Leader Formation Specialist

The Leader Formation Specialist supports the Leader Formation Department by building, organizing, and improving digital learning experiences that help YFC leaders grow numerically, relationally, personally, spiritually, and missionally across the Movement. 

Working under the direction of the Director, Leader Formation, this role collaborates with team members and ministry partners to create clear, engaging learning content; maintain courses and resources in a learning management system; support learners and facilitators; and translate ideas, feedback, and field needs into practical tools that are easy to access and use. 

This position requires excellent written and verbal communication, strong systems thinking, creativity, curiosity about how adults learn, and the ability to coach and support others with warmth and clarity. The ideal candidate enjoys working inside digital systems, writing and editing learner-facing content, improving processes, and solving problems collaboratively. The Leader Formation Specialist is expected to model YFC’s Cultural Attributes: Christ-centered, enduring humility, relentless trust, courageous faithfulness, joyful camaraderie, and kingdom inspired diversity. 

Essential Functions

• Support the design, development, delivery, and ongoing improvement of Leader Formation learning experiences, with primary emphasis on online learning, learning management system administration, learner communication, and resource development. 
• Build, update, organize, and maintain courses, learning pathways, resources, and participant records within the learning management system. 
• Write, edit, and format clear, engaging learning content, including course pages, learner instructions, facilitator notes, job aids, emails, and support resources. 
• Provide responsive, learner-centered support by answering questions, troubleshooting access or completion issues, and coaching participants and facilitators through learning platform processes. 
• Apply an understanding of adult learning to organize content in ways that are intuitive, practical, visually clean, and easy for busy ministry leaders to use. 
• Convert existing content, team input, and field feedback into creative digital learning resources, simple eLearning builds, guides, templates, and communications. 
• Coordinate with departments and stakeholders to gather inputs, clarify needs, and support timely delivery of assigned training resources. 
• Help create feedback loops (surveys, debrief notes, simple reporting) and track action items for continuous improvement of training experiences. 
• Support basic assessment activities to evaluate training effectiveness (attendance, completion, participant feedback) and summarize findings for the team. 
• Contribute to opportunities that encourage healthy cultural and spiritual formation for YFC leaders by supporting content, communications, and coordination as assigned. 
• Support occasional live or in-person learning experiences as needed, while keeping primary focus on digital learning systems, content quality, learner communication, and follow-through. 
• Apply a Design Thinking mindset in daily work, integrating innovation and Christ-centered, human-centered problem-solving into planning, collaboration, and execution. 

Spiritual Responsibilities

Because the overriding religious purpose and mission of Youth for Christ USA is to communicate and introduce the Gospel of Jesus Christ to young people and their families, and in that regard to make, educate and encourage life-long disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is very important that you as an employee in the movement of Youth for Christ be recognized as an associate minister of the Gospel.  

As an employee of Youth for Christ and an associate minister of the Gospel, YFC expects all employees to:  

• Seek God’s guidance and wisdom, through prayer and meditation, for the organization as a whole, as well as for specific ministry initiatives.  
• Participate and lead regular times of prayer, devotion and worship as a regular aspect of your role within YFC.  
• Teach and preach from the Holy Bible at YFC staff meetings, conferences, camps and events.  
• Model empathy, humility and care for all people. This includes promoting equity and inclusion in words and in the practice of faith expression.  

YFC employees will have an opportunity to be commissioned or licensed as a minister of the Gospel through the established Youth for Christ process, and/or ordained by an outside body recognized by Youth for Christ USA. 

YFC Cultural Attributes 

Our cultural attributes are not about competency. It is an obedience to the call of Christ on our lives. YFC believes that spiritually healthy adults foster healthy relationships with our kids. We place a heavy commitment and emphasis on developing and equipping a Christ-centered life marked by Enduring Humility, Relentless Trust, Joyful Camaraderie, Courageous Faithfulness and Kingdom Inspired Diversity.  

Our leaders are expected to be willing to demonstrate and/or possess the following:  

• Ability to humbly serve and honor others even in difficult situations with prayer, consistency, transparency, and resilience. (Enduring Humility).  
• Demonstrate proper reliance on God, others, and self through generous giving of time and skills, by collaboratively incorporating others’ ideas, welcoming candid input, recognizing others’ need for grace and extending forgiveness and empathy. (Relentless Trust).  
• Prioritize others’ needs for a missional outcome, characterized by joy, with active listening and problem-solving skills, while encouraging and empowering fellow believers. (Joyful Camaraderie). 
• Trust God with new approaches and changes, and communicate needs and limits with emotional intelligence*, while seeking confidence and wisdom in Christ. (Courageous Faithfulness) 
• Seek and foster authentic Christ-Centered relationships with people of various backgrounds and an inviting environment and empower historically marginalized groups and indigenous populations (within the local context), through active listening, inclusion, advocacy of those who are vulnerable and respect of others’ experiences. (Kingdom Inspired Diversity).   

Fundraising Responsibilities

All YFC employees are expected to regularly and actively participate in faithful activities that advance the stewardship functions of YFC/USA. These activities will include—but are not limited to— extending invitations to fund raising events, recruiting personal circle of influence/YFC donor contacts, sending letters, handwritten notes, personal calls, and personally ministering to donor contacts.  

Budget Responsibilities

A Budget Manager is responsible for aligning all financial resources to the YFC/USA strategic plan in accordance with the delegation and direction of the Division Head. The Budget Manager is responsible for coding, approval, and financial decision-making for their assigned Division, Department and/or Action Plan budget. When a budget is overfunded or underfunded, the Budget Manager is responsible for course correcting through the MCCR process. 

Knowledge and Skills  

• Strong learning management system aptitude, including comfort organizing courses, managing enrollments or completions, updating resources, learning new platform features, and maintaining clean digital systems. 
• Technology-forward and comfortable learning new digital tools, working within learning platforms and systems, and using technology to improve learner experience, streamline workflows, and support others with confidence. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to make instructions, emails, course content, and learner support messages clear, warm, concise, and helpful. 
• Ability to collaborate well on a team, receive feedback, and work effectively under the direction of a project lead. 
• Understanding of how adults learn, with the ability to structure content for clarity, engagement, accessibility, and practical application. 
• Strong writing, editing, and content-development skills, including the ability to turn rough ideas or source material into polished learner-facing resources. 
• Systems-minded approach: enjoys creating order, improving processes, documenting steps, maintaining version control, and helping others navigate tools and workflows. 
• Ability to gather input from others, summarize information accurately, and maintain version control of shared resources. 
• Coaching and customer-service mindset when supporting learners, facilitators, and internal partners, including patience, curiosity, and a desire to help others succeed. 
• Creative eye for learning experiences, including visual organization, learner flow, simple media support, and engaging resource design. 
• Problem-solving orientation: able to identify issues early, propose options, and escalate appropriately. 
• Ability and aptitude to learn new tools, apply standards, and improve quality through iteration and feedback. 

Credentials Required & Preferred Education 

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as instructional design, education, communications, ministry, organizational development, writing, digital learning, or related field; equivalent work experience may be considered. 
• 1–3 years of experience working in a learning management system, supporting digital learning programs, writing learner-facing content, coordinating online courses, or providing user support/coaching strongly preferred. 
• Proficiency with standard productivity tools (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel/Sheets) and comfort learning new platforms. 
• Demonstrated comfort with learning platforms, digital content tools, webinar tools, Microsoft 365, shared file systems, and project or workflow tracking systems. 
• Experience working with shared file systems and maintaining organized resources/version control (preferred). 
• Production work experience is a plus (e.g., learning asset production, slide polishing, basic video/audio support, recording uploads, or file preparation for distribution). 

Physical Requirements 

The ability to communicate orally with customers, vendors, management, and other co-workers is crucial. Regular use of the telephone and e-mail for communication is essential. Sitting for extended periods is common. Hearing and vision within normal ranges is essential for normal conversations, to receive ordinary information, and to prepare or inspect documents.

Activities require the ability to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time, occasionally move about inside the office to access files or office equipment, operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, handheld devices, copy machine, and computer printer. 

No heavy lifting is expected, though occasional exertion of up to 10 lbs. of force may be required. Good manual dexterity is required for the use of computers, mobile devices, and other productivity technologies.

The job is performed indoors in a traditional office setting. Extended periods of sitting and extensive work at a computer and phone are normal.

Travel Requirements 

Minimal travel may be required for occasional team gatherings or live learning events; the primary work of this role is remote and digital. 

Our comprehensive benefits package includes: 

• Vacation time 
• Sick Time 
• 12 paid holidays 
• Paid week off between Christmas and New Years 

Health & Welfare Benefits (Voluntary Enrollment): 

• Medical 
• Dental 
• Vision 
• Supplemental Accident 

Health and Welfare Benefits (Company Sponsored): 

• YFC Contribution to Health Savings Account (HSA): $800 Single / $1,000 Family 
• Must be enrolled in an eligible plan and amounts are prorated based on hire date. 
• Up to 3% 403(b) match upon hire, up to 5% with tenure. 
• Access to EAP services 
• Short-term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and Life/AD&D