Youth Support Partner

Position Summary

This role sits within the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and reports to the Family Strengthening Program Manager. It focuses on carrying out early childhood contract work and driving ongoing quality improvement across the Office of Community Services, including Head Start and Home Visiting programs. The position blends policy knowledge with project management to help deliver large-scale initiatives for DHS early childhood services. A key part of the job is building productive partnerships with providers to support better outcomes for children and families. The person in this role must be comfortable working across teams, attending and coordinating Head Start council and monitoring meetings regularly, and using data collection and analysis to guide improvements. The work also includes annual monitoring to confirm quality and compliance with funding rules, while strengthening how policies, procedures, and implementation align with local, state, and national standards. In addition, this position represents DHS OCS in advancing strategic efforts with county stakeholders and collaborative partners, and may support other Family Strengthening services such as Family Centers and home visiting programs when needed.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Create schedules, agendas, timelines, and action steps to put programs, policies, and procedures into practice.
• Bring teams together and guide them in carrying out program, policy, and procedure work.
• Build a strong understanding of program operations and staffing practices in order to apply change management methods that support continuous quality improvement.
• Identify and develop strategic partnerships, then support their rollout through logic models, theories of change, and clear written and verbal communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee pilot efforts for new programs, policies, and procedures under supervision.
• Work alongside a diverse group of staff and stakeholders to make sure policies are fair, relevant, and responsive to the needs and experiences of families and staff.
• Review research, complete assessments, and analyze data and feedback to shape new programs and policies.
• Track, coordinate, and help complete reporting requirements at the county, state, and federal levels.
• Attend, contribute to, and lead staff meetings as well as internal and external training sessions.
• Provide regular updates to the Office of Community Services leadership team.
• Perform additional responsibilities as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to work independently and take initiative to meet program goals without close direction.
• Strong people skills and the ability to collaborate effectively in a team-based environment.
• Background knowledge in child development, human development, family studies, developmental or educational psychology, education, or a related discipline.
• Clear and accurate verbal and written communication skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Strong analytical judgment and critical thinking ability.
• Comfort working in a flexible, creative, assertive, and multi-tasking multidisciplinary setting.
• Preferred experience in leading or supervising an education or human services program.
• Preferred experience working with both internal teams and external partners on shared projects.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office tools such as Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel, along with other relevant computer-based and data-tracking applications.
• Reliable access to transportation and the ability to travel throughout the county for work-related assignments.

Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent level of experience in a related field is required, along with at least five years of progressively responsible experience in human services, social services, child development, or education. An equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities may also be considered.

Additional Information

The role requires regular attendance at Head Start council and monitoring meetings. The position involves work across the county and community-based travel for assignments. Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities, consistent with applicable law.