VP, Strategic Partnerships (Planning and Youth Advocacy)

Overview

Since 1972, Covenant House has served and advocated for youth and young families experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and exploitation. Our overarching goal is to end homelessness among youth and young families by helping them achieve housing stability, heal from trauma, tap into their innate resilience, and hone their interests and skills to forge new pathways to independence. This work is carried out across Covenant House sites in 34 cities in the US, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

About the Role

Reporting directly to the Chief Strategy Officer, the VP of Strategic Partnerships (Planning and Youth Advocacy) will be responsible for ensuring the organization meets the strategic objective of establishing key partnerships in prevention, intervention and restoration to ensure the organization achieves its vision of ending youth homelessness as we know it today. You will have the opportunity to blend strategic collaboration, partnership, and planning to deepen the organization’s influence and effectiveness. Strategic partnerships are essential for organizations to fulfill their mission and thrive, and we’re looking for a talented leader to continue building our strategic partnerships practice.

A key pillar of our Strategic Vision is mobilizing and fostering collective impact aligned with the social determinants of health. Similarly, it is essential to the Covenant House Strategic Vision to promote youth voice and expertise and embed a formal structure, the Covenant House International Youth Congress, into the Strategy Office’s responsibilities. Your work will engage young people with lived experience to develop youth-centric programs and services and identify and advocate for policy solutions which transform the systems which impact youth homelessness. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of the International Youth Congress
• Establish key relationships and serve as the point of contact for the International Youth Congress for each site, fostering understanding of and participation in the International Youth Congress
• Orient each site to the International Youth Congress’s goals, vision, values, and timeline of implementation; organize and facilitate workshops, seminars, and training sessions both in-person and virtually, providing guidance, mentorship, and resources to enhance the organizing and leadership skills of International Youth Congress leaders 
• Evaluate the effectiveness of relevant programs through assessments, feedback, and data analysis, making necessary adjustments for continuous improvement 
• Forge partnerships and collaborations with organizations, experts, and stakeholders to expand resources and opportunities for International Youth Congress leadership development 
• Provide mentorship, guidance, and resources to youth advisory board members, fostering their active participation and contribution to strategic discussions and initiatives 
• Coordinate and collaborate with the SVP of Public Policy and Advocacy to...
  • Create pathways for youth advocacy including participation in policy analysis and development, advocacy skills building and training, and participation in advocacy opportunities, including the annual Covenant House Hill Day
  • Provide training and technical assistance to Covenant House sites to advance site specific youth advocacy and lived experience initiatives and programs 
  • Participate in the planning and implementation of the International Advocacy framework, and as available, support CHI and the sites in executing elements of the advocacy agenda 

• Build internal and external partnerships, from funding to programming, for the successful implementation and continuation of the International Youth Congress
• Identify, establish, and nurture strategic partnerships that align with the organization’s mission and strategic goals
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to develop and implement partnership strategies that enhance programmatic impact
• Cultivate strong relationships with key leaders and decision-makers from partner organizations; this involves regular communication and fostering a collaborative and mutually beneficial partnership 
• Continuously monitor and evaluate the performance of partnerships to ensure they are meeting the agreed-upon objectives; this includes analyzing key metrics, conducting periodic reviews, and adjusting, as necessary 
• Work closely with cross-functional teams within Covenant House, such as Program and Development, to align strategies and ensure seamless execution of partnership initiatives 
• Lead the planning and execution of the Covenant House annual international convenings including working in partnership with members of the strategy and events team around coordinating logistics, agenda preparation, participant experience, and all other tasks necessary to host a successful event 

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Proven ability to work with in-need populations and successfully amplifying the voice of those with lived experience. Commitment to CHI mission and values and experience working on social justice issues and/or issues which support preventing and ending youth homelessness, for example, economic empowerment, human trafficking, child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and gender-based violence. 
• You can operate strategically at a high level and think critically while also being able to get operational and execute
• Experience advocating at the state, local and/or federal level
• Demonstrated experience in developing and managing strategic partnerships
• Experience in measuring and enhancing impact in a non-profit or similar setting
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders
• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks effectively
• Understands the importance of listening, asking probing questions, and allowing others to be heard; you are a collaborator who brings existing relationships to the cause and is open to forging new relationships to move the agenda, all while demonstrating professionalism and maturity to connect with diverse individuals and coalitions effectively 

Required Qualifications

• Seven plus years’ experience in advocacy, developing strategic partnerships and enhancing impact in non-profits or similar setting as a strategic leader
• Experience in youth empowerment, social justice, community organizing or other related skills

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or graduate/advance level degree in social work, psychology, sociology or related field
• Prior experience managing direct reports

Our Community

Our critical mission demands that we have all voices at the table. A team of diverse people, perspectives, and experiences is smarter, stronger, and more effective for our young people. At Covenant House, every team member is valued, respected, heard, and supported, and we welcome honest and courageous self-reflection on any aspects of our work that are based on biased or outdated viewpoints. We deliberately create opportunities for our staff to grow and thrive.

Covenant House International is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind: CHI is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at CHI are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, family or parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. CHI will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics and encourages all qualified applicants to apply.

If you have a disability or medical condition and need a reasonable accommodation, such as an ASL interpreter or a different interview format, or if you have physical accessibility needs, let us know. Contact us at 1-800-388-3888, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time or email us at [email protected].