Youth Art Exchange’s (YAX) Director of Education + Programs oversees all of YAX’s youth and community programming with the support of a team of program staff, faculty artists, and contracted artists. This position also oversees YAX’s program models and the professional development of program staff and faculty artists to further YAX as a leader in innovative arts education. YAX’s work is centered in racial equity, and that will be critical to all aspects of this position. 

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Centering Racial Equity, Anti-Racist, and Social Justice Principles

• Develop methods of infusing racial equity, anti-racist, youth voice amplification, and social justice principles throughout our programming and curriculum
• Guide faculty artists and staff in embodying culturally-responsive teaching and equity and justice-centered learning practices
• Work with faculty artists and staff to center these principals throughout YAX’s program development, planning, partnerships, and activities 

Program Development 

• Oversee all aspects of youth programming, including after school, in-school, and summer programming, managing day-to-day programmatic operations with program staff support
• Work with Youth Advisory Board and YAX staff to hire faculty artists and temporary teaching artists for limited duration residencies
• Grow YAX programs and course offerings, exploring different program models like drop-in, fee-for-service camps/classes, workshops, intensives, in-school programing, etc.
• Identify and engage professional artists to enhance + collaboratively instruct within disciplines
• Lead Youth Arts Summit planning with Programs Manager and facilitate faculty artists exhibition development for YAX’s programs
• Incorporate partnerships into YAX programs
• Develop youth service learning opportunities

Partnership Development 

• Develop and manage strategic partnerships to support learning, mentoring, volunteer engagement, and youth opportunities such as apprenticeships and internships
• Create community partnerships for design/build and other public projects in collaboration with Programs Manager
• Work with development staff to engage program partners in philanthropic activities
• Build relationships and collaboration with arts + arts education partners to support collective advocacy efforts, Youth Arts Summit participation, and shared knowledge and resources (including AEABA, SFUSD, State VAPA Programs, etc.)
• Represent YAX in coalitions, partner meetings, and with funders such as Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF) 

Program Evaluation

• Improve & formalize YAX’s program evaluation methods that include: youth & faculty feedback, faculty evaluations of youth, youth surveys, and PQAs
• Ensure opportunities for ongoing youth feedback and voice in programs and program evaluations
• Help to create and implement a quarterly reflective practice check in for teaching staff about best practices in challenges they are facing in practice anti-racist and culturally responsive teaching in classrooms
• Oversee PQAs as required by DCYF
• Analyze & share program evaluation results for continuous improvement

Promoting Program Model

• Codify YAX’s program model, methodology, outcomes measurement, and theory of change for knowledge sharing among partners, at conferences, and the field of arts education
• Seek opportunities and present YAX’s program model, methodology, outcomes measurement, and theory of change

Public Projects Coordination

• Develop, coordinate, and manage completion of public art projects with Community Programs Manager, faculty artists, and partners

Professional Development

• Develop and facilitate regular professional development for faculty artists + youth program staff
• Coordinate external trainings
• Lead programmatic capacity building projects
• Foster learning throughout YAX and develop opportunities for knowledge-building and sharing, in addition to identifying areas of full staff development needed and ongoing racial equity learning
• Oversee curriculum development and support faculty in their teaching practice

Staff, Faculty, and Volunteer Supervision

• Manage faculty artists, program staff, and program interns, including annual evaluations, regular meetings, and ongoing feedback and supervision
• Onboard faculty artist, program staff, and program interns
• Partner with the Youth Advisory Board + YAX staff to hire new faculty artists
• Lead monthly faculty meetings
• Lead weekly program staff meetings
• Assign volunteers in YAX programs
• Work with Programs Manager to support Faculty Artists participation in public projects that provide opportunities for their own arts practice

Youth Leadership Development

• Codify youth leadership opportunities and youth voice throughout organization
• Build progressive leadership opportunities for youth, including Youth Advisory Board participation, teaching assistants, service learning opportunities, and administrative internships, etc.
• Engage Youth Advisory Board strategically for program planning, strategic initiatives, and organizational direction-setting
• Build relationships between Youth Advisory Board and the Advisory Board

Organizational Leadership

• Develop and oversee program and related grant budgets
• Participate actively on YAX’s leadership team
• Engage in strategic planning and initiatives
• Partner with Advisory Board to enhance and support YAX programs, reporting monthly to the Advisory Board as needed

Grant Development & Reporting

• Identify projects for potential grant funding
• Collaborate with development staff on project descriptions, details, and outcomes measurement for grant applications and reporting
• Review awarded grants for compliance to project descriptions, goals, and objectives as projects are implemented
• Participate as needed in funder site visits

The Director of Education + Programs 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 Experience + Skills:

• Experience in Culturally Responsive teaching and equity, justice centered learning
• Pedagogy/Arts Learning + Arts Integration
• Teaching and Learning program development experience
• Knowledge of how to teach and learn across disciplinary practices
• 3+ Years of Classroom Teaching Experience (in-school or out-of-school settings)
• 3+ years of youth program development experience
• 3+ years of staff, classroom teachers, and/or faculty artists management experience
• 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

Special requirements for this position include the following:

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

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. This position is on site in San Francisco. YAX works a 4-day work week with the occasional evenings and weekends. 

Compensation: Annual salary will be $85,000-90,000. 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.

Applications: To apply for this position, please send a brief cover letter highlighting relevant experience and passion for youth arts education, and current resume to apply@youthartexchange.org with “Last Name – Director of Programs Application” as the subject.  The first review of applications will be October 1, 2023. The position will be open until filled. Finalists will be interviewed by a committee of our Youth Advisory Board, staff, and faculty artists. 

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.