Program Manager, Parent & Community Engagement

POSITION: Program Manager, Parent and Community Engagement  
LOCATION: Chicago
REPORTS TO: Program Director, Chicago
SUPERVISES: N/A
FLSA STATUS: Exempt 
SALARY RANGE: $70,000-72,000/year  

TRAVEL:

• Non-local: up to 8%. This includes 3-4 days for LIFT’s annual All Staff Retreat in one of its regional cities (no non-local travel if retreat is in home city), policy related travel to Springfield, IL, and potentially one conference if needed for LIFT representation.
• Local In-Person External Meetings: 10%

ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION 

LIFT is on a mission to break the cycle of poverty by investing in parents. Through direct work with families, engaging technical assistance partnerships, and by advocating for policies that drive systemic change, we’re fighting poverty by lifting two generations at once. 

Our team culture is rooted in deep respect for the parents we partner with and for each other. We’re looking for dedicated team members who share our vision that, 25 years from now, LIFT is no longer needed because we have helped build a social service system grounded in Hope, Money, and Love, where all families can thrive. We’re guided by mission- and strategy-aligned leadership grounded in kindness, curiosity, relationships, and a commitment to equity. Explore our benefits and what it’s like to work at LIFT below – or visit our Benefits & Culture Overview to learn more. 

*LIFT operates sites in Chicago, Los Angeles, DC, and New York. LIFT operates as a hybrid work environment. Accordingly, this role will be expected to work in the Chicago office approximately two days a week. 

POSITION OVERVIEW  

The role is an exciting opportunity for a relational problem-solver who is deeply committed to providing low-income families with the excellent support and resources they need to achieve their goals. The Parent Engagement Manager is the primary liaison between LIFT and the parents and caregivers who walk through our doors. You are responsible for recruiting parents for LIFT’s programs, serving as the main contact for community referral partners, and developing community events that increase parents’ social capital. The Parent Engagement Manager ensures that LIFT’s program data is accurate and thorough so that the program is able to make strategic adjustments and provide the best possible service to parents. This role also contributes to the region’s technical assistance and policy & advocacy goals.

The main responsibilities of the role are:

1. Manage and own all work connected to LIFT’s social connections/capital initiatives; this includes workshops, group coaching, member engagement events and distribution events
2. Contribute to the region’s policy and advocacy goals including manage and own all of LIFT’s member voice work

AS THE PROGRAM MANAGER, PARENT ENGAGEMENT, YOU WILL:

Direct Service

• Develop and implement savvy recruiting strategies to enroll required number of parents into coaching program via partnerships aligned with strategic priorities (TA and/or P&A partnership potential, and/or Fee-for-Service); ensure monthly and annual enrollment targets are met
• Serve as the primary day-to-day point of contact for community partners that provide member resources for distribution events; partner with staff to ensure LIFT’s community resources for parents are thorough and up-to-date
• Develop and execute member engagement strategies and programming that improves parents’ social capital in partnership with the National Program Team (including member engagement events and/or workshops) to successfully retain members, drive member outcomes, and advance P&A member engagement; this may include workshops, parent peer groups, and family engagement events to celebrate parents' successes in LIFT's program, or other virtual and in-person events
• Ensure group sessions/attendance data is entered in Horizon for workshops and social events
• Support member engagement activities including drafting and disseminating the monthly member newsletter and overseeing necessary content update on member resource page
• Coach 1-2 members, as needed.
• Manage and own all of LIFT’s member voice work (e.g. facilitating focus groups, coordinating speakers for various speaking engagements including donor site visits, etc.)
• Provide support with programmatic special projects, as needed

Policy & Advocacy (P&A)

• Build & manage local P&A relationships
• Lead member P&A programming
• Support policy age