Senior Advisor to the CEO, Education Strategy (Volunteer)

Mentor A Promise is a New York City–based nonprofit serving children and youth (ages 5–18) experiencing housing instability, grounded in the belief that every child is a Promise—full of potential, dignity, and possibility. We deliver consistent, high-quality programming across mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning, and creative expression in shelters, schools, and community spaces, creating structured environments where students can grow, be seen, and build lasting skills. Through signature experiences like The Imagination Studio, The Kitchen Table, The Sound Lab, and The Story Space, we nurture academic development, emotional well-being, and creative voice, all within a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and accessibility-centered framework. Our work prioritizes dignity-protective storytelling, consent-driven engagement, and deep community partnership, ensuring that how we serve is as intentional as whom we serve. We are not only addressing immediate needs - we are building pathways to confidence, belonging, and long-term opportunity, so every child has the support and foundation to carry their promise forward. , Senior Advisor to the CEO, Education Strategy (Volunteer) Executive Team | Education Strategy, Learning Innovation & Youth Development Organization Mentor A Promise (MAP) Division Executive Team Location Fully Remote — United States, with NYC-based collaboration as needed Type Volunteer Executive Leadership Commitment Approximately 5–10 hours per week Minimum Commitment 6 months Reports To Chief Executive Officer Works Closely With Chief of Education, PromiseLearning, Chief Program Officer, PromisePrograms, PromiseRooted, PromiseConnects, PromiseRise, PromiseMeasure, PromiseInnovation, and Executive Leadership Position Summary Mentor A Promise is seeking an accomplished education leader to serve as Senior Advisor to the CEO, Education Strategy. This Executive Team role will provide organization-wide strategic counsel on education, learning, youth development, educational innovation, and the long-term evolution of MAP's learning ecosystem. Rather than managing the day-to-day work of PromiseLearning, the Senior Advisor will work alongside the CEO and organizational leadership to examine MAP's educational direction at the highest level. The central question is What should education at Mentor A Promise become as the organization grows? The Senior Advisor will help MAP look beyond individual programs and consider the entire learning journey of a young person—from early childhood and literacy through adolescence, leadership, career exploration, and preparation for adulthood. Enterprise Education Strategy Advise the CEO and Executive Team on MAP's long-term educational direction. Help establish an organization-wide educational philosophy connecting MentorshipLiteracyAcademic developmentSocial-emotional learningCreative learningExperiential educationLeadership developmentCareer readinessFinancial capabilityDigital learningLife skillsPostsecondary preparation Examine whether MAP's educational investments collectively create a coherent developmental journey for young people ages 5–18. The question should not simply be What programs do we offer? It should be What kind of learning journey are we building? Strategic Advisory to the CEO Serve as a trusted education strategist to the CEO. Provide independent perspective on major questions involving Educational prioritiesProgram expansionNew educational initiativesLearning modelsEducational partnershipsCurriculum strategyYouth-development philosophyEducational technologyAccessibilityAcademic supportCareer and postsecondary pathwaysEducational outcomesOrganizational investment Bring both evidence and practical educational judgment into executive decision-making. The Senior Advisor should be capable of challenging assumptions constructively—including ideas that may initially appear promising. Education Across MAP Help ensure education is understood as an organization-wide responsibility rather than something occurring only within PromiseLearning. Work across PromiseLearning → Educational strategy, curriculum, instruction and learning systems PromisePrograms → Program delivery through PromiseRooted and PromiseConnects PromiseRise → Leadership, career readiness and pathways toward adulthood PromiseMeasure → Educational outcomes, evaluation and organizational learning PromiseInnovation → Emerging approaches to learning and experimentation PromiseStack → Educational technology and digital learning infrastructure PromiseStudios → Creative learning and educational media PromisePublic → Community education and public-facing learning The Senior Advisor helps leadership see how these pieces connect. Learning Journey Ages 5–18 Help MAP develop a coherent developmental architecture across childhood and adolescence. Consider progression such as Discover → Explore → Learn → Practice → Create → Apply → Lead → Advance Educational opportunities should become increasingly sophisticated as young people grow. A young person who remains connected to MAP for several years should encounter greater challenge, independence, choice, leadership, and opportunity. MAP should be able to answer What should a young person experience at 7? What changes at 11? What becomes possible at 14? What should they be prepared to pursue at 17? Educational Innovation Advise leadership on emerging approaches to teaching and learning. Explore areas including Experiential learningProject-based learningEducational technologyArtificial intelligenceInteractive learningGame-based learningCreative mediaPeer learningYouth-led learningInterdisciplinary educationCareer-connected learningCommunity-based education Innovation should begin with an educational problem—not a technology. New does not automatically mean better. Educational Quality Help leadership establish organization-wide expectations for educational quality. Consider whether MAP experiences are PurposefulDevelopmentally appropriateEngagingAccessibleEvidence-informedCulturally responsiveTrauma-informedRelationship-centeredYouth-centeredAppropriately challengingConnected to meaningful outcomes A successful educational experience should be evaluated by more than whether the activity occurred. The question is what the young person experienced, practiced, understood, discovered, or became more capable of doing because it occurred. Youth Voice Ensure educational strategy includes meaningful youth participation. Help MAP create mechanisms for young people to influence Learning topicsProgram designEducational experiencesCareer explorationCreative opportunitiesTechnologyLeadership programmingOrganizational priorities affecting youth Adults can bring expertise. Young people bring expertise about what it is like to experience what adults design. MAP needs both. Educational Impact Partner with PromiseMeasure and PromiseLearning leadership to ensure MAP can responsibly understand educational outcomes. Maintain clear distinctions PromiseLearning determines what MAP is trying to help young people learn and develop. PromiseMeasure determines how MAP responsibly measures and evaluates those outcomes. The Senior Advisor helps leadership understand what the findings mean for educational strategy. Use the cycle Strategy → Learning Experience → Evidence → Understanding → Executive Discussion → Improvement Relationship With the Chief of Education The Senior Advisor to the CEO should complement—not duplicate—the Chief of Education. The Chief of Education leads PromiseLearning. The Senior Advisor provides enterprise-level educational counsel to the CEO and Executive Team. The distinction is Chief of Education → What must PromiseLearning build, lead, and execute? Senior Advisor → Where should MAP's overall educational strategy be heading, and what should executive leadership be considering? The Advisor should not become a parallel Chief of Education. Clear boundaries protect both roles. Strategic Review Review major proposed educational initiatives through a consistent strategic lens Need → Learner → Evidence → Educational Value → Accessibility → Organizational Fit → Resources → Outcomes → Sustainability → Recommendation Not every good educational idea needs to become a MAP initiative. Strong strategy requires deciding what not to build as carefully as deciding what to build. Executive Leadership Participate as a member of MAP's Executive Team and contribute to major organizational discussions involving education and youth development. Attend relevant executive and leadership meetings, maintain regular communication with the CEO, collaborate with Chiefs and Directors, identify emerging educational opportunities and risks, and provide thoughtful recommendations grounded in MAP's mission. This role should bring a long-range educational perspective into decisions that may initially appear operational, technological, programmatic, or financial. First-Year Priorities During the first six to twelve months, the Senior Advisor should help MAP establish an enterprise educational philosophy, map the learning journey from ages 5–18, assess educational strengths and gaps across divisions, clarify the relationship between education and youth development, advise on major educational priorities, strengthen alignment among PromiseLearning, PromisePrograms and PromiseRise, identify promising areas for educational innovation, strengthen executive understanding of educational outcomes, and develop recommendations for MAP's longer-term educational direction. The objective is not to create another layer of educational administration. It is to improve the quality of educational thinking at the highest level of the organization. Qualifications Strong candidates may bring senior experience in education leadership, educational strategy, curriculum and instruction, youth development, learning sciences, school leadership, higher education, educational innovation, nonprofit education, afterschool learning, public education, or related fields. Candidates should demonstrate significant educational leadership experience; sophisticated understanding of child and adolescent development; ability to think across programs and systems; strong strategic judgment; knowledge of curriculum, instruction, assessment, accessibility, and educational innovation; ability to translate research into practical organizational decisions; experience advising senior leaders; and the ability to challenge ideas constructively while maintaining strong working relationships. Advanced education in education, educational leadership, curriculum and instruction, learning sciences, psychology, youth development, public policy, or a related discipline is welcomed, but substantial professional experience may demonstrate equivalent expertise. Candidates must reside in the United States. What Success Looks Like MAP can clearly articulate its educational philosophy. Leadership understands how learning develops across ages 5–18. Educational initiatives connect to a larger strategy. PromiseLearning, PromisePrograms, and PromiseRise have clearer strategic alignment. Educational innovation is pursued intentionally rather than because something is new. Youth voice influences educational thinking. Educational evidence informs executive decisions. Gaps become visible earlier. Leadership becomes more disciplined about what MAP should—and should not—build. And MAP develops an educational identity capable of growing with the organization. Why This Role Matters Organizations can accumulate programs much faster than they develop an educational philosophy. Eventually, someone has to ask what connects everything. What do we believe about learning? What should young people experience? What should become more challenging as they grow? What belongs together? What is missing? What should we stop doing? What should we build next? And years from now, what should a young person be able to say became possible because MAP was part of their education? Those are not simply curriculum questions. They are executive questions. Volunteer Commitment This is an unpaid Executive Team volunteer position requiring approximately 5–10 hours per week with a minimum six-month commitment. Consistent participation, executive collaboration, strategic preparation, communication, and reliable follow-through are essential. Volunteers should provide at least two weeks' notice when ending their service whenever possible. How To Apply Please apply through Idealist only and submit A current résuméA cover letter explaining your interest in Mentor A PromiseA brief description of your experience developing, leading, or advising educational strategy Applications submitted without both a résumé and cover letter may not be considered. At this time, MAP volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals based in the United States due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, compliance, and programmatic requirements. Think beyond the lesson. Look beyond the program. Understand the young person across years, not hours. Ask what learning should become as MAP grows—and help build an educational strategy strong enough to guide the opportunities we have not created yet.