Girls on the Run Southeastern Suburban PA: Program Operations & 5K Coordinator

Job Description

Job DescriptionDescriptionOrganizational Summary:

Girls on the Run Southeastern Suburban PA is a local nonprofit organization that operates in agreement with Girls on the Run International and is dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. Our program currently serves Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania. In FY26, 2,170 girls participated in our life changing programs.
Girls on the Run believes all girls and communities should have access to our programs. We strive to eliminate barriers to participation, create programming that engages all communities, be intentional about staff and volunteer diversity, and promote a culture of inclusion across the organization.
Position Profile:

The Program Operations & 5K Coordinator must possess a passion for and commitment to improving the lives and opportunities of girls in third through eighth grades, with an ability to effectively communicate the core goals and values of Girls on the Run with confidence.
This individual must embrace and reflect the core values of GOTR and have experience in:

• Balancing individual contribution with cross-functional collaboration.
• Working across difference to bring people together in pursuit of shared objectives.
• Providing human-centered, professional, and timely customer service.
• Adapting to ever-evolving circumstances within a nonprofit environment that can be quickly impacted by the broader sociocultural landscape.
• Coordinating small and large projects through use of effective project management, communication, and work execution methods.
• Performing administrative tasks that directly impact the organization’s day-to-day operations.

The Program Operations & 5K Coordinator directly contributes to council success by serving as a project coordinator for the council’s end-of-season celebratory 5K events and supporting program operational tasks to ensure sites and coaches have a seamless experience with Girls on the Run and are well-prepared to provide a high-quality experience for participants and families each season.
Reporting to the Program Director, the Program Operations & 5K Coordinator is a part-time employee, working on average 20 hours per week. During peak program times—such as in the weeks leading up to end-of-season 5K events, this position (and all council roles) may be required to work more than 20 hours per week. Some local travel, evening, and weekend hours will be required.
Core Duties & ResponsibilitiesThe Program Operations & 5K Coordinator will perform the following within two specific areas of responsibility:
5K Project CoordinationServe as the central project coordinator for all aspects of the council’s end-of-season celebratory 5K events. This includes creating an overarching 5K event project plan for each season and coordinating a cross-functional 5K project team of internal staff and external volunteers to execute against that plan.

This includes but is not limited to:

• Deliver high quality experiences for participants, participant families, and running buddies, community participants, and volunteers through excellent operational delivery.
• Lead a 5K project team comprised of an external 5K event director, 5K volunteer leads, and internal council staff to develop and manage multiple volunteer, vendor, sponsor, and stakeholder relationships.
• Maintain detailed, highly organized, and up-to-date project planning and event documentation.
• Facilitate regular 5K project team meetings to ensure alignment to plan, timely and high-quality execution of tasks, and effective communication channels across team members.
• Collaborate with the 5K project team to evaluate and report on event successes and opportunities for improvement.
• Partner with Program staff to ensure seamless logistics and communications for program participants, coaches, caregivers, and community participants.
• Partner with Development staff to ensure seamless logistics and communications for sponsors, vendors, and community partners.
• Serve as the primary staff contact for external 5K operational partners, and provide central coordination to ensure effective execution of event tasks before, during, and after the events.
• Provide overarching leadership for the recruitment, onboarding, management, support, and empowerment of all 5K volunteers leading up to, on the days of, and following the events.
• Design, write, and deliver 5K-specific event communications in collaboration with other council staff members.
• Evaluate feedback and collaborate cross-functionally to continuously improve the 5K events.

Program Operational Support

• Reviewing, processing, and sending communications about coach and other volunteer clearance requirements.
• Reviewing, processing, and sending communications about coach First Aid/CPR certification requirements.
• Assisting with the process to gather information for, research, order, and distribute essential gear to sites and participants in need.
• Managing the council’s general Info email account and responding to or routing all inquiries in a timely, human-centered, customer service-oriented way.
• Processing program registration payment plans, refund requests, and credit card declines.
• Serving as a Small Group Facilitator at National Coach Training sessions for new coaches.
• Facilitating interest calls with individuals who submit general volunteer forms and routing them to the appropriate area based on interest, involvement motivation, and availability.

QualificationsRequired Qualifications

• Passion for the Girls on the Run mission, with the ability to effectively communicate issues surrounding empowerment, self-esteem, body image, and whole-person health.
• Minimum of three to five years of experience with project coordination and/or management.
• Strong communication skills, including written, verbal, and active listening skills, as well as responsiveness and professionalism in email communications.
• Comfort and adaptiveness within new and/or changing environments.
• Team-oriented and able to collaborate with a diverse array of individuals.
• Highly detail-oriented, with strong organizational skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with experience navigating feedback environments professionally and with positive intent.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 tools or willingness to learn (i.e., Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Comfort with technology and willingness to learn and embrace new systems and tools to help create efficiencies and increase productivity individually and as a team.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, manage one’s time, and make efficient, data-driven decisions.
• A continuous improvement mindset when it comes to best serving council constituents.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Girls on the Run (or similar youth or wellness programs).
• Experience directly supporting and empowering volunteers.
• Familiarity with 5K events from operational and logistical standpoints.

Compensation and Benefits InformationGirls on the Run is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Program Operations & 5K Coordinator is a part-time, salaried position that is eligible for employee benefits such as PTO and flex time, a bi-annual wellness stipend, annual apparel stipend, and annual bonus. Eligibility to enroll in retirement benefits becomes available after one calendar year.

Please contact Brooke McKeever, Program Director (brooke.mckeever@girlsontherun.org) with questions about the position or hiring process.