Program Manager of Direct Cash Transfer Programs

Since 1984, Larkin Street Youth Services has helped more than 75,000 young adults in San Francisco with outreach, shelter, housing, education, employment, healthcare, and other services.

Today, Larkin Street Youth Services is the largest provider of housing and services to homeless youth in the Bay Area. We serve 1,500 youth annually, operating or partnering to provide more than 500 emergency shelter, transitional, supportive, and subsidy-based housing beds at several unique sites across San Francisco.

Working at Larkin Street, no matter what department, means making a real difference in the lives of young people experiencing homelessness. Our team is skilled, diverse, and passionate. Our culture encourages achievement and professional development, as well as teamwork and self-care. Our focus is always on the young people at the heart of our mission and to nurture potential, promote dignity and support bold steps by all.

For more information about us, visit www.larkinstreetyouth.org.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

The Trust Youth Initiative (TYI) pilot is a “Cash Plus” model that combines unconditional direct cash transfers (DCTs) with optional supportive programming and services for 24 months to support young adults ages 16 to 21 to secure safe and stable housing. The “Cash Plus” approach recognizes that young people often face both financial and non-financial constraints to long-term housing stability and thriving. 

The Prevention Demonstration Pilot also functions as a “Cash Plus” model that combines direct cash transfers (DCTs) with optional supportive programming and services for 12 months that support young adults and youth aged 16-21 in an effort to prevent the experience of homelessness. The PDP will lead a systems navigation of three major youth serving systems: Education, Juvenile Justice, and the Foster Care system. 

Both the cash amounts and supportive programming will be delivered in coordination with Up Together, a national nonprofit that will deliver the cash payments to participants, and Larkin Street will help coordinate recruitment and deliver supportive programming and services to DCT participants. The supportive programming will include key components such as goal-based planning and budgeting, housing navigation, financial coaching, peer support, coaching, and provision of or connections to other services and opportunities (e.g., mental health counseling, education or career development opportunities). 

Program implementation will follow a model co-designed by national and local partners, including young people with lived expertise of homelessness, and will involve an implementation manual and training to support implementation quality and fidelity.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

The Program Manager’s primary responsibility will be to coordinate, support, and ensure high quality implementation of the program, especially the optional supportive programming and services. The Program Manager will also serve as an additional representative in collaboration and learning with key stakeholders and departments to the Senior Director of Impact and other programmatic support roles in the agency. The Program Manager will also adapt services to and inform changes to the implementation model and manual over time in response to client feedback, evaluation findings and practice-based lessons about how best to respond to participants’ needs.

The Program Manager will work on a day-to-day basis and provide supervision to a Program Coordinator of the Prevention Demonstration Pilot and a Program Coordinator to the future iterations to the Trust Youth Initiative. Both Program Coordinators will provide direct support to participants in their receipt of cash and deliver optional supportive programming to clients as they navigate housing, health and wellness, education and employment outcomes. The Program Manager will play an essential role in ensuring strategies support client outcomes to the greatest extent and will receive support in strategy, partnership, and implementation from the Senior Director of Impact and Director of Research & Evaluation.

This is a full-time position, eligible for full benefits.

Your responsibilities:

PROGRAM OVERSIGHT AND IMPLEMENTATION:

• Manage all phases of the PDP program, ensuring that 25 youth are enrolled by August 2026 and supported through September 2027.
• Manage all phases of future DCT programming with anticipated launch of 1 additional program in early 2026
• Direct the adaptation and development of all program policies, procedures and continuously fine-tune the DCT pilot programs with the inclusion of key stakeholders.
• Oversee recruitment and referral coordination with external partners and LSYS staff.
• Monitor progress toward and lead learning of outcome goals

SUPERVISON AND TEAM LEADERSHIP:

• Directly supervise Program Coordinators and contribute to cross-functional supervision of Prevention Services Coordinators.
• Provide coaching, support, and professional development aligned with LSYS’s trauma-informed and equity-based values.
• Support team and supervisor with leadership and presence at all quarterly learning sessions, grant specific, and leadership level meetings in review of key outcomes, metrics, and strategies.

SERVICE COORDINATION AND CLIENT SUPPORT:

• Ensure consistent and high-quality service delivery including intake, engagement, onboarding, goal setting, case management, referrals and crisis response.
• Refine and adapt supportive programming and services to meet participants where they are at.
• Support team in connecting participants to housing-focused services such as benefits advocacy, education/employment supports, and Access Points.

PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT:

• Facilitate quarterly case coordination meetings with nonprofit and system partners.
• Foster collaborative relationships with referring agencies and city stakeholders. Contribute to LSYS’s referral network and leverage existing knowledge of service providers.
• Ensure warm handoffs, accurate data sharing, and strong cross-agency alignment.

DATA AND EVALUATION:

• Track program progress and client milestones in data systems per grant requirements.
• Ensure accuracy of DCT fund distribution and documentation in partnership with UpTogether.
• Collaborate with research/evaluation partners to uphold data integrity and support continuous improvement.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Represent LSYS at funder meetings, community events, and system-level planning efforts.
• Support development and submission of progress reports, success stories, and compliance documentation.
• Assist with marketing and outreach materials related to program engagement.
• Attend training, internal meetings, and supervision as required.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support program goals. 

WHO YOU ARE:

• You are passionate about the Larkin Street Youth Services mission to end youth homelessness.
• You have Case Management experience with Transitional Aged Youth (TAY), aged 18 to 25 of diverse backgrounds, similar to the client base at Larkin Street Youth Services.
  • You have a deep understanding of adolescent and young adult development.
• Your Bachelor’s Degree is preferred, but not required.
  • Years of professional experience can be considered in lieu of a degree
• You have direct experience with individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability; experience assisting individuals access affordable housing.
• You have project and/or program management experience - overseeing a team and providing supervision and/or mentorship to colleagues.
• You have a working knowledge of trauma-informed and harm reduction service models and philosophies including Housing First Mental Health First Aid, Motivational Interviewing, Positive Youth Development, Harm Reduction, and Crisis Prevention.
• You are familiar with the City of San Francisco’s coordinated entry assessments and placement practices and procedures.
• You have advanced computer skills including word-processing, presentation making, database operations, spreadsheet management and other software systems; experience working in HMIS a plus. Ability to maintain and execute confidential information.
• You are deeply committed to integrating youth voice and best practices into all components of the program.
• You are a self-starter and team player. Your colleagues describe you as compassionate and a quick learner.
• You work best in a mostly in-person working environment (1-2 days WFH).
• You are willing to serve as an After Hours On-Call Supervisor for 7 days, every 6-8 weeks.
• You are willing to work holidays occasionally.
• You are vaccinated against COVID 19.

THE PERKS:

• Competitive Salary: $75,000-$80,000 annually.
• Choice of Kaiser and Sutter medical plans, plus dental and vision.
• Generous 3 weeks of vacation annually, plus 11 Paid Holidays and 3 Floating Holidays.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching.
• Flexible spending accounts for Healthcare and Dependent Care expenses.
• Life Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for counseling services.
• Health Advocate Service.
• Commuter Benefits Program.
• Paid Sabbatical following 5 and 10 years of employment.

Larkin Street Youth Services is an equal opportunity employer. Larkin Street Youth Service seeks qualified candidates with an interest in the non-profit sector. We are committed to embracing diversity and consider all applicants for all positions without regard to color, ethnic background, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, HIV/AIDS status, veteran status, or any other legally protected class. We encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply for any open position in which they feel qualified. 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider employment for qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.  For details on how it is applicable to your employment, please click here.