Academic Lead Teacher - Elementary

International Rescue Committee, Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

An established humanitarian organization is seeking passionate educators for their Newcomer Youth Summer Academy. This six-week program aims to empower newly arrived refugee youth through academic and social-emotional learning. As an Academic Lead Teacher, you will craft engaging, trauma-informed lesson plans while fostering a supportive community. Your role will involve collaborating with staff, guiding multilingual learners, and ensuring a nurturing environment. Join a mission-driven team dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of young refugees and help them thrive in their new surroundings. This is an opportunity to contribute to meaningful change and inspire the next generation.

Benefits

10 sick days

20-25 paid time off days

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

403b retirement savings plan

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education or related field required.
• Experience in planning trauma-informed curricula for diverse learners desired.

Responsibilities

• Create and submit detailed lesson plans for diverse students.
• Administer assessments to inform curriculum design.
• Facilitate parent conferences and maintain student progress records.

Skills

Culturally aware lesson planning

Trauma-informed instruction

Fluency in English

Project-based learning

Team collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in education

New York State teaching certification

Job description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

This job posting was opened on 2/14/25. Please note that we will be considering applications from internal employees and former IRC Staff exclusively for the first 5 days. After this period, if necessary, we will extend the opportunity to external candidates.

Job Overview/Summary: The Newcomer Youth Summer Academy (NYSA) is a six-week program that prepares newly arrived refugee youth to succeed at their grade. Up to 130 students from ages 5 – 21 from over 20 countries will participate in academic, creative arts, physical education, and social-emotional learning classes.

At the Lower School levels (Grades K-5), the NYSA Academic Lead Teachers will instruct a self-contained classroom, teaching grade-appropriate Writing, Literacy, and Math.

Academic Lead Teachers are responsible for creating, submitting and instructing relevant daily lesson plans and associated slide decks and materials. Given the student body's varied English language acquisition levels, life, and formal education experiences, the Academic Lead Teacher must consistently plan for differentiated, trauma-informed instruction and apply a sheltered instructional approach to guiding multilingual English Language Learners. Throughout their classroom activities, the Academic Lead Teachers will be encouraged to contribute to the Program’s goals of fostering students’ social-emotional development and building a strong sense of community among the students and staff.

Position term: June 16– August 15, 2025

Hours:

Pre-program Planning: Between June 16 and July 1 – Up to 10 hours of lesson planning and instructional planning with Dean of Instruction and asynchronous foundational online training modules to be completed independently ahead of synchronous staff training dates.

Training: July 1-3, 2025: Up to 24 hours of training.

Main Program: July 7- August 15, 2025: 3 hours of instruction, 30 minutes of lunch supervision, and 2 hours of admin time for a total of 5.5 hours per day plus 1 evening of parent/teacher conferences.

Major Responsibilities:

• Participate in instructional planning sessions, trainings, and all program meetings.
• Plan culturally aware, trauma-informed lesson plans for a class of approximately 15-25 students, using the sheltered instructional model (SIOP) for instructing Multilingual Learners.
• Submit detailed daily lesson plans, slide decks, and associated in advance of the date of instruction.
• Administer formative and summative assessments, including content area pre-assessments of students, to inform curriculum and lesson design.
• Facilitate parent conferences for all students once during the program.
• Complete all staff program evaluations.
• Regularly review student progress and maintain bodies of evidence, including work samples.
• Supervise students during lunch.
• Complete all required reports on time.
• Effectively plan for and incorporate Classroom Culture Lead Teacher(s) and volunteer Peer Mentors into classroom instruction.
• Finalize report cards for each student at end of the program.

Job Requirements:

• Master’s degree in education or related field.
• New York State teaching certification preferred.
• A minimum of three years instructing in the New York City Department of Education (or other accredited school system) for relevant age group preferred.
• Demonstrated success in planning and delivering culturally aware, trauma-informed, sheltered-instructional curricula for classes of diverse beginner to intermediate ELLs/multilingual learners strongly desired.
• Experience with project-based learning preferred.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team desired.
• Fluency in written and spoken English required. Second language proficiency in relevant language highly desirable (Arabic, Dari, Farsi, French, Fulani, Haitian Creole, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian).
• Certification or commensurate experience in Responsive Classrooms or Classroom Mindfulness desired.

Working Environment: NYSA takes place in a centrally located school in New York City. All applicants must be willing to be in-person for the entirety of the Academy.

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.