ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION & STRATEGIES
Young Roots Oregon (YRO) is a community-focused Oregon-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Albany that began in 2019 as a grassroots movement. Our mission is to creatively empower young families in Linn and Benton counties to build healthy foundations. Our multi-generational vision is to give adolescent parents and their children equitable opportunities for growth through a collaborative approach of resource partnership and innovative services.
Strategies of care for young families include building equitable pathways that promote academic achievement, improving psychological and physical health, strengthening parent-child relationships, providing parent-to-parent support, brokering partnerships between parents and community agencies to expand and deepen parents’ social support network, and decreasing income, food, diapering, and housing insecurities. Together, these approaches work to increase social mobility and educational and economic attainment by the parent and to minimize and prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress that cause life-long health disparities, child welfare interventions, foster care placements, and generational poverty, which benefits the overall health and success of our community as a whole.
Please check out our website to verify that you align with our organization – youngrootsoregon.org
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES
Fathering Mentor: Parent Mentors partner with young parents using a strength-based approach in building off of the parent/family strengths to empower resilience by supporting personal goals, connect with peers to gain a greater sense of belonging, and by connecting with resources to gain stability of basic needs, to reduce stress, and then progress into developing and growing adult life skills to promote long term family safety and stability. This position specifically is to provide mentoring support to young fathers ages teen to 24 years old with a possibility of extending into older ages if they are partnered with a young mother. The Fathering Mentor will provide support to young fathers whose primary languages are Spanish and English. The Parent Mentor Program is supervised by Director Blanca Sanchez.
Housing & Financial Stability Program
(1) Spanish Educational Instructor: Within the first 3 months of employment, the employee will gain certification as a Rent Well tenancy program instructor and a Stand By Me Financial Coach. The instructor will lead Rent Well classes in Spanish twice a year, along with providing one-on-one financial coaching to young families whose primary language is Spanish. Teaching and supporting Spanish-language families in various areas.
Please click the links to find out more about the programs.
(2) Vehicle Ownership Program support for Spanish-speaking families to ensure equitable access to the opportunity. Families are able to participate in an Individual Development Account (IDA) to purchase a vehicle or pay for major repairs. The IDA is a matched savings program that helps individuals with modest incomes save money to purchase or repair a vehicle. Participants typically save for 3 to 36 months, and their savings are matched by the program, frequently at a 5:1 ratio (for example, saving $1,200 yields $6,000 in match funds).
The Housing & Financial Stability Program is supervised by Director Jonathan Eick.
Additional Responsibilities include:
a. Providing support during events and classes; various coordination responsibilities including physically setting up tables and chairs, food preparation, transportation, and clean up, along with relational support to families during the event.
b. Helping care for children if the KidRoots program needs support.
c. Attending community training, events, and meetings; building and maintaining good partnerships with other resource agencies to ensure Young Roots Oregon stays in good standing within our community, and creating wrap-around support for young families.
d. Providing translation review for various forms and documents.
REQUIREMENTS
- Parenting experience is required, with lived experience as an adolescent parent or being a child of an adolescent parent is valued.
- Fully confident and fluent in Spanish and English; verbal and written cognitive understanding.
- Experience in navigating government systems and working with community partners.
- Experience in supporting youth within an educational setting or social services; knowledgeable about the developmental stage of adolescence and can effectively relate to youth.
- Mature in conflict resolution skills, setting professional boundaries, and stress management.
- Self-determined and motivated, we are a small relational team setting who relies on the support of one another, but who are also individually self-sufficient and effectively self-regulate employment performance.
- Ability to demonstrate cultural sensitivity and work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, honoring differences, and being intentionally inclusive. Maintain a positive working relationship with colleagues, families, and program partners, abiding by the YRO Code of Ethics.
- Maintain confidentiality and follow organizational procedures to protect and honor personal information.
- Ability to successfully complete accurate documentation and administrative tasks, i.e., Google programs, Microsoft and Adobe programs, email and phone communication, government documents, etc.
- Be a human-centered leader who is open-minded and a lifelong learner, caring for clients with a trauma-informed lens and with resiliency.
- Be a mandatory reporter to protect the safety of children; training and continuous support are provided.
- Ability to work flexible hours to meet the needs of the program; weekends and holidays excluded.
- Certification in First Aid and CPR within 30 days of hire.
- Ability to pass a federal and state criminal history and abuse record check.
- Holds and maintains an acceptable driving record, valid driver’s license, automobile insurance, and reliable transportation; use of a personal vehicle will be required; comfortable and confident in transporting youth and children. Mileage is reimbursed.
- Minimum Education – High school diploma or GED required.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCES
- Direct care or peer support to youth and/or case management in a related field.
- Experience in financial coaching and housing education.
- Traditional Health Worker Certification
EXPECTED SCHEDULE
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 am-8:30 pm
4 – 10-hour shifts with a self-scheduled 0.5-hour lunch break and 2 – 10-minute paid breaks.
Note: Some Fridays will be mandatory, but the supervisor will work with staff to flex time in their weekly schedule to stay within the 40-hour work week.
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
It shall be the operational policy of this Corporation not to discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, marital status, national origin, disability, or political belief. This policy includes but is not exclusive of hiring, firing, layoffs, promotions, wages, training, disciplinary action, or any other terms, privileges, conditions, or benefits or employment, as well as non-discrimination in the providing of any services offered by this Corporation.
WAGE
Hourly wage starts at $20.00 when meeting all minimum requirements, and can increase to $22.50 with additional experience and education.
YRO staff will be eligible for a 3% wage increase upon their 6-month review and 3% for their annual employment renewal. An additional 5% wage increase upon each annual renewal thereafter.
Wages are paid monthly by the 10th of the month preceding the previous month’s work hours via direct deposit.
BENEFITS
Paid-Time Off (PTO): 50 hours provided to full-time employees after 60 days of employment, increasing by 10 hours after each annual renewal.
Holiday Closures: 14 days of paid time off surrounding major holidays, including a two-week closure during the Christmas and New Year’s season.
Perk Allowance: Full-time employees get a Perk Allowance of $550 per month ($6,600 annually). The Perk Allowance is a benefit that employees can choose how to use. Choices include, but not limited to, Pre-taxed options such as Health or Wellness Savings Accounts, Oregon Saves or other investment accounts, or the benefit can be added to their take-home taxable pay. YRO seeks to give employees flexible options that give them autonomy over their benefits.
Mileage: Employees must have a reliable, clean, and insured vehicle. Personal vehicles will be used to transport oneself and supplies to various locations. Mileage reimbursement of $0.70 per mile is paid with the monthly payroll described below. YRO-owned vehicles are used to transport families.
APPLICATION: YRO Employment Application
Complete the linked application form by June 28, 2026. Contact Jonathan Eick, Internal Operations Manager, with any questions; jonathane@youngrootsoregon.org
References will be required if you are invited to interview: 2 professional references, 1 personal reference.