Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Youth Planner

🎯 Role Definition

The Youth Planner designs, implements, and evaluates youth-centered programs and services that improve outcomes for children and adolescents. This role blends community engagement, program development, policy analysis, partnership building, and monitoring & evaluation to create safe, inclusive, and evidence-based opportunities for young people. The Youth Planner works across departments, with schools, non-profits, municipal agencies, and funders to align resources and strategies that support positive youth development.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Youth Program Coordinator or Youth Worker with demonstrated program delivery experience.
Community Outreach Specialist focused on youth engagement or school partnerships.
Junior Planner or Program Assistant in a nonprofit, municipal youth services department, or education setting.

Advancement To:

Senior Youth Planner / Program Manager
Youth Services Director or Manager of Community Programs
Policy Advisor – Children & Youth
Grants & Program Development Lead

Lateral Moves:

Community Engagement Manager
School Partnership Coordinator
Social Services Casework Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the design and implementation of comprehensive youth programs, including after-school activities, life-skills workshops, mentorship schemes, and summer employment programs, ensuring alignment with evidence-based youth development frameworks and organizational goals.
Develop annual program plans and multi-year strategies that set clear objectives, milestones, budgets, and performance indicators to measure impact on youth outcomes (e.g., school engagement, employment readiness, mental health).
Conduct needs assessments and community consultations with young people, families, schools, and stakeholders to identify gaps in services and co-create culturally responsive program solutions that reflect diverse youth voices.
Prepare, write, and manage grant proposals, funding applications, and donor reports to secure and steward multi-year funding; track deliverables and ensure compliance with funder requirements and reporting schedules.
Build and maintain strong partnerships with schools, municipal agencies, non-profit providers, businesses, and faith-based organizations to create referral pathways and collaborative programming for youth.
Coordinate recruitment, training, supervision, and performance management of program staff, youth mentors, and volunteers; create onboarding materials, training curricula, and safeguarding protocols.
Design and deliver targeted outreach campaigns — both digital and community-based — to recruit participants from priority populations, using inclusive messaging, social media, school liaison work, and grassroots outreach.
Create participant intake systems, case management processes, and individualized service plans for youth with complex needs; collaborate with social workers and specialized providers for wrap-around support.
Develop and implement monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks, including data collection tools, outcome indicators, surveys, focus groups, and qualitative feedback loops to inform program improvement and reporting.
Analyze program data and produce monthly, quarterly, and annual reports demonstrating impact, trends, risk areas, and recommendations for leadership, funders, and community stakeholders.
Manage program budgets, cost forecasting, and procurement for supplies, facilities, and contracted services; ensure efficient use of funds and adherence to organizational financial policies.
Ensure all programs comply with child protection, safeguarding, privacy, and health & safety regulations, updating policies and conducting regular staff training and risk assessments.
Facilitate youth advisory councils, peer leadership groups, and participatory planning sessions that empower young people to lead activities, influence program design, and contribute to governance.
Coordinate logistics for events, workshops, and multi-agency meetings — including venue booking, transportation planning, materials preparation, and volunteer coordination to ensure smooth delivery.
Lead policy and advocacy initiatives related to youth services by synthesizing local data, drafting policy briefs, and representing the organization at community coalitions and municipal working groups.
Integrate trauma-informed practices and culturally responsive approaches across programming to support mental health, resilience, and equitable access for marginalized youth populations.
Oversee program marketing assets, informational materials, and resource directories; ensure web content, social posts, and printed materials communicate services clearly and drive referrals.
Implement continuous quality improvement cycles by piloting innovations, testing evidence-based interventions, analyzing outcomes, and scaling successful activities while documenting lessons learned.
Serve as the primary point of contact for participating families, resolving escalations, mediating conflicts, and ensuring a high-quality participant experience from intake through exit planning.
Coordinate transitional supports such as job placement assistance, internships, higher education advising, and community referrals to help youth progress to employment or education pathways.
Maintain and update a centralized database of community resources, partner services, and referral contacts to streamline case management and cross-agency collaboration.
Conduct regular site visits and program monitoring of contracted partners, after-school locations, and youth spaces to ensure fidelity to program models and contractual obligations.
Prepare presentations and community-facing materials summarizing program outcomes, success stories, and impact metrics for boards, municipalities, and funders.
Keep abreast of emerging best practices, research, and policy changes in youth development and incorporate relevant insights into program design and staff training.

Secondary Functions

Provide ad-hoc technical assistance to schools, community groups, and partners on program planning and youth engagement strategies.
Support development of program toolkits, facilitator guides, and curriculum resources for internal and external use.
Assist with volunteer recruitment drives and maintain volunteer databases, ensuring background checks and training compliance.
Help manage participant transportation logistics, food services coordination, and venue relationships to support program accessibility.
Contribute to cross-departmental projects such as city-wide youth initiatives, emergency response planning for youth services, and summer employment partnerships.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Program design and curriculum development for youth-focused initiatives (after-school, mentorship, employment readiness).
Grant writing and fund development, including proposal drafting, budgeting, and funder reporting.
Monitoring & evaluation (M&E): indicator development, survey design, data collection, outcome measurement, and impact reporting.
Case management systems and participant intake platforms (experience with CRM or youth services databases).
Budget management, financial tracking, and basic accounting for program budgets and grants.
Community needs assessment techniques, stakeholder mapping, and participatory planning methods.
Risk assessment and safeguarding/child protection policy implementation.
Knowledge of local education systems, labor markets for youth, and social services referral networks.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel for data analysis), Google Workspace, and familiarity with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) or basic statistical tools.
Experience with digital outreach and communications: social media channels, email campaigns, and content creation for youth engagement.
Familiarity with trauma-informed practice, equity-driven service design, and culturally responsive programming.
Event planning and logistical coordination for workshops, conferences, and community events.
Policy analysis and the ability to draft briefs, memos, and evidence-based recommendations.

Soft Skills

Exceptional written and verbal communication tailored to youth, families, funders, and community partners.
Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills; comfortable engaging with diverse stakeholders and coalition partners.
Leadership and staff supervision skills, including coaching, performance management, and capacity building.
Cultural competence and sensitivity to working with marginalized and historically underserved youth populations.
Problem-solving and critical thinking with an orientation toward continuous improvement and innovation.
Empathy, active listening, and trauma-informed engagement techniques when working with vulnerable youth.
Time management, prioritization, and the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
Facilitation and group leadership skills for workshops, training sessions, and youth councils.
Negotiation and conflict resolution skills in multi-stakeholder environments.
Data-informed decision making and comfort using evidence to advocate for program changes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Education, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Youth Development, Community Development, Human Services, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Youth Development, Social Work (MSW), Public Administration (MPA), Urban Planning, Community Development, or related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Youth Development, Adolescent Psychology
Social Work or Human Services
Education or School Counseling
Public Policy, Urban Planning, Community Development
Nonprofit Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of progressively responsible experience designing and delivering youth programs; municipal, nonprofit, or education sector experience preferred.

Preferred:

3–7 years including demonstrated experience in grant writing, M&E, partnership development, and supervising staff or volunteers; direct experience working with high-need or marginalized youth populations highly desirable.