Director of Youth Development and Enrichment

Posting ID: 2026-0056
Posting Date: September 2, 2026
Closing Date: When Filled
Department: Youth Development & Enrichment
Vacancies: 1
Grade: N/A
Salary: $115,000 to $145,000 annually, commensurate with qualifications and experience
Hours: 35 hours per week
Shift: Primarily Monday through Friday. Regular evening and weekend availability is expected based on programs, seasonal operations, community events, and department needs.
Position Type: Non-Union, (non-exempt/hourly) Full Time with Benefits

About the City of Everett

Home to more than 53,000 residents, Everett is a compact, growing city immediately north of Boston with strong neighborhood identity, significant cultural and linguistic diversity, and an increasingly dynamic regional profile. The City is strengthening its municipal organization around fiscal discipline, accountability, responsive service, and long term planning. Everett is seeking leaders who can work across departments and communities, build durable partnerships, and translate ambitious goals into measurable improvements for residents.

Position Summary

The Director of Youth Development and Enrichment serves as the City of Everett’s senior leader for youth development strategy, department operations, and organizational performance across three integrated portfolios: Recreation and Enrichment, Workforce Development, and Substance Use Prevention. The Director sets strategic direction, leads a multidisciplinary team, oversees the Everett Recreation Center and related operations, manages financial and grant resources, and builds partnerships that expand opportunity and improve outcomes for Everett youth and families.

The successful candidate will be a seasoned executive with a record of leading complex youth serving, recreation, education, workforce development, or community-based organizations. The City is seeking a leader who combines strategic vision with disciplined execution, can lead leaders and develop strong teams, understands how to manage budgets and facilities, and can represent the department credibly with families, schools, community partners, funders, elected officials, and other public agencies.

About the Youth Development and Enrichment Department

The Youth Development and Enrichment Department advances opportunity, connection, and wellbeing for Everett youth through three integrated areas of work:

• Recreation and Enrichment: Delivering accessible programs, experiences, and public spaces that support physical activity, creativity, belonging, leadership, and community connection.
• Workforce Development: Creating pathways for youth and young adults to build skills, gain meaningful work experience, explore careers, and connect to education and employment opportunities.
• Substance Use Prevention: Advancing prevention, education, healthy decision making, and protective factors through coordinated work with youth, families, schools, public health partners, and community organizations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction for the department and translate City priorities into clear multiyear goals, operating plans, performance measures, and measurable outcomes for youth and families.
• Lead the department’s day to day and long-term operations, including the Everett Recreation Center, programs, facilities, seasonal activities, and service delivery, with a focus on quality, safety, access, and continuous improvement.
• Design, strengthen, scale, and evaluate a coordinated portfolio of programs across Recreation and Enrichment, Workforce Development, and Substance Use Prevention, using data, community input, and recognized practices to guide investment and program decisions.
• Develop and manage the department’s operating and capital budgets, including forecasting, expenditure controls, revenue planning, procurement coordination, and long-term resource needs.
• Lead grant strategy, resource development, contract oversight, and compliance activities. Identify public, private, and philanthropic funding opportunities that can responsibly expand or strengthen department services.
• Recruit, lead, mentor, and evaluate department managers, professional staff, seasonal employees, and interns. Build a high performing culture with clear accountability, strong communication, professional development, and succession planning.
• Build durable partnerships with Everett Public Schools, City departments, community organizations, businesses, families, public safety agencies, state and federal partners, and other institutions that can improve outcomes for young people.
• Oversee permitting and scheduling for City parks and recreational facilities, and ensure effective coordination of facility use, maintenance needs, public access, safety requirements, and community events.
• Establish effective management systems for registration, scheduling, data, performance reporting, and customer service, including appropriate use of MyRec and other technology platforms.
• Advise and brief City leadership on department performance, emerging needs, policy issues, budgets, and strategic initiatives. Represent the department at public meetings, community events, partner convenings, and other forums as needed.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in youth development, recreation, education, public administration, nonprofit management, business administration, social work, or a related field is required. An advanced degree is preferred.
• A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in youth development, recreation, education, workforce development, human services, nonprofit leadership, or a comparable field is required, including at least five years in senior leadership with responsibility for multiple programs, teams, or service areas.
• Demonstrated executive responsibility for organizational strategy, budgets, personnel, facilities or multi site operations, grants or contracts, and measurable program outcomes is required. Experience managing managers and multidisciplinary teams is strongly preferred.

Leadership Competencies and Experience

• Record of developing strategy, leading organizational change, improving program quality, and converting broad goals into clear operating priorities and measurable results.
• Strong financial and operational judgment, including budget development, forecasting, grants, contracts, procurement, resource allocation, and stewardship of public or nonprofit resources.
• Demonstrated success recruiting, developing, and retaining strong teams, including experience coaching managers, setting performance expectations, and building accountability across a diverse workforce.
• Ability to build sustained partnerships across schools, government, nonprofits, businesses, funders, families, and community institutions, and to navigate competing priorities with sound judgment and credibility.
• Excellent executive communication and public engagement skills, including the ability to present complex issues clearly, represent the City in public settings, and communicate effectively with residents, staff, elected officials, and external partners.
• Comfort using data, performance measures, and technology to evaluate services and improve operations. Experience with public recreation systems, facility scheduling, permitting, or MyRec is helpful. Municipal government experience is valued but is not required.

Professional Certifications and Required Training

• CPRP (Certified Park and Recreation Professional) certification through the National Recreation and Park Association, or a comparable professional credential, is preferred.
• Mandated Reporter Training, completed in accordance with applicable City and Commonwealth requirements.
• Youth Mental Health First Aid, or comparable training relevant to supporting youth wellbeing, is preferred or must be completed if required by the City.
• First Aid and CPR Certification, maintained or obtained within the timeframe established by the City for the position.

Physical Demands & Working Environment

• Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, completed in accordance with City policy and applicable law.

The physical demands described here are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of the position. The employee regularly communicates in person and by telephone, works in office and recreation environments, and may spend extended periods standing or walking during programs, events, or facility operations. The position requires the ability to use standard office equipment, observe activities and facilities, and occasionally lift or move office or program supplies weighing up to 20 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

All job applications must be submitted to [email protected].

Aids and services will be provided to qualified applicants with disabilities free of charge, upon request. For a reasonable accommodation or alternative application method, call Human Resources at 617-394-2280.

The City of Everett is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, or any other protected category. Women, people of color, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.