Pros
*Meaningful Mission & Focus: The organization is dedicated to a critical mission supporting youth prevention and mental health initiatives. This provides fulfilling and impactful work.
*High-Level Exposure: The role provided excellent exposure to cross-sector collaboration, regularly coordinating with city agencies, funders, community partners, schools, and government stakeholders.
*Challenging Coordination Work: The work itself was dynamic, requiring me to successfully coordinate 12+ strategic deliverables across 4 active workgroups. It's a strong opportunity to build complex project coordination skills.
Valuable Skill Development: Gained proficiency in synthesizing notes and developing agendas for high-level meetings.
Cons
*Lack of Performance Clarity/Standards: There was a significant need for clear, measurable performance standards and metrics to define success in the role. The expectations for performance often seemed subjective and fluid, making it difficult to prioritize or gauge progress effectively.
*Inconsistent Managerial Support: Managerial feedback often prioritized vague encouragement over specific, constructive coaching related to job performance. This created a disconnect between positive reinforcement and the actual requirements of the role.
*Unstructured Onboarding/Training: The role lacked a structured onboarding or development plan, requiring the employee to quickly navigate complex deliverables without clear guidance or resources, which is a challenge for new employees.
*High Pressure on Logistical Coordination: While coordination was high-level (facilitating 25+ cross-sector meetings ), the role's scope felt heavily weighted toward logistics, with fewer clear opportunities for strategic input or program development