About Room to Grow

Room to Grow is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the vision that one day all parents will have the resources they need to unlock their families’ potential and become champions for babies and their community. Its mission is to offer structured parent support, material goods, and community connections to support parents as they activate their natural strengths and expand their knowledge, so children thrive from the start. Room to Grow was founded in New York in 1998 and expanded to Boston in 2005, currently partnering with over 1,500 families with an annual budget of $5M and a team of 45 passionate and dedicated staff members.

Room to Grow uses a two-generation, preventative, and strengths-based approach to engage families. Through its unique program, parents and caregivers partner with program staff to develop strategies to support their child's development, select the material items that their child needs, and connect with community resources that can expand their support network. Room to Grow program staff work alongside parents and caregivers as they build upon their existing skill sets and parenting styles and promote the well-being of their children and family.

As an entrepreneurial and growth-oriented organization, Room to Grow is in an exciting period of development as it continues to expand its reach and impact in Boston and New York and potential future locations. In 2020, Room to Grow adapted and digitized parts of its model to continue supporting families during COVID-19, and it will continue to leverage best practices and resources to support low-income communities as circumstances evolve.

The Room to Grow Core Values

Our core values apply to working with each other, our families, partners, donors, and other collaborators.

Integrity: Consistently conduct business in a way that is accountable, authentic, transparent, honest, and ethical.

Respect: Treat people equally and with compassion. Value differences and affirm the dignity, potential, and contribution of all staff, partners, clients, volunteers, and the public.

Growth: Challenges are a learning opportunity. We cultivate an environment that promotes ongoing education, coaching, continuous improvement, and innovation.

Collaboration: Our mission depends on the quality of our relationships and linkages cross-regionally, cross-departmentally, and with community partners and collaborators. We work together to support our individual and collective goals.

Community: The health of our organization relies on supportive interactions within our community, built on shared beliefs in responsibility, generosity, enthusiasm, humility, and levity.

Inclusion: An open-minded, inclusive work environment that fosters diversity, creativity, and empowerment in everything we do.

Position Summary

Room to Grow is at an exciting inflection point as an organization. We are preparing for ambitious growth and need to increase our ability to process in-kind donations to fill our Baby Boutiques as we add more families to the program.

Reporting to the NY Site Operations Coordinator, the Associate will join a Site Operations team composed of four Associates, a Coordinator, and a Manager. The Site Operations team is responsible for in-kind donation processing, organizing, and counting (approximately 200,000 items annually), and management of Room to Grow New York’s soon to be acquired warehouse space. The Site Operations team partners regularly with the national Community Engagement Department, which sources in-kind donations and volunteer support through both community and corporate partners. The Associate will be responsible for leading volunteer groups and individuals through sorting projects to ensure in-kind donations are processed in a timely manner. This position will be primarily based out of the warehouse location (once acquired), with travel to the South Bronx Family Center as needed.

The right candidate is personable, has excellent customer service skills, prides themselves on their organizational abilities, and is excited to play a key role in facilitating Room to Grow’s program.

Position Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• In-Kind Donations/Inventory: Execute the intake, sorting, tracking, storage, and delivery of infant and toddler items. Examples include:
  • Receive in-kind donations and ensure they are properly organized and stored
  • Maintain the in-kind donation calendar to ensure there is enough space and labor available to receive the donations, especially large deliveries
  • Quickly check and organize in-kind donations to ensure items are appropriate, clean, and in excellent condition
  • Ensure all inventory that is accepted is properly logged to maintain data integrity
  • Support the quarterly spot counts and yearly audits of the infant and toddler items at the Warehouse / Storage facility
  • Quality Assurance: Ensure that all items accepted for distribution meet stringent quality guidelines, items that do not are properly discarded, and engage with in-kind donors to help them better understand Room to Grow’s quality standards and guidelines as needed
• Space Maintenance: Along with the whole Site Operations team, support in the upkeep and maintenance of Room to Grow Family Centers and lead in the maintenance of the Warehouse. Examples include:
  • Ensure baby and toddler items are kept organized
  • Maintain spaces with safety at the forefront, keeping items out of walkways and not stacking boxes too high
  • Regularly check supply levels, alerting the Site Operations Coordinator of any shortages
  • Support in the implementation of all COVID-19 safety procedures
  • Assist in the maintenance of shared spaces
• Volunteer Program: Participate in the implementation of a robust volunteer program, acting as a knowledgeable and enthusiastic representative of the program to external audiences, and facilitating a positive environment where volunteers feel they are contributing to the organization’s success.
  • Lead volunteer projects, individual and group, including evenings and weekends
  • Strategize volunteer tasks with the Site Operations Coordinator and Manager to ensure an efficient and effective use of labor
  • Maintain COVID-19 safety protocols throughout the project
• Cross-Department Collaboration: Partner with other departments to enhance work across the organization. Examples include:
  • Partnering with the Family Support and Site Operations (FaSSO) team to keep all Family Centers properly maintained and stocked
  • Capturing content for the Communications Director, such as photos and video clips of the inventory and volunteer programs
  • Collaborating with the Community Engagement Department, especially around the staffing and support of events such as Fill-a-Truck (temporary in-kind donation collection points)
• Administrative: Ensure tasks are completed in a timely manner with a focus on maintaining Room to Grow’s high quality standards. Examples include:
  • Support in the answering of phone calls and emails related to in-kind donations
  • Accurately record and submit timesheets each pay period
  • Update records in Salesforce database as needed

Qualifications and Experience

• A passion for the mission, vision, and core values of Room to Grow

• Bilingual (English/Spanish) candidates are strongly encouraged to apply
• 1+ years relevant experience in retail, stockroom, or other customer service focused position

• Organized, resourceful, and solutions-oriented with the ability to multitask
• Strong communication skills and comfortable with external engagement and public speaking
• High level of professionalism, integrity, accountability, and judgment
• Flexibility with work schedule including evenings and weekends
• Able to lift and carry 40 pounds
• Able to stand and walk for extended periods of time
• Experience with forklifts and pallet jacks a big plus
• Strong Google Suite fluency a plus
• Experience with database management, especially Salesforce, a plus

Core Competencies

Mission & Culture Alignment - Allows a candidate to thrive at Room to Grow and to be highly motivated by the organization’s work and mission. A successful candidate:

• Embodies our core values of: integrity, respect, growth, collaboration, community, and inclusion

• Articulates an authentic passion for and belief in Room to Grow’s mission, demonstrating a commitment to and literacy around the issues of equity that undergird our work

• Demonstrates comfort with ambiguity and navigates changes in direction with ease

• Presents as collaborative and flexible with a strong service mentality

• Approaches work with a learning orientation, continuously seeking to improve their own work and the work of the organization

Operational Focus - Enables a candidate to successfully offer quality programming to Room to Grow families through the efficient management of inventory for all sites. A successful candidate:

• Embodies integrity in their work with special attention to quality assurance
• Possesses strong organizational skills, able to bring order to chaos
• Embodies the growth mindset, taking every challenge as an opportunity to build efficiency

Community & Relationship Building - Enables a candidate to build strong rapport with a broad range of stakeholders, including colleagues, donors, and volunteers. A successful candidate:

• Possesses good communication skills and the ability to quickly build relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders

• Is motivated to advocate for Room to Grow as we grow and procure and manage in-kind donations for multiple sites

• Thinks about communications as an engagement tool, with the ability to tell the organization’s mission with an inspiring voice and message
• Is able to initiate, cultivate, and maintain meaningful relationships with key stakeholder groups including the Room to Grow funders, prospects, volunteers, and colleagues (remote and on-site)

Resourcefulness with a Service Focus - Enables a candidate to handle difficult situations that will arise quickly, responsibly, and respectfully with all constituents involved. A successful candidate:

• Possesses strong customer service skills, and the ability to anticipate organizational needs and respond to them in a timely and courteous way
• Is forward thinking, having the ability to anticipate consequences of situations or implications of certain actions, and then to respond appropriately
• Possesses good judgement in high stress situations
• Is able to make decisions quickly utilizing all available resources
• Remains flexible, able to prioritize and shift focus as the situation changes, and always leads by example

Compensation and Benefits

Salary and benefits will be competitive for our field and commensurate with experience. Room to Grow is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. We encourage you to share any required accommodations with april.beakley@roomtogrow.org and elise.spector@roomtogrow.org, who will treat your requests as confidentially as possible.