Senior Director of Professional Development

DREAM; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible medical plans

Dental and vision plans

Parental leave (up to 12 weeks)

403(b) retirement with employer match

Professional development fund

Referral bonuses

Job summary

DREAM is seeking a Senior Director of Professional Development to lead design and facilitation of learning experiences for Innovation partner schools. You will shape monthly online cohorts, webinars, and trainings, focusing on AI literacy, change management, and education technology implementation.

You will personally design and facilitate much of the programming and coach other facilitators, ensuring content is practical, engaging, and scalable across districts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s Degree in Education or School Administration preferred.
• 3+ years of full-time school teaching experience with a record of strong student achievement.
• 4+ years of experience in school leadership, education consulting, or curriculum with PD leadership for large groups.
• Experience writing and facilitating PD sessions for audiences of 50+.
• Knowledge of AI and ability to demonstrate tools in live learning environments.
• Curiosity and ability to translate unfamiliar content into effective adult learning modules.
• Ability to connect emerging ideas to practical educator practices and leadership goals.
• Strong relationship-building, communication, and service delivery across organizations.
• Excellent attention to detail and data-informed decision making.
• A strong belief in DREAM’s mission to support youth and communities.

Responsibilities

• Design all components of professional learning for DREAM’s Innovation work for Partner schools.
• Translate content into clear adult-learning experiences and practical collateral.
• Design monthly online cohorts, webinars, and trainings for the education sector.
• Facilitate sessions for 100+ participants both virtually and in-person.
• Coach other PD facilitators and refine materials to ensure outcomes.

Skills

AI literacy

Change management

Education technology implementation

AI-native programming

Adult learning principles

Relationship-building

Communication

Data-driven decision making

Public speaking / facilitation

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s Degree in Education or School Administration

Job description

Originally founded in 1991 as Harlem RBI, DREAM has grown to annually serve more than 2,500 youth across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a network of seven PreK-12, extended-day, extended-year DREAM Charter Schools and community sports-based youth development programs. Through our commitment to rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, deep family and community engagement, and health and wellness, we create lifelong learners who are equipped to fulfill their vision of success in and out of the classroom. We dream big, as well, with an aggressive five-year plan to expand to serve 3,500 students across seven schools-growing our organization’s impact and leveling the playing field for all children. To learn more, visit wearedream.org.

DREAM will develop and scale AI-enabled teaching and learning models designed to expand opportunity for students across the Bronx. Over the next three years, we will partner with 15 schools in the Bronx to help them implement an AI fluency curriculum, use AI tools to accelerate learning, and pursue new school models that prioritize real-world learning and future-ready skills. We will recruit partner schools, provide training and embedded coaching to leaders and teachers, and help educators implement and adapt these practices, curriculum, and tools in their own classrooms. Through rigorous evaluation and continuous improvement, this new initiative aims to improve academic outcomes while creating more time for collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and other future-ready skills.

About this Role

Reporting to the Head of Program Implementation, the Senior Director of Professional Development will oversee the design and facilitation of all professional learning experiences for DREAM’s Innovation partner schools. Working closely with the Head of Program Implementation, this leader will enable engaging learning experiences that support school leaders, teachers, and staff to successfully implement DREAM’s AI model.

The Senior Director will personally design and facilitate much of the programming, including monthly online cohort learning, webinars, and trainings for the broader education sector. Content will focus on AI literacy, change management, education technology implementation, and AI-native programming.

Responsibilities

Professional Development Design

• Develop all components of professional learning for DREAM’s Innovation work to be delivered to our Partner schools, including on the topics of AI fluency, change management, education technology implementation, and AI-native programming;
• Design and write all professional learning collateral including scopes and sequences, PD slides, participant materials, one-pagers, reference guides, etc.;
• Gather data from each Partner school and adapt content to the needs and context of each audience;
• Translate new and evolving content into clear, practical learning experiences grounded in clear adult learning principles;
• Design monthly online cohort learning experiences, webinars, and trainings for the broader education sector;
• Review professionally produced video content and select exemplar clips to support learning;
• Continually evaluate and refine professional development materials to ensure outcomes are being met.

Professional Development Facilitation

• Facilitate professional development across all cohort sessions, webinars, and trainings, including to audiences of 100+ both virtually and in-person, ensuring our partner schools can easily and confidently implement all aspects of DREAM’s Innovation program;
• Differentiate facilitation practices based on the needs of each audience to ensure strong outcomes;
• Demonstrate AI and education technology tools live, connecting their capabilities to practical applications for educators and school teams;
• Support participants in applying new tools and approaches to teaching, school leadership, and technology implementation;
• At scale, coach and lead other Professional Development facilitators.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s Degree in Education or School Administration preferred;
• 3+ years of full-time school teaching experience with a record of strong student achievement and exemplary classroom culture, required;
• 4+ years of experience in school leadership, school network leadership, education consulting, or education curriculum with extensive responsibilities in designing and leading professional development sessions for large groups, required;
• Extensive experience writing and facilitating professional development sessions grounded in adult learning theory and across varied content areas or contexts, with experience engaging live audiences of 50 or more participants;
• Knowledge of AI and the technical fluency to demonstrate tools confidently in live learning environments;
• Curiosity, including demonstrated ability to learn unfamiliar content and translate it into effective learning modules for adults;
• Ability to connect emerging ideas and technologies to the practical needs of school leaders, teachers, staff;
• Strong understanding of teaching, learning, and instructional leadership, with the ability to connect program goals to discrete educator practices;
• Ability to adapt professional development sessions across different systems and contexts while maintaining clear expectations and excellent service delivery;
• Strong relationship-building, communication, and influence skills, with the ability to build trust and support changes in practice across organizations;
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to produce polished, high-quality written products;
• Ability to use a variety of data sources to drive decision-making;
• A strong belief in the mission and values of DREAM, including the desire to make a difference in the lives of our students, families, and community.

Benefits and Paid Time Off

We offer comprehensive benefits including:

• Flexible Medical Health Plans, subsidizing the majority of costs for the employee, their spouse/domestic partner and children;
• The ability to select between a variety of medical plans according to what best suits the employee’s needs;
• Dental and vision plans;
• Disability benefits;
• Life insurance;
• Up to 12 weeks fully paid of Parental Leave;
• Flexible spending account options;
• Pre-tax commuter benefits (parking and transit);
• Fitness and entertainment discounts;
• A variety of support through our employee assistance program (EAP);
• A 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching up to 4% after one year of employment;
• Access to a professional development fund;
• Referral bonuses;
• All full-time Network Support employees are eligible for approximately 48 days off throughout the year including holidays, sick days, personal days and summer Fridays;
• Benefits are subject to change.

Compensation

• DREAM offers a competitive salary commensurate with relevant experience with the potential for an annual performance-based increase. The incoming salary range for this position is $150,000 to $160,000 per year. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary closer to the start of the range depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. All staff are eligible for annual performance-based increases. Because we value staff tenure in each role, we do not currently cap salary ranges.

Working Expectations

• Ideal Start Date: Immediate
• The Senior Director of Professional Development is part of the Implementation Team, which works a minimum of 3 days a week on-site and up to 2 days a week remote, with some weeks requiring more days on-site at a variety of locations including DREAM’s offices in East Harlem and the South Bronx, and our partner schools in the South Bronx.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At DREAM, diversity, equity, and inclusion are a matter of mission.

From our schools to our playing fields, DREAM is committed to building a team where each individual can bring their full identity and experience to work because representation matters—it enriches our team culture, enhances our ability to innovate, and strengthens our impact in and out of the classroom. DREAM engages staff that represent and appreciate the diversity of our majority Black and Hispanic student body, while working to ensure that our practices are equitable, welcoming, and productive. We are dedicated to creating a world where youth, especially youth of color, have permission to dream—along with the tools and opportunities to make their dreams reality.

DREAM Maxims

All Kids Can. This Kid Can.

DREAM is Family.

Fun is a Serious Value.

Teamwork Makes the DREAM Work.

Fail. Persist. Exceed.

DREAM Big.

Applying to DREAM

We know applying for a new job can be a daunting process. In addition, studies have shown that historically underrepresented individuals often only apply to roles if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage all applications! You may be just the person we need. If you have any questions about your application or interview process, do not hesitate to ask your recruiter; we are here to help!

DREAM provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws. If accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact your recruiter.

If you are a current DREAM employee, please click here to review our Internal Selection Process before applying.