Careers

Friends-He Sapa is seeking a passionate, visionary advocate for Indigenous children and families to serve as Executive Director. The ideal candidate understands both the incredible potential of every child as well as the significant barriers facing families impacted by foster care. The next Executive Director will continue to build the organization’s programs in Rapid City and on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Accountable to the Board of Directors, staff, and program participants, the Executive Director leads the executive team and manages all aspects of organizational development, financial health, and culturally grounded operations. Additionally, the leader will collaborate with the National CEO and network team to leverage best practices from over 30 years of national impact.

Friends of the Children – He Sapa is seeking a passionate committed leader to use their expertise, vision, and operational skills as we establish and grow our new location headquartered in Rapid City. Our model is proven to break the cycle of generational poverty for wakanyeja (children) who face the most barriers by providing professional mentors to thousands of youth across the country. As our Operations Director, you will support human resources, finance, information technology, social media & marketing, and other enabling functions to ensure operations are established and are running optimally.

The ideal candidate will have an understanding of Indigenous cultures, smart head for business, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a strong heart for kids. They will be equally skilled at implementing efficient processes and intentionally developing collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy, and healthy communication.

We are currently seeking a mentor (Friend) for our Childhood program (Kindergarten to 5th Grade) to serve as a positive adult role model to eight male elementary children and develop loving, caring, and sustained relationships with each child. For each child, a Friend will set positive expectations; nurture and promote each child’s strength, talents, and abilities; help ensure physical and emotional well-being; teach life and academic skills; provide enrichment activities; and model responsible behavior. A Friend will fully document activities and participate in the ongoing evaluation process. Friends will work primarily one-on-one with their children, while also building trusting supportive relationships with parents/caregivers. A Friend must know, understand, honor, and support the organization’s mission, vision, values, and principles, and be able to clearly articulate the organization’s function along with the Lakota values.