Associate Program Director, Learning Through Drama

rfcuny; United States; On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

RFCUNY’s CUNY Creative Arts Team (CAT) seeks a full-time Associate Program Director for Learning Through Drama (LTD) to help run the LTD program, supervising eight to ten Actor Teachers and eighteen MSW apprentices across 12–15 NYC public schools.

The APD will assist the Program Director with curriculum development, school partnerships, data collection for funders, and on-site presence at schools in The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, with regular meetings and audits.

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating educational programs within schools or community settings.
• Strong ability to build and maintain school partnerships and stakeholder relationships.

Responsibilities

• Understand and represent LTD pedagogy within CAT programs.
• Assist Program Director in planning and steering Learning Through Drama programming.
• Assist in hiring, training, and managing eight to ten Actor Teachers and eighteen MSW interns.
• Establish and maintain relationships with 12–15 NYC public middle/high schools and school staff.
• Coordinate curriculum data collection and evaluations for funders.
• Support on-site activities at schools in The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens.

Skills

Program management

Curriculum development

Staff supervision

Partnership development

Data management

Tools

AirTable

DYCD Connect

Job description

Thank you for considering a career with the Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY). The team at RFCUNY is made up of dedicated, talented professionals committed to providing the services that allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries. We are pleased that you are interested in exploring opportunities to join RFCUNY.

Primary Location: OFFICE OF SR. UNIV DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Bargaining Unit: No

The CUNY Creative Arts Team (CAT) is seeking a full time Associate Program Director for the Learning Through Drama program.

Mission

The CUNY Creative Arts Team (CAT) is an arts-in-education program at the City University of New York (CUNY), serving more than 9,000 people annually in New York City. CAT uses theatre strategies to engage, inspire and educate in a variety of settings, including schools, after‑school programs, college campuses, community-based organizations, and government facilities.

Learning Through Drama (LTD) is a program of the CUNY Creative Arts Team (CAT) that provides in‑school workshops for middle and high school students in public schools around New York City. In duos, LTD Actor Teachers create drama‑based sessions whose learning objectives include social emotional, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills. We develop curriculum weekly in conversation with the school community and in response to the interests and needs of the young people.

General Description

The Associate Program Director (APD) will report to the Program Director (PD) and be responsible for assisting the PD in executing the full scope of the Learning Through Drama program. This responsibility includes assisting in the management and training of eight to ten Actor Teachers and eighteen MSW apprentices, maintaining relationships with school communities, and assuring curriculum quality. The APD will be chiefly responsible for creating and maintaining administrative systems to support CAT's compliance with multiple government funders (including the Department of Youth and Community Development). They will lead communication with school administration and teachers around scheduling and programming. They will assist in creating and implementing Professional Developments with school staff and possible school events. The APD will be expected to be on‑site at CAT and at all schools regularly throughout the year.

Key Responsibilities

• Understanding, maintaining, developing, and representing Creative Arts Team/Learning Through Drama pedagogy
• Assisting Program Director in planning and steering Learning Through Drama programming
• Assisting Program Director in hiring, training, and managing about eight to ten Actor Teachers, whose responsibilities include creating weekly curriculum to be implemented in schools
• Assisting Program Director in establishing and maintaining relationships and regular communication with administrators and teachers at 12 to 15 NYC public high schools and middle schools, including in‑person meetings in The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens
• Assisting Program Director in creating and maintaining systems to collect program data, including evaluations
• Assisting Program Director in managing up to eighteen MSW interns, whose responsibilities will include case management
• Securing workshop schedules at each school that fulfill contractual requirements, educational goals, and programmatic needs
• Having an on‑site presence in schools in Queens, The Bronx, and Brooklyn to facilitate new program‑to‑school relationships, fulfill funder requirements, and support other administrative programmatic needs. In‑school presence will be as‑needed but may be required up to five days per week
• Communicating schedules, including last‑minute changes to Actor Teachers, school staff, and funders
• Interfacing with DYCD Connect and AirTable to ensure data is entered accurately and on time
• Preparing internal files for periodic funder audits
• Attending weekly team meetings at CAT and participating in weekly Curriculum Lab with Actor Teachers
• Attending periodic meetings with fulltime CAT staff and contributing to strategic planning
• Representing CAT (along with other FT staff) at K‑16 Initiatives staff meetings (the unit within CUNY where CAT is based)
• Co‑facilitating curriculum training as needed with the Program Director for Actor Teachers during September curriculum intensive, and weekly Monday meetings
• Co‑facilitating weekly sessions with Program Director for MSW student apprentices
• Correspond and have weekly check‑ins with MSW candidate Field Supervisors
• Facilitating relationships between MSW Student Apprentices and school staff
• Along with PD, creating and maintaining digital and physical systems to document curriculum
• Scheduling short‑term residencies as they arise throughout the school year
• Filling in for Program Director in their absence
• Implementing periodic short‑term residencies as they arise during the school year, to be negotiated with PD and CAT