Program Director and Head Coach

About Us:

Founded in 2011, Finding Our Stride (FOS) provides free afterschool running programs at more than 30 schools across Vermont and New Hampshire. We partner with small, rural schools throughout the Upper Valley region engaging youth in building fitness, self-esteem and resilience, and deeper relationships with peers, mentors, and their communities. Teams practice twice per week for 60–90 minutes during both spring and fall seasons. Our programs, co-designed with teachers and school leaders at partner sites, create inclusive and welcoming environments for all youth. Enrollment in our afterschool programs is free, and our Sneaker Fund provides vouchers for free running shoes to ensure there are no barriers to entry. FOS provides stipends for our coach- mentors, nutritious snacks, and entry fees and support for end-of-season events and community engagement activities. In 2024, more than 100 coach-mentors, 80% of whom are faculty and staff at partner sites, served more than 1200 student-runners.

About the Position:

Finding Our Stride seeks an energetic, motivated individual with a passion to serve youth to join our small team as Program Director and Head Coach. The Program Director will oversee afterschool running programs in 30+ locations in VT and NH and will be responsible for training coaches and developing coaching resources; managing program operations and logistics; program development and evaluation; and coordinating school recruitment, onboarding, and ongoing support.

The successful candidate will be a highly organized, collaborative, self-starter with strong communication skills and a passion for engaging youth in healthy active lifestyles. Experience working with and coaching youth, a commitment to inclusion and accessibility, and a belief that all youth deserve opportunities to thrive physically, emotionally, and socially is required. Experience working in public K–8 school settings is highly desirable.

We are a fully remote team, based in the Upper Valley with scheduled in-person meetings twice per month. During the Spring and Fall seasons, frequent local travel is expected for school site visits and coaching support. This is a part-time, salaried position. The position averages 3 days/week (60% full-time) over the year, however, it will require close to full-time effort during the busy Spring and Fall seasons and is less busy during the summer and winter months. FOS provides flexibility in staff schedules and hours and supports a healthy work-life balance. The Program Director and Head Coach will report to the Executive Director.

Key Responsibilities:

FOS Head coach

• Responsible for planning and delivering onsite and virtually coaches’ training sessions.
• Develops coaching resources including active games and SEL curriculum, practice plan templates.
• Leads site visits and ongoing coaching support and leadership.
• Provides regular communication with coaches and families.

Program management

• Responsible for participant and coach registrations, tracking participation, releases, and other logistics.
• Leads relationship with Dartmouth Health’s CHaD Hero event staff and team registration.
• Responsible for implementation and collection of program surveys and evaluation instruments.
• Serves as primary contact with social-emotional learning curriculum partners.
• Supports school teams’ spring season community engagement efforts.
• Oversees program support and operations (program equipment, athletic apparel, coaching supplies).

Program development

• Works with ED to evaluate and understand impact of program.
• Continuous development of program support materials and coaching resources.
• Identifies key areas for improvement in program design and model for implementation, including expanding opportunities for community engagement and social-emotional learning. 

School Program coordination

• Responsible for successful recruitment and onboarding of new schools.
• Develops deep relationships with school-based lead coaches and partner school leadership.

Essential Skills and Experience:

Required: 

• At least 3 years of experience working with youth, preferably in out-of-school environments.
• Experience coaching youth sports, preferably those that introduce youth to outdoor, active sports such as running, biking, skiing.
• Demonstrated commitment to pursuing equitable access to youth experiences, preferably in out-of-school settings.
• A contagious passion for healthy and active living and the desire to share that with others.
• Possess a considerable degree of initiative, excellent organizational skills, and demonstrated project management experience.
• Excellent written, oral, research, and computing skills.
• High emotional intelligence; outstanding interpersonal and communication skills.

Preferred: The ideal candidate will have experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Experience designing and leading outdoor learning activities in both the formal (K-12) and informal (afterschool programs, summer camps, sports programs, etc.) education environments.
• Experience teaching and facilitating learning experiences, and/or coaching, for a variety of ages.
• Experience supporting teachers and/or coaches in professional development contexts.
• Personal or professional experience relevant to the work of Finding Our Stride, such as experience in community engagement, expertise in youth development, youth mentorship, youth health and risk behaviors, event management, etc.
• Skills to support marketing and communication needs (such as experience in social media, photography and other media, writing program descriptions and content).

Compensation & Benefits

This is a 60% (0.6 FTE) part-time, salaried position without benefits. The salary range for this position is $33,000 to $39,000 annually (compensation calculated at 60% of $55,000 to $65,000 Full Time Equivalent salary). FOS provides a generous vacation policy, paid sick days, flexible work schedules, and a home office stipend for technology and equipment.

Work Schedule and Conditions

All FOS staff work remotely, with periodic in-person meetings. This part-time position averages 60% effort across the calendar year, but the Program Director and Head Coach is expected to work close to full-time hours during the busy spring and fall seasons, with lighter effort during the summer and winter months. FOS provides flexibility in staff schedules and hours and supports a healthy work-life balance. Position requires use of a personal vehicle for school site visits in VT and NH. This position includes occasional weekend and evening work. The individual filling this position will need to stay active for up to three hours at a time.