Position: Director of Mel King Community Fellowship Program

Job Title: Program/Project Administrator, SRS

Reports to: Director, Just Urban Economics

Salary Range: $70,000 to $80,000, Full-Time (1.0 FTE)

See application instructions below

Overview

The MIT Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) is a center for planning and development within the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning. CoLab supports the development and use of knowledge from excluded communities to deepen civic engagement, improve community practice, inform policy, mobilize community assets, and generate shared wealth.

CoLab’s domestic work is anchored through its Just Urban Economies (JUE) Program. JUE engages local stakeholders from a multitude of sectors to position communities to a) govern their own regional economies, and b) build shared wealth in BIPOC communities at scale. Using a movement building framework, the JUE team works to leverage resources at MIT to advance institutional leadership development, community-led participatory planning and policy-making, and convene cross sector tables in key geographies across the United States.

A major cornerstone of CoLab’s domestic work has been the Mel King Community Fellows Program (MKCF) —  dedicated to the legacy of Mel King, an active champion of cities and the communities they comprise. Historically,  the MKCF program convened leaders working on developing economic democracy and self-determination while creating the “holding space” for them to strategize, prototype, and coordinate with each other. The program is currently focused on building shared wealth and ownership at scale among BIPOC communities through the transformation of the long-term care industry sector. Mel King Fellows will work together to build community & labor coalitions, advance policy that enables shared wealth creation while improving job quality, unlock non-extractive finance opportunities for worker-to-owner conversions, and coordinate among different workforce development efforts to establish career ladders for BIPOC workers.

Position Description

MIT Community Innovators Lab is seeking a Director of Fellowships with strong management experience, proven strategic planning skills and a commitment to social justice to lead and build the reach and impact of the Mel King Community Fellowship Program. In deep partnership with our Just Urban Economies Director,  the Director will be responsible for creating a strategic growth plan, ensuring that the program accomplishes goals and outcomes, and broadly  manage engagement with current fellows and alumni. This person will lead strategic planning, further develop and evolve MKCF’s program design, and lead the day-to-day management of the program which includes coordinating a diverse team of staff, consultants, and external partners. The Director will be expected to work closely with grassroots community partners, labor unions, legislators, and other stakeholders engaged in CoLab’s network.

Responsibilities:

Strategic planning (20%)

●     In collaboration with senior leaders, create a 5-year strategic growth plan for the fellowship program that puts forward a bold vision and plan.

●     Monitor progress toward goals and outcomes and execute corrective actions that ensure the program successfully hits benchmarks.

●     Assess, measure and evaluate outcomes through a data driven approach to help develop future program improvements.

Program design and management (50%)

●     Manage the selection, recruitment, and orientation of Mel King Fellows.

●     Co-design curriculum that moves fellows through transformative experiences.

●     Coordinate across a diverse set of stakeholders to advance programmatic goals.

●     Manage and cultivate an effective alumni network.

●     Facilitate key conversations.

●     In partnership with CoLab’s learning team, capture the powerful narratives, ideas, and lessons that emerge from the fellowship program.

●     Design and implement unique and strategic opportunities that allow fellows to partner with MIT faculty and engage with students and the broader MIT community.

Team coordination (30%)

●     Manage a team of consultants, students, and others to accomplish day-to-day activities

●     Serve as a primary point of contact for work related to the MKCF Program

●     Coordinate with the JUE director to ensure the MKCF Program is advancing broader programmatic goals

Additional tasks may arise from the JUE Director and/or the leadership team.

Some travel is required, primarily local travel in and around New York City; and occasional travel to MIT campus and other places.

Ideal candidate qualifications

3 years significant relevant experience in three or more of the following areas:

●     Trained facilitator or extensive facilitation experience

●     Excellent program design and curriculum development skills

●     Comfort and fluency working with senior level professionals from a diverse set of organizations and sectors, and demonstrated success in managing those types of relationships.

●     Familiar with concepts and principles of Economic Democracy and Self-determination

●     Familiar with issues related to healthcare transformation, healthcare policy, and/or economic development strategies in healthcare

●     Has experience managing leadership development programs that work with local leaders of color

●     Excellent oral (including public speaking) and written communication skills

●     Adaptable in constantly changing environments

●     Experience managing teams of at least 5 people

●     Has demonstrated commitment to social justice and anti-oppression work.

Education: Bachelors degree or equivalent experience.

This is a full-time position. The candidate must be based in the New York City area or must be willing to relocate.
 MIT CoLab is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application Process:

Please submit a cover letter and resume on the MIT jobs site and reference job # 19619