Senior Director of Intellectual Property & Creative Rights (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.

PromiseTrust serves as Mentor A Promise's Legal Division and provides leadership in Legal Affairs, Governance, Compliance, Risk Management, Contracts & Agreements, Intellectual Property, Publishing Rights, Media Rights, and Organizational Accountability. PromiseTrust helps safeguard the ideas, content, innovations, and creative assets that support MAP's mission and long-term growth.

About the role

Mentor A Promise is seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Director of Intellectual Property & Creative Rights to lead the organization's intellectual property, publishing rights, licensing, media rights, and creative asset protection initiatives. This leader serves as MAP's senior authority on intellectual property strategy and rights management and is responsible for helping ensure that the organization's books, curriculum, podcasts, films, brands, technology products, educational content, and creative works are properly protected, documented, licensed, and managed.

This is a volunteer senior leadership role with a minimum 6-month commitment, requiring approximately 5–10 hours per week. The role is remote/hybrid with occasional NYC collaboration as needed.

Responsibilities

• Copyright Management
  • Lead and oversee copyright protection strategies
  • Support copyright registration and content ownership documentation
  • Protect creative works and manage educational resource rights
  • Monitor intellectual property
• Trademark & Brand Protection
  • Support and oversee trademark strategy
  • Protect brand assets, logos, and visual identity
  • Administer naming rights and brand usage governance
  • Monitor intellectual property
• Licensing & Rights Management
  • Oversee licensing agreements and content usage permissions
  • Manage educational licensing opportunities and intellectual property partnerships
  • Administer rights and ensure licensing compliance
• Publishing Agreements & Rights Administration
  • Support and manage author, publishing, editorial, and contributor agreements
  • Administer distribution rights and publishing partnerships
• Podcast, Film & Media Rights
  • Oversee podcast release agreements and guest agreements
  • Administer film rights, documentary rights, and distribution permissions
  • Track creative content rights
• Technology & Digital Asset Protection
  • Partner with technology teams to support software ownership frameworks
  • Protect technology intellectual property and platform rights
  • Develop digital asset ownership and content ownership policies
• Creative Asset Governance
  • Develop and maintain rights management systems and creative asset inventories
  • Manage contributor agreements and volunteer creator agreements
  • Document asset ownership and establish usage standards and guidelines
• Organizational Education & Guidance
  • Provide guidance on copyright awareness and trademark considerations
  • Educate on licensing best practices and content ownership standards
  • Develop intellectual property policies and creative rights education
• Leadership Responsibilities
  • Provide oversight for Intellectual Property Counsel, Licensing Manager, Publishing Rights Specialist, and Media Rights Coordinator

First-Year Priorities

• Develop MAP's intellectual property governance framework
• Create centralized rights management systems
• Standardize publishing and contributor agreements
• Strengthen trademark and copyright administration
• Build licensing and permissions processes
• Protect MAP's educational, creative, and technology assets
• Develop intellectual property policies and guidance
• Support growth across publishing, media, and technology initiatives

Qualifications

• Experience in Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Trademark Law, Publishing, Licensing, Media Rights, Entertainment Law, Content Rights Management, Digital Media, or Creative Industries
• Demonstrated expertise in intellectual property, publishing, or media
• Experience with contract review and rights management
• Strategic thinking and exceptional organizational skills
• Strong communication abilities
• Experience working with publishers, authors, filmmakers, podcasters, educational organizations, technology companies, media organizations, or creative industries
• JD strongly preferred; licensed attorney preferred but not required for exceptional candidates

Success Measures

• Strong intellectual property protection and effective rights management systems
• Consistent publishing and licensing practices
• Protected creative and educational assets
• Strong trademark and copyright governance
• Reduced intellectual property risk
• Improved organizational awareness of rights management
• Increased operational efficiency in managing creative assets

Why This Role Matters

Mentor A Promise is building books, curriculum, podcasts, films, technology, and stories that can impact lives for generations. The Senior Director of Intellectual Property & Creative Rights helps ensure that these assets remain protected, stewarded, and available to advance the mission for years to come.

What You'll Gain

• Senior leadership experience within a growing nonprofit organization
• Opportunity to build a best-in-class intellectual property and creative rights function
• Collaboration with publishing, media, technology, education, and executive leadership teams
• Experience overseeing diverse creative, educational, and digital assets
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• Meaningful impact supporting children, youth, and families experiencing housing instability