Description

About EmpowerMT
EmpowerMT is a statewide social justice organization working to address and correct systemic inequities through youth leadership development, education, healing-centered organizing, and community-driven change. From classrooms and community spaces to statewide coalitions and national networks, we partner with young people and communities to build belonging, strengthen leadership, and create more just and inclusive systems.

Our work is grounded in the belief that belonging is a fundamental human need and that young people are not the leaders of tomorrow—they are leaders today. Through our Youth Leadership Pathways, statewide partnerships, and national engagement, we support young people in building leadership, strengthening wellbeing, and influencing the decisions that shape their communities and futures.

We are in an exciting period of organizational growth and impact, and we are seeking a relationship-centered leader who is passionate about youth leadership, belonging, and social change to join our team.

Position Summary
The Director of Youth Leadership & Engagement is a senior leadership position responsible for advancing EmpowerMT’s statewide youth leadership strategy, school partnerships, youth-led organizing efforts, and national engagement initiatives.

This role oversees programs designed to cultivate belonging, meaning, wellbeing, purpose, leadership, and civic engagement among young people across Montana. Grounded in healing-centered and youth-led practices, the Director ensures that youth voice and lived experience remain central to program design, partnerships, and systems-change efforts.

The Director of Youth Engagement serves as a key organizational leader, supervising youth program staff, practicum students, and youth leaders, and representing EmpowerMT in local, statewide, and national partnerships. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Strategic Program, Partnership & Systems Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership and continuous improvement for EmpowerMT's Youth Leadership Pathways, ensuring alignment, quality, equity, and impact across school-based programs, community initiatives, statewide partnerships, and youth-led leadership opportunities.
• Lead youth engagement events, trainings, and leadership development opportunities.
• Design and facilitate healing-centered, culturally responsive learning experiences for youth, educators, schools, and community partners.
• Provide strategic leadership and coordination for EmpowerMT’s participation in statewide and national initiatives, including the Montana Opportunity Youth Collaborative and the Montana Youth Advisory Council.
• Cultivate and strengthen partnerships with schools, tribal communities, community organizations, funders, and cross-sector collaborators.
• Support youth-informed advocacy, civic engagement, and systems-change efforts by creating opportunities for young people to influence policies, practices, and community decision-making.
• Collaborate with organizational leadership to ensure programs align with strategic priorities, grant objectives, evaluation frameworks, and community needs.
• Support program evaluation, data collection, impact measurement, and reporting to support continuous learning, accountability, and organizational effectiveness.

Youth Leadership Development & Team Leadership

• Provide strengths-based supervision, mentorship, and professional development to youth program staff, practicum students, and youth facilitators.
• Guide and support the Youth Advisory Council as a leadership development and shared-governance body.
• Foster a team culture grounded in belonging, equity, accountability, transparency, wellbeing, and shared leadership.
• Build staff and youth facilitation capacity and serve as a lead facilitator.
• Recruit, train, and support volunteers, youth leaders, and community partners who contribute to youth programming.
• Ensure compliance with youth safety policies, mandatory reporting requirements, and organizational risk-management practices.

Community Engagement & Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a visible ambassador and spokesperson for EmpowerMT with community partners, schools, funders, policymakers, media, and public audiences.
• Represent EmpowerMT within local, state, and national coalitions, collaboratives, advisory groups, and leadership networks.
• Build authentic relationships with youth, families, educators, community members, and partners.
• Collaborate with communications and development staff to elevate youth voice, communicate impact, and advance organizational goals.
• Contribute to organizational leadership, strategic planning, and cross-functional initiatives, including fundraising, donor engagement, and grant development that sustain and grow EmpowerMT's mission.

Requirements

Required Qualifications
We recognize that leadership and expertise develop through many pathways, including lived experience, professional experience, education, community leadership, and volunteer service. Successful candidates will bring many of the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in education, social sciences, human services, communications, public health, social work, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five or more years of experience leading youth development, community engagement, social justice, education, public health, or related initiatives.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, belonging, anti-oppression, and systems change.
• Experience designing, implementing, and evaluating youth leadership, community engagement, or social justice programs.
• Strong facilitation, relationship-building, and leadership skills.
• Experience supervising staff, practicums, and youth leaders.
• Knowledge of healing-centered engagement, positive youth development, and youth-adult partnership practices.
• Experience with program evaluation, impact measurement, data collection, and grant reporting.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to engage diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, lead complex projects, and work collaboratively across teams and sectors.
• Ability to travel throughout Montana and occasionally out of state.
• Valid Montana driver’s license, acceptable driving record, and proof of auto insurance per Montana State law, or reliable alternative transportation.
• Successful completion of a background check.
• Completion of EmpowerMT’s Advancing Leadership Institute, or willingness to complete upon hire.

What We’re Looking For
Beyond qualifications, we are seeking someone who brings:

• A deep belief in the leadership, wisdom, and power of young people.
• Healing-centered, equity-rooted, and belonging-focused leadership practices.
• Strategic thinking paired with strong relational, facilitation, and coalition-building skills.
• The ability to navigate complexity, change, and conflict with humility, courage, and accountability.
• A collaborative spirit, growth mindset, and commitment to shared leadership and continuous learning.
• Resilience, joy, curiosity, and a genuine belief in the possibility of transformative social change.