Regional Program Director - New York/New Jersey

America Needs You; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

403(b) plan

Paid time off

Professional development

Job summary

America Needs You in New York City is seeking a NY/NJ Regional Program Director to lead program quality and growth across New York and New Jersey. The role focuses on stewarding Fellows and Mentor Coaches while aligning partnerships with colleges, corporate partners, and community organizations.

You will drive data-informed planning, ensure program outcomes, and nurture a strong regional team culture that supports first‑generation students to persist and succeed in their careers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree and 3–5 years of people management experience.
• Excellent project management skills and comfort in balancing multiple priorities.
• Leadership presence and the ability to mobilize groups to action.
• Results‑oriented with a commitment to outcomes‑driven performance.
• Outstanding relationship management skills with diverse stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (strong Excel) and web-based technologies.
• Excellent public speaking, writing and editing skills.
• Strong background in career development and mentoring; experience training youth and adults.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct supervision to a team of full-time Career Success Managers and manage a cohort of Fellows and Mentor Coaches.
• Ensure quality and consistency of the program’s services and deliverables.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with colleges, universities and corporations.
• Collaborate with teams to strengthen external partnerships and program operations.
• Support regional expansion and ensure effective board governance for NY/NJ.

Skills

People management

Project management

Public speaking

Relationship building

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Excel

Job description

New York/NJ Regional Program Director

Full-time, hybrid (3-days on-site), based in New York City, NY and Jersey City, NJ

About Us

Did you know that only 21% of low income, first-generation college students in the U.S. graduate within six years? Those who do graduate have a median household income 27% lower than their peers. While there is a multitude of college access programs for high school seniors and job assistance programs for low-wage earners, there are few programs that ensure first-generation students stay in school and build the skills necessary to prepare for long-term careers. This is where America Needs You (ANY) comes in. ANY fights for economic mobility for ambitious, first-generation college students by providing transformative mentorship and intensive career development. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in New York City, ANY expanded to New Jersey in 2012, and Illinois in 2015, growing from serving 50 students to nearly 2000 students annually. Looking ahead, ANY aims to build a scalable model spanning 10 geographic areas and serving more than 2,000 first-generation college students annually.

Position Description

The NYNJ Regional Program Director will be a key leader on the management team and an integral player as ANY continues to strengthen its growth strategy in New York and New Jersey. The NYNJ Regional Program Director reports the Vice President of Regional Excellence, and will be responsible for maintaining program quality, its proven effectiveness, and short-term impact outcomes.

The NYNJ Regional Program Director will serve as a strategic leader guiding the region through a period of meaningful growth and increasing impact. In this role, the Director stewards an expanding cohort of Fellows and Mentor Coaches, ensuring a powerful, consistent program experience across both states. The Director will cultivate a strong, high-performing program team and use data insights to strengthen engagement, deepen learning outcomes, and drive continuous improvement. As a regional ambassador, the Director will nurture relationships with college, corporate, and community partners that support recruitment pipelines, internship pathways, and in‑kind resources. Working closely with the Mentorship Services Director, the Program Director helps ensure a robust and well‑supported Mentor Coach community, while also collaborating across departments to strengthen business engagement, advance external partnerships, and support the region’s philanthropic goals. This role is central to shaping a thriving regional ecosystem that enables first‑generation students to persist, grow, and achieve long‑term career success.

At ANY, our work is grounded in five core values: Connection, Accountability, Belonging, Innovation, and Resilience. We seek leaders who bring these values to life in how they lead teams, strengthen programs, build relationships, and advance outcomes for Fellows.

We Offer:

• A warm, collaborative work environment with a rich culture of connection, support and feedback
• A generous benefits package (health/dental insurance, 403(b), FSA, generous paid time off, etc.)
• Ongoing internal and external opportunities for professional development
• Connections to a large, high‑powered professional network

Our Ideal Candidate:

• Is deeply committed to ANY’s mission and to supporting the success of first‑generation college students.
• Demonstrates experience leading programs or teams and contributing to a collaborative, high‑performing culture.
• Builds strong relationships with students, volunteers, partners, and colleagues and communicates effectively across diverse audiences.
• Uses data and insights to guide planning, assess outcomes, and continuously strengthen program quality.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide direct supervision to a team of full‑time Career Success Managers and manage a cohort of over 400 Fellows and Mentor Coaches.
• Ensure quality and consistency of the program’s services and deliverables.
• Manage the Fellow recruitment and internship processes while developing and maintaining formal partnerships with colleges, universities and corporations in partnership with Chief Regional Officer, Chief Impact & Innovation Officer, VP of Regional Excellence and the Sr. Director of University Partnerships.
• Partner with the Mentorship Services Director to ensure effective regional execution of Mentor Coach recruitment, training and engagement strategies in collaboration with the Marketing team.
• Co‑manage the NYNJ Associate Board including all board meetings, material preparation and goal attainment in partnership with the Director of Mentor Services.
• Ensure workshops and other events run effectively and create a positive learning environment for Fellows and Mentor Coaches.
• Manage the team’s preparation for Saturday workshops; facilitate workshops, as needed.
• Manage all aspects of Fellow experience including application and selection, onboarding, matching, program tracking, case management and dismissals/matching.
• Identify high‑impact engagement opportunities for external stakeholders and coordinate guest speakers and panelists, liaising with the Marketing and National program teams as needed.
• Collaborate with the VP of Regional Excellence to grow formal partnerships with colleges and universities to secure recruitment and in‑kind support (such as use of facilities for workshops).
• Work with the National Program Director and VP of Regional Excellence to ensure compliance with quality standards as it relates to curriculum, program operations and data.
• Research internships and communication opportunities for current Fellows.
• Ensure that all partner recruitment events and internship opportunities are marketed to NYNJ Fellows.
• Enable Career Success Managers and Mentor Coaches to prepare Fellows for internship placements.
• Work closely with the External Affairs team to provide internship data / updates to corporate partners.
• Ensure effective use of the New York/New Jersey Regional program team budget and identify in‑kind support opportunities.
• Support the continued expansion of ANY’s regional footprint by cultivating new college, corporate and community partnerships, and by ensuring program operations scale effectively to meet growth targets.
• Additional projects and duties as determined.

Core Competencies

Strategic Leadership, Innovation and Quality: Guides the NY/NJ region through growth and complexity, driving program innovation and quality assurance while aligning people, priorities and resources around shared goals.

Data‑Informed Program Management: Uses data to assess program health, strengthen engagement and outcomes and drive continuous improvement across workshops, coaching, persistence and match retention.

Stakeholder Engagement: Builds and engages a strong network of college and corporate partners, volunteers and alumni to expand opportunities, strengthen the Fellow experience and advance ANY’s impact.

Team Leadership and Talent Development: Leads, develops and supports a high‑performing team; fosters a collaborative, accountable and mission‑driven team culture.

Operational Excellence and Execution: Demonstrates strong planning, systems thinking and ecution to ensure high‑quality delivery across all components of the Fellow and Mentor Coach experience.

Equity, Inclusion and Student‑Centered Mindset: Champions the experiences and needs of first‑generation college students and applies an equity lens to program design communication and decision making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and 3‑5 years of people management experience required.
• Excellent project management skills and comfort in balancing multiple priorities and deliverables effectively.
• Leadership presence and the ability to mobilize small and large groups to action.
• Results‑oriented with a commitment to outcomes‑driven performance.
• Outstanding relationship management skills and ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse stakeholders including college students volunteers university partners and corporate supporters/internship providers.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (strong proficiency with Excel required) and knowledge of web‑based and social media technologies.
• Excellent public speaking, writing and editing skills.
• Strong background in career developmentand mentoring and experience teaching or training youth and adults experience working with college‑aged youth preferred.

Salary range: $75,000 - $95,000