Job Opening: American Youth Policy Forum

For those interested in education/youth issues...


AYPF is seeking a Senior Program Associate to join our team. The Senior Program Associate will manage specific grant projects, including work on policy related to secondary school reform, access to college and careers, and vulnerable youth. Initially, the Senior Program Associate will primarily be responsible for managing a project funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to conceptualize and develop a series of field trips to help local policy leaders learn more about reaching struggling students and out-of-school youth and expanding opportunities for high school-aged youth. This project engages municipal leaders in building cross-system collaborations and implementing effective strategies to re-engage disconnected youth by providing hands-on professional development activities to mayors and superintendents, their staffs, and other local leaders engaged in efforts to reach young people who have dropped out of school, are out of work, or have been involved in the juvenile justice or foster care systems. The Senior Program Associate will also conceptualize and develop highly visible forums on Capitol Hill to showcase effective policies and practices.



Other aspects of the job will include:

· Managing the budget and operational aspects of projects;

· Interacting with funders and providing periodic progress reports;

· Reviewing and analyzing research, evaluations, and policies to identify effective policies, programs and practices;

· Assisting in the conceptualization and development of related field trips and forums for other AYPF projects;

· Writing and editing a range of publications and documents on these topics;

· Assisting in fundraising by identifying potential funding sources and writing grants; and

· Making public presentations and effectively representing AYPF at conferences and meetings.



The ideal candidate for this position will:

have a strong understanding of secondary education policy, with a specific focus on the challenges faced by vulnerable youth, the major ongoing reform efforts in place throughout the country to reconnect youth to education and training, as well as a general understanding of current education and workforce training issues;
have at least three years’ experience working in a senior education policy-related position at the national, state, or local level. Background in research is helpful but not required;
collaborate effectively with other organizations in the joint development and management of projects;
have experience in fundraising and grants management;
have excellent writing, communication, and analytical skills;
be able to interact with a wide variety of individuals in a professional manner.


AYPF is a non-profit professional development organization based in Washington, DC. We provide nonpartisan learning opportunities for professionals working on education and youth policy issues at the national, state, and local levels. Our goal is to enable policymakers and their aides to be more effective in their professional duties. To find out more about us, please visit www.aypf.org.