Program Director, K-12 After School Programs

Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) — a world-renowned education and poverty-fighting organization based in New York — seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and mission-aligned Program Director (K-12) to lead our After School Programs.

The Program Director (K-12) will bring a passion for the mission of Harlem Children’s Zone: break the cycle of intergenerational poverty with comprehensive, on-the-ground programming that builds up opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work, and life.

We are seeking a Program Director to lead the day-to-day operations of a dynamic after-school program, ensuring alignment with HCZ’s mission, values, and long-term goals. The ideal candidate is a proven leader with deep experience in program and administrative systems development, staff coaching, and professional learning design, who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and families in historically underserved communities.

The Program Director will join HCZ's leadership team and partner closely with the Assistant Director to provide strategic oversight and day-to-day leadership for the site. HCZ's After-School Programs offer scholars a safe, supportive, and enriching environment that promotes academic success, self-confidence, and social-emotional growth. Through a wide range of high-quality, project-based experiences, scholars engage in arts enrichment programs such as dance, culinary arts, media arts, and production, alongside health and wellness initiatives, physical fitness activities, and leadership development opportunities.

In addition, scholars participate in college and career readiness programming, life skills development, character education, community service, and conflict resolution activities that help prepare them for future success. The program also offers a variety of team sports and recreational activities, including basketball, soccer, table tennis, track and field, and karate, ensuring every scholar has opportunities to explore new interests, build relationships, and thrive.

We strive to create strong bonds and partnerships among scholars, families, and staff to meet the needs of each individual child and the community overall.

For more information, check out Want to Work at Harlem Children’s Zone? Here’s 7 Things You Need to Know.

• Bachelor's Degree;
  Master’s degree preferred
• 5+ years of experience managing in an education, social services, or community-related program

• A commitment to HCZ's mission and the communities we serve
• Demonstrated record of meeting and exceeding goals and positively impacting children, their families, and the community as a whole
• Demonstrated excellence at youth development program design, implementation, management, and continuous improvement
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written, including the ability to navigate and manage multiple stakeholders
• Strong knowledge of child safety protocols in New Yok State and the demonstrated to ability to navigate complex stakeholder engagement while ensuring child safety
• Strong people manager with demonstrated success coaching and developing staff to improve scholar outcomes
• Skilled at building, implementing, and refining systems and structures that support high-quality programming and efficient operations
• Highly organized with excellent time management skills and a strong sense of urgency, without sacrificing accuracy or ethical standards
• Strong qualitative and quantitative data analysis and problem-solving skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Google Suite
• Willing and able to work flexible hours based on program needs

• Oversee daily operations of our Elementary After-School program serving 350+ scholars
• Ensure…