Program Director, K-12 After School Programs

About the role

Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) — a world-renowned education and poverty-fighting organization based in New York — seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and mission-aligned Program Director (K-12) to lead our After School Programs. The Program Director will bring a passion for HCZ's mission to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty with comprehensive, on-the-ground programming that builds opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work, and life. The role involves leading day-to-day operations of a dynamic after-school program, ensuring alignment with HCZ's mission, values, and long-term goals, and partnering closely with the Assistant Director to provide strategic oversight and day-to-day leadership for the site.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations of the Elementary After-School program serving 350+ scholars
• Ensure scholars receive high-quality academic and enrichment programming
• Lead, supervise, and develop a multidisciplinary team supporting scholars' academic, artistic, and socio-emotional growth
• Provide intentional coaching and feedback to middle managers and youth-facing staff to strengthen instructional practice, engagement strategies, and overall impact on scholars
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve programmatic and administrative systems that support scholar engagement, staffing, scheduling, attendance tracking, compliance, and budgeting
• Design, implement, and continuously improve professional development for youth-facing staff, aligned to program goals, scholar needs, and HCZ priorities
• Continuously monitor program performance and operational systems to ensure consistent progress toward program goals and scholar outcomes
• Partner and collaborate with other departments and program leaders to ensure alignment
• Use data, observations, and stakeholder feedback to continuously improve the scholar experience and program quality
• Clarify work policies for staff and ensure they are consistent with HCZ policies and procedures
• Foster strong relationships and effective communication with scholars, parents, staff, and HCZ leadership
• Lead strategic planning, execution, and continuous improvement of high-quality, age- and grade-appropriate programs aligned with CCLR goals; oversee program design, staffing, scheduling, curriculum adaptation, and ensure fidelity across all sites and offerings
• Drive efficiency, accountability, and performance through strong operational systems; manage budgets, compliance, talent pipelines, and resource allocations while fostering a high-performing, mission-aligned culture
• Leverage data and evaluation tools to measure program effectiveness, identify trends, and inform strategic decision-making; partner with Evaluation and Data Management team to implement a continuous improvement model based on timely, actionable insights
• Design and execute a comprehensive staff development strategy that builds staff capacity, promotes internal mobility, and supports a culture of learning and innovation; facilitate direct coaching and skip-level engagements
• Ensure a safe, inclusive, and responsive environment where scholars are consistently engaged, protected, and empowered; implement proactive safety protocols and programming that meet scholars' developmental and emotional needs

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree; Master