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Boston Promise Initiative (BPI) Director @ DSNI

JOB DESCRIPTION

About DSNI

Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) is a twenty-nine year-old resident-led, non-profit planning and organizing entity in the Roxbury/North Dorchester area of Boston.  DSNI’s mission is to empower Dudley residents to organize, plan for, create, and control a vibrant, diverse and high quality neighborhood in collaboration with community partners.   In order to realize the neighborhood’s vision of a vibrant urban village, DSNI has organized to make significant strides in the areas of land control, affordable housing, community facilities, urban agriculture, youth development, and community building.  Progress in our neighborhood is the result of robust collaborative efforts led by community residents.

About the Boston Promise Initiative

The Boston Promise Initiative (BPI) is a comprehensive place-based collaborative effort with this vision:All children growing up in the Dudley Promise Neighborhood have access to effective schools and strong systems of family and community support that will prepare them to attain an excellent education and successfully transition to college and career.

Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) is the lead agency for a 2012 US Department of Education Promise Neighborhood implementation grant, responsible for organizing and advocacy, convening collaborative tables, coordination of aligned efforts, fundraising, and use of data to meet child outcomes and to strengthen family and community supports.

Our BPI plan (as is the case for DSNI’s successful community change work) is built on the pivotal role of resident leadership.  An extensive body of research on community change and the impact of community engagement in school improvement inform our work.  In short, we know that a strong community, with supported families and resident leaders, can result in successful schools and high student achievement for all children.

Four Strategic Components

We have identified four strategic components of our work:  early childhood foundations; successful schools and students; post secondary completion and career readiness; and strong families and community.  There is already significant work in these areas, including Dudley Children Thrive, partnerships with four local schools (three turn-around schools and the newly opened Dudley St. Neighborhood Charter School), and the No Child Goes Homeless campaign.  BPI strives to integrate and align existing continuum partners, programs and solutions, as well as to respond to gaps and barriers to student success. Our plan is guided by promising or evidence based practices.  We are establishing a data system with a commitment to developing and using rigorous data analysis to understand both progress and challenges/obstacles, and to continuously improve programs, services, systems and policies.

Location and Scale Up Strategy

The Dudley Village Campus refers to parts of Roxbury and North Dorchester, spanning approximately 1.3 square miles in the heart of Boston’s communities of color and in the center of the City of Boston’s Circle of Promise.  The Circle of Promise is a central area of Boston with the majority of our city’s lowest performing, Level 4 schools.  The City of Boston has committed to scaling up successful practices and programs to other neighborhoods in the Circle.

Resources and Partners

In December 2012, the U.S. Department of Education awarded $6 million to the Boston Promise Initiative as part of the 2012 Promise Neighborhood grant competition, a signature feature of the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative.  The federal funding award for year 1 is $1.485 million, which will be leveraged by an additional $1.2 million in public and private investments in the first year.

BPI has more than 165 community and institutional partners, including:  The City of Boston, Boston Public Schools, Boston Plan for Excellence, Project Hope, The Barr Foundation, The United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, Thrive in 5, Associated Early Care and Education, The Boston Children’s Museum, The Opportunity Agenda, Boston After School and Beyond, Children’s Services of Roxbury, University of Massachusetts Boston Center for Community Democracy and Democratic Literacy, and many others. 

About the Boston Promise Initiative (BPI) Director

Overall Responsibility and Description:  The BPI Director is the lead staff person supporting the BPI, having day-to-day responsibility for the Initiative.   This position reports to the DSNI Director of Leadership and Capacity Building and works with all DSNI staff on collaborative projects. This is a leadership position with organizing, convening, coordination, and reporting responsibilities.  DSNI is seeking a mature professional with significant experience in the non-profit, community, and/or public sectors.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Act as primary liaison with the US Department of Education
  • Meet all grant reporting, documentation, communications, and other requirements
  • Coordinate relationship between US Department of Education consultants (including national evaluator) and the appropriate DSNI staff / teams
  • Convene and work with staff team responsible for the 0-24 continuum, family and community supports, data and learning
  • Work with other staff teams (including Shared Data & Learning, and Improvement Work Groups) as appropriate to support BPI implementation
  • Support and build the capacity of community residents (including families and youth) to fully engage in the BPI implementation process
  • Staff and prepare reports for the BPI Strategy Group
  • Create systems for and ensure regular, clear communication occurs across all involved stakeholders, including community residents
  • Represent BPI in multiple settings with diverse stakeholders
  • Represent DSNI / BPI in a national Promise Neighborhoods community of practice
  • Participate in fundraising efforts to support full implementation of BPI strategies
  • Perform other duties as requested

Qualification, Skills and Knowledge Requirements:

  • Experience working in multi-cultural, multi-lingual settings
  • Experience in community organizing, leadership development, policy advocacy or other social change strategies
  • Leadership experience in government, education, or community non-profit sector
  • Experience in collaborative processes, creating alignment around shared goals and plans
  • Ability to use qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate progress, make decisions, and inform stakeholders
  • Ability to work in community empowerment setting
  • Familiarity with place-based initiatives and theory of change models
  • Demonstrated ability to work in complex environment, prioritizing multiple work tasks and meeting deadlines
  • Excellent oral and written communications skills
  • Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred with major work in public administration, education, social work, public health, community organizing, community development, public policy or a related field
  • Bilingual preferred (Spanish, Cape Verdean)
  • Strong computer skills, particularly in Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Excel
  • Dudley residents strongly encouraged to apply
  • A sense of humor is always useful

 

DSNI is a highly collaborative organization, engaged in complex work. The successful applicant will be able to jump in, learn quickly and go the extra mile.  S/he must be able to work well under pressure and have a demonstrated ability to pay attention to details.  The ideal candidate must have the ability to maintain confidentiality, be respectful of many work-styles and points of view.

 

Salary for this position is $52,395 - $74,850 annually depending on experience.  Position is for immediate hire.  DSNI offers a comprehensive benefits package. To be considered, interested applicants must submit a cover letter, writing sample and resume by email to hr@dsni.org with “BPI Director Application” in the subject line.   No telephone inquiries or recruiters please.  DSNI is an EOE. 

 

***COMMUNITY ORGANIZER (UNPAID INTERNSHIP)***

The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) is a non-profit planning and organizing group celebrating over 27 years as a successful, resident-led coalition working to create an urban village in the Dudley neighborhood of Roxbury/North Dorchester. DSNI’s mission is to empower Dudley residents to organize, plan for, create and control a vibrant, diverse and high-quality neighborhood in collaboration with community partners.
The Community Organizer will work as a team member to strengthen the neighborhood revitalization work. They will work with staff, residents, committee and Board members to unfold planning and organizing efforts to realize the neighborhood’s vision of a vibrant urban village.

Responsibilities:

• Work with DSNI Organizers to carry out organizing and planning activities. This includes door knocking, passing out flyers and talking to residents.
• Organize residents and other stakeholders to actively engage in the neighborhood revitalization effort, using door knocking, phoning, neighborhood meetings, and other outreach methods.
• Communicate regularly with residents and others stakeholders through written materials and personal contact
• Work as part of DSNI’s overall organizing efforts to Build Our Urban Village
• Attend meetings representing DSNI.
• Investigate, evaluate, and share various tools and models for outreach, organizing and collaboration.
• Prepare regular reports and articles on activities.

Qualifications:

• Commitment to DSNI’s mission and organizing principles
• Respect for resident decision-making and community planning
• Ability to take initiative while working well as part of a team
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work long hours and be flexible
• Familiarity with neighborhood issues
• Ability to work in a multicultural setting
• A sense of humor always helps

For more information contact:

Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, 504 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119.

Women and People of Color Encouraged To Apply.  Equal Opportunity Employer.

 

***TITLE SEARCHER (UNPAID INTERNSHIP)***
Dudley Neighbors Inc. (DNI) is a Community Land Trust in the Roxbury and North Dorchester area of Boston, organized as an Urban Redevelopment Organization under MGL Chapter 121A.  DNI’s Mission is Is to implement the community revitalization plans of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), which espouses development without displacement and includes affordable housing, economic development, open space and other amenities of the Urban Village.

Job Summary:
To search public and private records to compile a list of documents pertaining to property titles, such as mortgages, deeds, and assessments. To create a reference system of all deeds of land that DNI and it affiliates own.

Essential Functions:

  • Searches records available at DNI, City of Boston Assessing Department and or Suffolk Registry of Deeds to compile all legal deeds for parcels owned by DNI & its affiliates.
  • If required, obtains maps or drawings of property from surveyor or assessor's office or from title companies.
  • Prepares reference system and report with information compiled that would be useful for future work reference.

Qualifications:

  • Ability to take initiative while working independently and as part of a team
  • Have working knowledge on how to title search using City of Boston Assessing Department and Suffolk Registry of Deeds.
  • A sense of humor always helps
  • Word processing and other computer experience (Microsoft word, excel, Adobe Acrobat).
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills a must.
  • Must be organized and attentive to detail.

Position Type: Unpaid Internship

Please reply with letter of interest and resume immediately to: Jason Webb, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, 504 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 or email to jwebb@dsni.org

Women and People of Color Encouraged to Apply.  Equal Opportunity Employer.