program Manager provides program support, mentors our Youth Advisory Board, develops and curates special projects, educational activities, events and exhibitions in partnership with faculty artists and YAX staff.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Support

• Work with program staff to plan and implement programs
• Manage program staff, including Program Coordinators, Program Associates, and interns as applicable
• Support the incorporation of youth vision and priorities into program development 
• Work with program staff to involve youth programs in the galleries and community programs, including exhibitions, special events, and artist lectures
• Support faculty artists and staff in the implementation of youth public projects through coordination, volunteer engagement, and partnership management
• Lead the recruitment of youth for YAX’s programming
• Manage YAX’s databases including SmartRec and the Department of Children, Youth & their Families
• Support the Director of Development + Communications with social media strategy

Support Racial Equity 

• Participate actively on the Racial Equity Committee
• Increase engagement or Black and Latinx youth through developing and advising related affinity groups or clubs and drop programs 

Youth Advisory Board 

• Work with program staff to manage cohort of Youth Advisory Board (YAB) members including holding monthly meetings and biannual retreats
• Support program staff in implementing youth leadership curriculum to guide training of YAB members; curriculum includes, but is not limited to the following:
• Prepare youth to recruit, interview, and train new youth advisory board members
• Support and train youth in event planning and implementation
• Develop innovative methods for youth involvement in the hiring process for teaching artists, staff and youth interns

Volunteer Management

• Work with program staff to manage volunteers for programs, events, and special activities
  Support volunteer recruitment as needed from general community, alumni, and parents

Support Public Projects

• Participate in community collaboratives or coalitions as representative of YAX for outreach to potential partners + community artists
• Work with the Director of Education + Programs to manage public projects including:
• Neighborhood arts collaborations
• Commissioned projects such as:
• Billboard Project
• Design + Build Projects (in partnership with Faculty Artists) 

The Program Manager also completes other duties as assigned. 

QUALIFICATIONS

Alignment with centering racial equity and our values of:

• Improving arts education
• Amplifying voices
• Valuing artists
• Embodying excellence and equity in youth arts education
• Being by artists, for artists, and
• Growing resources for our community 

Desired Skills:

• 2-3 years program and/or education management or other relevant experience (including work with artists)
• 1-3 years of youth program development experience
• 1-3 years of cultural program coordination experience
• 1-3 years of people management experience
• Understanding of social justice principles
• Ability to take initiative, work autonomously, prioritize tasks, problem-solve difficult or complex issues, and manage details
• Outstanding organizational and interpersonal skills (especially with youth)
• Experience working well on a team, handling multiple assignments, and meeting deadlines
• Willingness to work weekends and evenings
• Preference for San Francisco residents 

Special requirements for this position include the following:

• Ability to lift heavy equipment and stand or walk for long periods of time.
• Ability to perform duties that involve climbing ladders and stairs.
• Ability to maintain a California driver’s license throughout employment in this position.
• Ability to use a computer for long periods of time throughout the day
• Must be able to pass a background check. Fingerprinting is required for this position.
• This position is an in person and requires being present at YAX’s studios

About Youth Art Exchange: Our mission is to spark a shared creative practice between professional artists and public high school students, furthering youth as thinkers, leaders, and artists in San Francisco. We commit to serving public high school students, focusing on low-income students and students of color, through free, high quality arts education and youth leadership development programming. We create opportunities for students to gain arts, leadership, and creative sector skills through community art projects.

Our work environment: We have a flexible, creative working environment that allows us to explore our own passions in community arts programming. Our staff is a part of the artistic community that thrives at YAX. Generally, YAX works (4)10-hour days (Monday-Thursday) with occasional weekends and evenings for events. The position would likely work within the hours of 9am-7pm with Fridays off (with some exceptions). We have been doing this for about 10 years and really appreciate having the flexibility of the 4-day work week. 

Compensation: The annual salary for this position is $65,000-75,000 depending on experience. As a project of Tides Center, YAX offers competitive benefits including flexible scheduling, medical, dental, vision, retirement – 403b-, employee assistance plans, and competitive vacation time/PTO. We are not offering relocation costs for this position.

Youth Art Exchange, a project of Tides Center, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance. Reasonable accommodations will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise Youth Art Exchange/Tides in writing of special needs at the time of application.

To apply: submit your Resumé, and a letter of interest that responds to the following questions: 

1) Why are youth arts essential to San Francisco?

2) Describe an example of a program development/planning effort in which you took initiative.

3) What are some engagement strategies that you have found to be successful, in particular with high school aged youth?

Please submit to: apply@youthartexchange.org with the subject line: “LAST NAME – Program Manager Application.” The first round of applications will be reviewed beginning October 1, 2023. This position will be open until filled.