Director of Workplace Research & Organizational Learning (Volunteer)

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit organization supporting children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning, educational enrichment, workforce development, creative opportunity, advocacy, housing innovation, and community-centered support. We believe the way we care for our people shapes the way they care for our communities. Building an exceptional nonprofit requires more than passionate people—it requires a workplace grounded in evidence, trust, transparency, and continuous learning.

About PromiseInnovation

PromiseInnovation leads organizational strategy, innovation, continuous improvement, organizational development, and enterprise transformation across Mentor A Promise. The division researches emerging ideas, evaluates evidence-based practices, and helps translate research into practical systems that strengthen leadership, culture, operations, and long-term organizational effectiveness. Innovation begins with learning, and learning begins with curiosity.

Role Overview

The Director of Workplace Research & Organizational Learning serves as MAP's internal workplace scholar, responsible for researching, evaluating, and applying evidence-based practices that strengthen organizational culture, leadership, learning, collaboration, and employee and volunteer experience. Working closely with PromisePeople, executive leadership, and division leaders, this role translates research from organizational psychology, behavioral science, sociology, management, leadership, adult learning, nonprofit management, and workplace well-being into practical recommendations, policies, learning experiences, and organizational improvements. This role helps ensure Mentor A Promise remains a transparent, values-driven organization where people are empowered to grow, contribute meaningful work, and thrive.

Our Workplace Philosophy

At Mentor A Promise, we begin with the belief that people generally want to do meaningful work. We recognize that every team member has aspirations beyond the workplace. People want to grow professionally, care for their families, support those they love, contribute positively to their communities, and leave the world better than they found it. For that reason, we are committed to building a workplace grounded in transparency, trust, respect, accountability, learning, and compassion. We believe transparency creates trust. Trust strengthens collaboration. Collaboration fuels innovation. We strive to create an environment where expectations are clear, communication is open, feedback is constructive, and leadership remains approachable. We seek solutions before blame, coaching before criticism, and continuous improvement over perfection. The Director of Workplace Research & Organizational Learning helps transform these principles into measurable organizational practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Workplace Research:
  • Research evidence-based workplace practices from organizational psychology, behavioral science, sociology, leadership, education, and nonprofit management
  • Monitor emerging workplace trends and organizational research
  • Translate academic research into practical organizational recommendations
  • Benchmark MAP against leading nonprofit and mission-driven organizations
  • Produce research briefs and strategic recommendations for executive leadership
• Organizational Learning:
  • Design organizational learning initiatives informed by research
  • Develop leadership resources and workplace learning materials
  • Promote reflective practice and continuous improvement
  • Support organizational knowledge sharing
  • Foster a culture of curiosity and lifelong learning
• Workplace Culture & Transparency:
  • Evaluate organizational culture through research and data
  • Recommend strategies that strengthen transparency, communication, trust, and collaboration
  • Support initiatives that improve employee and volunteer engagement
  • Help create systems that encourage psychological safety and belonging
  • Promote organizational practices that value openness, fairness, and accountability
• Organizational Effectiveness:
  • Assess workplace processes and organizational systems
  • Support leadership in improving decision-making and team effectiveness
  • Analyze organizational feedback and workplace trends
  • Recommend evidence-based improvements
  • Develop organizational learning metrics and evaluation frameworks
• Cross-Divisional Collaboration:
  • Partner with PromisePeople on employee and volunteer experience initiatives
  • Support PromiseOperations in organizational improvement efforts
  • Collaborate with PromiseMeasure on workplace data and evaluation
  • Work with PromiseVoice to communicate organizational learning initiatives
  • Advise executive leadership on research-informed organizational strategies

Leadership Responsibilities

The Director provides leadership in:

• Workplace Research: Organizational research, literature reviews, evidence synthesis, workplace benchmarking
• Organizational Learning: Learning strategies, leadership development resources, knowledge management, continuous improvement
• Workplace Culture: Transparency initiatives, organizational trust, psychological safety, workplace engagement
• Organizational Effectiveness: Culture assessments, organizational recommendations, research-informed decision support, workplace innovation

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduate study or professional experience in organizational psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, sociology, behavioral science, education, management, organizational development, leadership studies, nonprofit management, public administration, or a related field
• Experience translating research into practical organizational improvements
• Strong analytical, writing, facilitation, and strategic thinking skills
• Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research methods
• Passion for building healthy, mission-driven workplaces

Why This Role Matters

Healthy organizations are built intentionally. Research provides insight. Learning creates growth. Transparency builds trust. Trust enables people to do their best work. The Director of Workplace Research & Organizational Learning helps Mentor A Promise become a workplace where evidence informs decisions, people are respected, learning never stops, and every team member has the opportunity to succeed while supporting their families, strengthening their communities, and advancing our shared mission.

Success Measures

• Increased organizational learning across divisions
• Implementation of evidence-based workplace improvements
• Stronger employee and volunteer engagement
• Growth in organizational transparency and trust
• Improved leadership effectiveness and workplace collaboration
• Adoption of research-informed practices across MAP

Leadership Participation

The Director is expected to:

• Attend one weekly Senior Leadership Meeting
• Conduct regular cross-functional collaboration sessions
• Present workplace research findings and recommendations to leadership
• Support enterprise-wide organizational improvement initiatives

Volunteer Expectations

• Approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment required
• Maintain timely and professional communication
• Collaborate through MAP systems and communication platforms
• Support MAP's safeguarding standards, mission, and organizational values
• Foster a culture of integrity, innovation, compassion, transparency, curiosity, and continuous learning

What You'll Gain

• Opportunity to shape the future of an innovative nonprofit organization through research and organizational learning
• Experience advising executive leadership on workplace strategy and culture
• Collaboration with leaders across education, technology, operations, communications, and human resources
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• Meaningful impact helping build a workplace where people and mission flourish together