Paid Encore Fellow: Human Resources LA's BEST

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Encore.org: Encore Fellowship Opportunity with LA’s BEST

You are a seasoned professional with a minimum of 20+ years of experience, who is retired or in transition. You want to continue to work and want to do something with meaning. You are ready for a second act for the greater good.

Encore Fellowships are structured programs that place highly-skilled, experienced professionals into social-purpose organizations, where they help nonprofits build capacity, and ultimately, have a greater impact on their communities. Fellows commit to 1,000 hours of work over 6 to 12 months. They are paid a stipend of $20,000 and are integrated into the nonprofit’s leadership team.

About LA’s BEST

The mission of LA’s BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow) Afterschool Enrichment Program is to provide a safe and supervised after school education, enrichment and recreation program for children ages 5-12. Mayor Tom Bradley created LA’s BEST in 1988 in response to challenges arising from increasing numbers of unsupervised children throughout the City during out-of-school time, especially within under-resourced Los Angeles neighborhoods that are disproportionately impacted by high rates of poverty and crime.

LA’s BEST has grown from operating at 10 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) elementary schools (LA’s BEST sites) to 200 and currently services 25,000 youth each day during the afterschool hours, and 6,500- 8,000 in the LA’s BEST Summer Learning Program each year.

Human Resources Encore Fellow: Primary Role and Responsibilities

LA’s BEST seeks an Encore Fellow with extensive expertise in human resource to develop and implement strategies that focus on recruitment and retention of program staff. LA’s BEST relies on over 2,000 on-site part-time personnel to serve as youth developers and coaches. As the organization has grown, they have faced challenges identifying and retaining qualified team members.

LA’s BEST recently worked with USC’s Los Angeles Community Impact Program to examine the organization’s marketing and recruitment strategy and a number of recommendations were made. The Encore Fellow will guide the execution of these recommendations and further explore and implement strategies to support LA’s BEST goals.

• Develop tools, resources and systems to recruit and retain committed staff
• Help LA’s BEST become a catalyst for workforce development that cultivates community and civic engagement
• Refine hiring process including interviewing questions and approaches
• Outreach into the community to source new (program) staff
• Investigate and implement programs to motivate and incentivize staff
• Design programs to equip staff with vital and practical 21st century skills

Encore Fellow Development: Key Skills Requirements

Key skills requirements include:

• Successful track record (10 years+) in human resources with a focus on staff recruitment and development
• Significant experience in designing strategic and organizational growth plans

• A creative mindset and ability to generate and implement new ideas

• Excellent communication skills - both written and verbal

• Thrives in a collaborative environment

• A belief in the mission of LA’s BEST