Engagement and Opportunity Director

Principal Objectives / Purpose

The ACYR team, strives to build pathways to success through education, skill building and employment opportunities to help youth and young adults reach self-sufficiency. The team plays a crucial role in promoting a culture of positivity, growth mindset, and hospitality by offering high-energy educational activities and services that create a welcoming environment. Every member of the team is charged to build relationships and trust with youth and young adults to maintain relationships that foster them continuing in their planned services. Our team also serves as an integral component with connecting to our community and spreading / demonstrating the mission of ACYR.

The Engagement and Opportunity Director will lead ACYR's efforts to attract, enroll, and retain youth in our education and workforce programs. This role combines strategic leadership, outreach, and partnership development to ensure students have access to high-quality learning and career opportunities. Responsibilities include designing and executing annual enrollment strategies, building referral pipelines through schools and community partners, managing intake and retention processes, tracking performance metrics, and representing ACYR in the community. The position also involves mentoring staff, cultivating partnerships, and collaborating across internal teams to create cohesive pathways that support student success, engagement, and long-term outcomes.

This position is also responsible for supervising the Marketing Specialist, Adult Education Manager, Continuing HS Manager, Social Support Manager

Key Result Areas

• Provides strategic leadership by developing and executing an annual enrollment strategy aligned with organizational goals, monitoring key performance metrics, collaborating across internal teams to support student success, leading and mentoring engagement staff, and consistently meeting established performance goals.
• Builds and sustains strong referral pipelines with schools, community organizations, workforce partners, and employers; develops outreach campaigns for diverse and underserved populations; and represents ACYR at community events, partner meetings, and recruitment fairs.
• Oversees intake and orientation to ensure youth are accurately assessed and connected to appropriate programs; designs and implements strategies to boost engagement and retention; coordinates with staff to monitor progress and provide timely interventions; and ensures compliance with all funding and reporting requirements.
• Maintains accurate data and reporting systems for enrollment, engagement, retention, and partnerships; analyzes trends to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement; contributes to grant proposals and funding efforts; and provides regular performance updates to the CEO and Board.
• Cultivates and strengthens relationships with schools, apprenticeship programs, colleges, and employers; collaborates to create pathways for participants needing a secondary diploma or support transitioning to postsecondary education, training, or employment; serves as ACYR's primary liaison with external stakeholders; and tracks and evaluates partnership outcomes to measure impact on student success.

Qualifications

Certification / Licenses / Other Requirements

Valid Arizona Level II IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card. Valid Arizona Driver's License. Requires use of insured personal vehicle for agency business.

Must have a reputation for honesty and trustworthiness. Misdemeanor and / or felony convictions may be disqualifying depending on type, number, severity, and how recent. The background check will consist of a reference checks, employment, education, and criminal background search.

ACYR is an at-will employer and any offer of employment with ACYR is contingent upon a successful completion of said background check.