Assistant Director, K-2 After School Programs

Harlem Children's Zone; New York (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

No-cost health insurance

Life Insurance

Short-term disability

Long-term disability

Employee referral bonus

Career advancement

Paid time off

Commuter benefits

Wellness discounts

Financial wellness perks

Job summary

Harlem Children's Zone is seeking an Assistant Director to help lead the day-to-day operations of our After-School Programs, aligning with HCZ’s mission and goals. The role emphasizes program excellence, staff coaching, and systems development to provide hundreds of students with a safe, enriching environment for growth.

The ideal candidate has strong leadership, experience in education or community services, and a passion for improving outcomes for children and families in underserved

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• 3+ years managing in an education, social services, or community-related program.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written.

Responsibilities

• Support daily operations of the after-school program.
• Partner with the Director to ensure high-quality academic and enrichment programming.
• Supervise and develop a multidisciplinary team supporting students’ growth.
• Provide coaching and feedback to staff to strengthen instructional practice.
• Develop and improve programmatic and administrative systems (staffing, scheduling, attendance, compliance, budgeting).
• Design and implement professional development for youth-facing staff.

Skills

Leadership

Staff coaching

Program design

Communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree; Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Job description

Harlem Children's Zone - a world-renowned education and poverty-fighting organization based in New York - seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and mission-aligned Assistant Director to support assist with leading our After School Programs.

The Assistant Program Director 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 an Assistant Director to help 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 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 Assistant Director will serve as a key leader within the After-School Program, partnering closely with the Director to oversee daily operations, staff management, and program excellence. Together, they will ensure the delivery of high-quality programming that provides hundreds of students with a safe, supportive, and enriching environment where they can build confidence, develop critical life skills, and thrive both personally and socially.

Through a diverse range of engaging, project-based learning experiences, students explore high-caliber enrichment opportunities across the arts, including dance, culinary arts, media arts, and production, as well as health, wellness, and physical fitness programming. Scholars also participate in leadership development, college and career readiness initiatives, and character-building activities focused on community service, conflict resolution, and social-emotional growth. In addition, students can engage in a variety of athletic and recreational opportunities, including basketball, soccer, table tennis, track and field, and karate, promoting teamwork, discipline, and overall well-being.

We strive to create strong bonds and partnerships among students, 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’sdegree preferred
• 3+ years of experiencemanaging inan education, social services, or community-related program.

Who you are

• A commitment to HCZ’smission andthecommunities we serve
• Demonstrated record of meeting and exceeding goals and positivelyimpactingchildren, their families, and the community as a whole
• Demonstrated excellence atyouth 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 ofchild safety protocolsin New Yok State and thedemonstratedability to navigatecomplexstakeholder engagement while ensuring child safety
• Strongpeople manager withdemonstratedsuccess 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 anda strong senseof urgency, without sacrificing accuracy or ethical standards
• Strong qualitative and quantitative data analysis and problem-solving skills
• Proficiencyin Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint),Outlook), and Google Suite
• Willing and able to work flexible hours based on program needs

What you’ll do

• Support daily operations ofour program servingscholars and families directly
• Partner with the Director to ensure students receive high-qualityacademic and enrichment programming
• Supervise and develop a multidisciplinary team supporting students’ academic, artistic, and socio-emotional growth
• Provide coaching and feedback to middle managers and youth-facing staff to strengthen instructional practice, engagement strategies, and overall impact on scholars
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve programmatic and administrative systems that support student services, staffing, scheduling, attendance tracking, compliance, and budgeting
• Assist in the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of professional development for youth-facing staff, aligned to program goals, scholar needs, and HCZ priorities
• Continuouslymonitorprogram performance and operational systems to ensure consistent progress toward program goals and scholar outcomes
• Partner and collaborate with othersites andprogram leaders across to align after-schoolcurriculum,policies, procedures, and expectations
• Help to build a culture of continuous learning, accountability, and reflective practice among staff
• Ensure the program stays on track to meet program goals andobjectivesconsistently
• Use data, observations, and stakeholder feedback to continuously improve the student experience and program quality
• Clarify work policies for staff and ensure they are consistent with HCZ policies and procedures
• Ensure all students are safe, engaged, and appropriatelysupervisedat all times
• Foster strong relationships and effective communication with students, parents, staff, and HCZ leadership

Schedule

• This role requires an 8-hour shift Monday through Friday, scheduled between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Final hours will be based on program assignment and operational needs of the after-school site/program.
• Summer Schedule: To support summer camp operations, employees work an 8-hour shift within a schedule that may range from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Summer hours are determined by the site and program assignment you support during the school year.

As a member of the Harlem Children's Zone team, you will join a supportive and inclusive community dedicated to helping children, families — and our staff — thrive. We offer highly competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefits package, and opportunities for growth.

Our exceptional full- time benefits include:

• Highly competitive base salaries
• Paid time off
• Employee referral bonus
• Career advancement
• No-cost health insurance
• Life Insurance
• Short-and long-term disability
• Additional voluntary benefits
• Wellness discounts
• Commuter benefits
• Financial wellness perks
• Additional Benefits (Discounts on flights, hotels, theme parks, concert tickets, and more.)

The salary range for this position is $70,000 - $75,000 per year.

Harlem Children's Zone and Promise Academy Charter Schools does not provide work visas for candidates who require employer sponsorship to ensure work authorization in the United States.

Harlem Children's Zone is an EOE.