Job Description
MISSION ALIGNMENT |
Alpha USA exists to equip and serve the Church in its mission to help people discover and develop a relationship with Jesus. Every staff member at Alpha plays a critical role in advancing this mission, contributing to a culture of prayer, hospitality, evangelism, and innovation. |
PURPOSE OF ROLE, SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES (INCLUDED BUT NOT LIMITED TO) |
The Alpha Youth Team exists to ensure that Alpha Youth and the Alpha Youth Series reach as many young people and youth ministry leaders as possible, serving Gen Alpha and Gen Z across Protestant, Catholic, and campus contexts. The youth ministry landscape is at an inflection point. A lot of the national voices and programs that once shaped how thousands of churches thought about the next generation have gone quiet, and the next generation of youth ministry leaders is lacking the support they need to guide Gen Z and Gen Alpha into the future. That vacuum represents one of the most significant opportunities in ministry today, and we believe Alpha Youth is positioned to fill it. We are looking for a National Director of Alpha Youth who will serve as a national thought leader, a strategic builder, and a champion for student-led evangelism across every church tradition. This is not a program manager role. This is a movement-builder role. This person will be the visionary leading Alpha Youth strategy across the United States, developing resources, building partnerships, equipping youth ministry leaders in Protestant and Catholic contexts, and driving a peer-to-peer student leadership model that empowers teenagers to bring their peers to faith. They will serve as one of Alpha's primary external voices in the national youth ministry conversation, speaking at conferences, building thought leadership, and representing Alpha in the rooms that matter most. |
Essential Responsibilities and Functions:
Strategy & Vision
- Own and execute the Alpha Youth strategy across the United States
- Drive adoption of the Alpha Youth Series toward our defined 2033 goals of reaching 4.6 million young people — across Protestant churches and Catholic parishes. How do we do everything at scale to maximize not only our reach, but our impact for the sake of the Gospel.
- Champion the Student Leader Framework (Curious → Courageous → Catalyst) as Alpha's signature model for prioritizing student-led evangelism
Thought Leadership & External Voice
- Serve as one of Alpha's primary external voices in the national youth ministry conversation
- Speak at conferences, gatherings, and events across Protestant and Catholic youth ministry contexts
- Contribute to and help shape Alpha's annual State of the Generation Report
- Develop content, frameworks, and resources that position Alpha as the leading voice on reaching Gen Alpha and Gen Z, especially in terms of how we partner with and support youth ministry leaders across the country
Partnerships
- Build and steward strategic partnerships with tier-one youth ministry organizations
- Represent Alpha in Catholic youth ministry contexts with cultural and theological fluency
- Work in close collaboration with the Gen Team to develop and activate partnership agreements
Product & Resources
- Oversee the development and delivery of Alpha Youth resources in alignment with a published weekly/monthly/quarterly/annual content cadence
- Guide Catholic-specific resource development in tandem with the Catholic Youth Context Manager
- Ensure all resources serve youth ministry leaders in Protestant and Catholic contexts with equal excellence
Community Building
- Launch and oversee Alpha Youth Leader Cohorts — small peer groups of youth ministry leaders meeting around shared challenges– Develop and sustain an Alpha Youth Leader Community platform as a genuine ministry resource for youth leaders across traditions
- Cultivate 3–5 Showcase Churches and 1–2 Showcase Parishes running Alpha Youth at the highest level — student-led, multiple times per year
- Oversee the development and further expansion of the Alpha Youth team
Team Leadership
- Provide direct leadership to Church Engagement Manager and Product & Catholic Manager, with additional direct reports added as the team grows
- Model a 'do less, better' culture — protecting team focus and ensuring every initiative moves toward the 2033 goal
- Collaborate closely with the Director of Universities to own the Youth → University handoff and ensure the Student Leader Framework carries students from high school Alpha to campus Alpha
ROLE DIMENSIONS
- Budget Management: Alpha Youth Budget
- People Management: Emerging Generations, Alpha Youth Manager
- Key Relationships – Internal: National Engagement Team, Universities / Campus Team, Senior Leadership (e.g., National Senior Director of Generations)
- Key Relationships – External: Churches and Youth Ministry Leaders, Strategic Ministry Partners (e.g., youth ministry organizations), Conference and Event Leaders, Volunteers and Youth Leaders, Catholic ministry leaders and parish partners
ESSENTIAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
- Bachelor’s Degree
- 7+ years of experience in youth ministry, parachurch ministry, or a related field — with demonstrated leadership at a national or multi-site level
- A proven track record of building and scaling programs, partnerships, or initiatives beyond individual relationships
- Deep familiarity with the Protestant youth ministry landscape and working knowledge of the Catholic youth ministry world
- Exceptional communication skills — you can write, speak, and teach in ways that move people to action
- Strategic thinking combined with operational discipline — you know how to cast vision and execute against it
- Experience managing direct reports and developing emerging leaders
- A personal, vibrant Christian faith and alignment with Alpha's theological commitments
- Comfort with ambiguity and a genuine entrepreneurial orientation as this role is building something new
- Alpha experience is preferred
- Bonus points if you have experience with Catholic parish ministry or deep relationships in the Catholic youth ministry world
DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS |
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SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE LOOKS LIKE
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COMPETENCIES & ATTRIBUTES |
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