Belonging & Engagement Manager

The Belonging & Engagement Manager plays a key role in advancing the National FFA Organization’s mission to create a welcoming, supportive, and growth-focused environment for all students. This position is responsible for developing, managing, and leading strategic programs, tools, and resources that promote belonging and engagement across all levels of FFA—from local chapters to the national organization.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Collaboratively design, implement, facilitate, and manage impactful programs and initiatives that engage teachers, students, and stakeholders in practices that foster a greater sense of inclusion, belonging, and engagement among FFA members to ensure programs are aligned with organizational goals, demonstrate measurable outcomes, and receive positive engagement.
• Work closely with the Executive in Residence for Belonging and Engagement to collaboratively co-create a comprehensive Belonging and Engagement strategy that includes clear annual goals, measurable outputs, and evaluation metrics that leverages insights and partnerships from key stakeholders to develop initiatives that highlight and celebrate the diverse lived experiences of all FFA members.
• Under the direction of the supervisor, actively engage with senior leaders, national and state FFA staff, and other stakeholders to build and strengthen partnerships that foster a more inclusive and collaborative culture across agricultural education networks through leading efforts to address challenges and barriers impacting students’ sense of belonging, aiming to improve student engagement and inclusion.
• Professionally represent the National FFA Organization internally and externally by facilitating workshops, participating in panel discussions, and other events that highlight the organization’s Belonging and Engagement efforts through communicating effectively across written and verbal channels, ensuring all messaging consistently reflects the values, mission, and goals of the organization.
• Effectively manage and oversee grants awarded to states, chapters, and members in support of FFA’s Belonging and Engagement initiatives to ensure compliance with reporting requirements and proper fund utilization, while tracking and evaluating grant outcomes.

SKILLS AND CORE COMPETENCIES

• Project Management: Identifying and overseeing all resources, tasks, systems and cross-team collaboration to obtain results.
• Planning and Organizing: Establishing courses of action to ensure that work is completed effectively.
• Time and Priority Management: Prioritizing and completing tasks in order to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames.
• Diplomacy: Effectively utilizes tact and diplomacy in working with people across hierarchical, functional and/or cultural borders.
• Decision-Making: Analyzing all aspects of a situation to make consistently sound and timely decisions.
• Understanding Others: Understanding the uniqueness and contributions of others.
• Communication: Ability to clearly and concisely convey information, ideas and instructions to different audiences. Ability to proactively keep the supervisor informed and provide regular updates on project progress, achievements and challenges.

DRIVING FORCES

These are the Driving Forces that will need to be demonstrated most often for superior performance.

• Collaborative: This position is driven by being in a supporting role and contributing with little need for individual recognition.
• Receptive: This position is driven by new ideas, methods, and opportunities that fall outside a defined system.
• Instinctive: This position is driven by utilizing past experiences, intuition, and a specific seeking of knowledge when necessary.
• Altruistic: This position is driven by the benefits you provide others.

BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS

These are the behaviors that will need to be demonstrated most often for superior performance.

• Analysis: The job requires compiling, confirming, and organizing information.
• Organized Workplace: The job requires establishing and maintaining specific order in daily activities.
• Persistence: The job requires finishing tasks despite challenges or resistance.
• Following Policy: The job requires adhering to rules, regulations, or existing methods.
• Openness: Being receptive to feedback, transparent, adaptable, curious, inclusive, and proactive in sharing information. Emphasizes honesty, flexibility, a willingness to learn, and valuing diverse perspectives.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree required; professional certifications or master’s degree preferred

EXPERIENCE

• 2-4 years of experience developing, implementing, and managing training programs for both teachers and students focused on belonging and engagement topics.
•  2-4 years of experience teaching, facilitating and presenting to both small and large groups.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Box and Google Workspace.
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to align engagement strategies with organizational objectives.
• Experience in coaching and mentoring on topics aligned with belonging and engagement themes with diverse audiences.
• Experience working with student organizations or educational institutions.
• Background in education, program management, organizational development, or related fields.
• High emotional intelligence and the ability to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver presentations and workshops.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to analyze data, assess program effectiveness, and implement improvements.