League Commissioner (Edward Byrne Center - Queens)

About the Role

The Police Athletic League (PAL) of New York City is an independent youth development nonprofit organization serving as an effective, critical bridge between police and communities across all five boroughs since 1914. PAL operates diverse programs for children as young as 2 years old to young adults, including Head Start, after-school programs, summer day camps, evening teen centers, college readiness programs, youth employment, and juvenile justice programs. A cornerstone of PAL’s youth development strategy includes offering competitive and recreational sports for children of all ages.

We are looking for League Commissioners to elevate our out-of-school programming embedded within a New York City public school or PAL Center. Locations may serve Elementary through High School youth through SEL, STEM, Literacy, Sports, Arts, Mental Health, and College and Career Access Programming. This position reports to the Youthlink Director.

Responsibilities

• Foster social and emotional competencies and mental and physical well-being in a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and nurturing environment.
• Plan, coordinate, and oversee all aspects of league operations, including scheduling, game-day management, tournament logistics, officials, facilities, equipment, and participant registration to ensure safe, efficient, and high-quality programming.
• Ensure leagues are aligned with PAL’s mental health and inclusion supports; use identified resources to support youth with special needs and/or mental health needs, complete mental health referrals, and/or activate inclusion resources.
• Ensure the program aligns with strategic objectives of PAL, policies and procedures, agency programming calendar, SACC regulations, and the contractual obligations of government and private funding sources including fire safety certification.
• Develop a strong Youth Development culture within the Center, ensuring voice, growth, and advancement for all youth and staff.
• Train, conduct observations, and coach across all programs to ensure SEL, mental health, and inclusion policies are implemented as designed.
• Coordinate with the Director, Regional Director, SYEP Director, and Headquarters staff to grow creative programming opportunities unique to the Site.
• Collect program data, analyze it, and drive PAL forward with data-driven recommendations.
• Ensure strong reciprocal partnerships with NYPD, NYCPS school partners, DYCD, DOH, and other community partners aligned with PAL’s mission.
• Plan and coordinate various citywide programs, activities, and special events.
• Provide mediation and troubleshooting for on-site issues.
• Respond appropriately when time-sensitive mental health services are needed, such as suicide prevention, grief, and loss due to death or incarceration of a family member.

Requirements

• Associate’s or bachelor's degree in Recreation, Physical Education, Sports Management, Youth Development, Education, Social Work, or a related field preferred. Equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will be considered.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience coordinating youth sports leagues, athletic programs, recreation programs, or youth development initiatives, including coordinating coaches, officials, or volunteers.
• Demonstrated experience planning and managing league operations, including scheduling, tournaments, participant registration, facilities, equipment, and game-day logistics.
• Strong knowledge of youth sports rules, safety standards, risk management, and positive youth development practices.
• Open to learning and growing; all staff will learn mental health, SEL, and special needs inclusion skills and be expected to integrate them into programming.
• Knowledge of DYCD Connect preferred.
• Microsoft Office skills are required.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to work collaboratively.
• Bi-lingual in Spanish, French, or Chinese preferred.
• Able to travel to any PAL location in the 5 Boroughs for training.

Schedule

• This is a part-time position averaging 15 hours per week.
• Work hours will vary based on league schedules, games, tournaments, and special events, and will include evenings, weekends, and occasional holidays as needed.
• Able to attend 15 hours of orientation prior to the beginning of programming and complete 30 hours of Building Resiliency in Youth training.
• Start Date: September 7th, 2026.

Pay

The salary for this role is $25.00–27.00 per hour.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Flexible spending account options
• Employee assistance program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Pet insurance
• Life insurance
• Retirement savings options
• Generous paid time off policy
• Training and professional development opportunities