Director of Social Emotional Learning

Director of Social Emotional Learning

This is a New York City based hybrid position which requires a blend of onsite work with schools and district teams across NYC, days at Urban Assembly’s central office in Manhattan’s Financial District, and remote work. The current expectation is that employees work in person at least 2 days per week, with the possibility of additional in-person days based on organizational or team needs.

Due to the school-facing nature of this role, this position will regularly require additional in-person days to meet school coaching, program, and partnership responsibilities.

Salary: $125,000

Our target start date is October 20, 2026. Special consideration will be given to candidates who apply by September 14, 2026. This position will remain open until filled.

ABOUT US

The Urban Assembly (UA) is a non‑profit that promotes social and economic mobility by innovating in public education, both in its 22 New York City schools and in the solutions it offers to school districts nationwide. The Urban Assembly founded more than 20 small, career‑themed high schools in New York City since 1997, pioneering career‑connected education. Its school design and support enabled the Urban Assembly to develop high‑impact learning solutions for schools and districts nationwide.

Under the mission of advancing students’ social and economic mobility by improving public education, the Urban Assembly partners with schools and districts to design and scale solutions that improve social‑emotional learning, post‑secondary readiness and success, and instructional quality. The UA values the uniqueness of every student, and our work honors the various social and cultural contexts from which they come. We acknowledge the historical barriers created by education systems to perpetuate the social inequities that keep students of color from accessing postsecondary and career opportunities - and commit to dismantling these barriers.

ABOUT THE JOB

Reporting to the Managing Director of Program, the Director of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is responsible for the strategic leadership, execution, growth, and continuous improvement of Urban Assembly's SEL portfolio. This role leads the design and delivery of high‑quality, evidence‑based SELprogramming that improves educator practice, student outcomes, and school culture through disciplined implementation, organizational capacity building, and performance management. Working collaboratively across partners and internal teams, the Director develops scalable systems, strengthens strategic partnerships, advances organizational learning, and generates field‑shaping insights that position Urban Assembly as a national leader in social and emotional learning.

The key responsibilities include:

Program Strategy & Execution (30%)

Lead the design, execution, and continuous improvement of Urban Assembly's SEL portfolio to achieve measurable implementation, educator, and student outcomes through disciplined strategy, execution, and performance management.

Success in this area includes:

• Achieve ambitious program outcomes by establishing a culture of execution that defines clear implementation expectations, monitors leading indicators of success, addresses performance gaps in real time, and ensures accountability for achieving measurable implementation, educator, and student outcomes.
• Design and continuously improve the implementation system by developing and refining implementation frameworks, coaching models, operational routines, performance dashboards, implementation resources, and organizational infrastructure that enable high‑quality, scalable, and sustainable program delivery.
• Build the capacity of educators and school leaders to implement and sustain high‑quality, evidence‑based SEL practices through coaching, professional learning, technical assistance, and implementation support.
• Use qualitative and quantitative evidence to drive strategic decision‑making by identifying root causes, evaluating implementation effectiveness, assessing emerging needs, and translating findings into improvements in program design, implementation strategy, products, and service delivery.
• Cultivate…