Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) — a world-renowned education and poverty-fighting organization based in New York — seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and mission-aligned Managing Director to oversee our pipeline of HCZ Promise Academy After School and Athletics programs, which include our Promise Academy I & II K-12 Afterschool and summer programs, HCZ Athletics and the administrative support team for the portfolio.
The Managing Director will bring a passion for the mission of Harlem Children’s Zone: break the cycle of intergenerational poverty with comprehensive, on-the-ground programming that builds up opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work, and life.
The Managing Director will be charged with overseeing all aspects of program management with the objective of ensuring our best-in-class program consistently achieves and exceeds established goals designed to meet the needs of the children and families we serve. The Managing Director will work closely with senior leaders to execute our strategic plan, provide top-level management support and leadership to a team of program managing directors, and will be a key presenter externally to champion HCZ’s model and work as it relates to our sustained impact at scale and beyond Harlem.
Reports To: The Deputy Program Officer
For more information, check out Want to Work at Harlem Children’s Zone? Here’s 7 Things You Need to Know .
• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree preferred and may substitute for up to 2 years of general professional experience, but not for the required management experience.
• 8-10 years of progressively responsible experience in youth development, education, after-school programming, nonprofit management, or a related field
• 5+ years of people-management experience
• 3+ years leading managers and/or multiple programs/sites.
Who you are
• Demonstrated passion for youth development and a commitment to creating environments where every scholar feels safe, supported, challenged, and empowered to reach their full potential.
• Has perspective on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion, particularly as it relates to management practices and our work within underserved communities of color.
• A demonstrated history of leadership that centers scholar safety and well-being in every decision while demonstrating sound judgment, calm leadership, and decisive action in complex and dynamic situations;
• Skilled at building trust, fostering collaboration, and driving alignment across all levels of the organization, from frontline teams through executive leadership.
• Exceptional leadership and emotional intelligence, with the proven ability to coach, develop, and lead talent.
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems, make sound decisions with incomplete information, and identify creative solutions that drive results.
• Holds self and others accountable to ambitious goals, consistently driving for strong results while maintaining exceptionally high standards of performance and execution. Maintain a relentless pursuit of results and very high standards for performance regarding themselves and colleagues.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to administer multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize workload, and effectively manage resources.
• Superior analytical and communication skills (written and verbal).
• Must be able to handle confidential and sensitive information with tact and integrity.
• Demonstrate strong digital proficiency with workplace technology, including Google Workspace and Microsoft Office/365, with the ability to effectively utilize spreadsheets, presentations, shared documents, and collaboration tools. Experience with Salesforce or comparable CRM and data-management platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to leverage digital tools to analyze data, monitor program performance, streamline operations, communicate effectively, and support informed, data-driven decision-making.
What you’ll do
Program Management
• Lead the vision, strategy, and execution of Promise Academy Afterschool and HCZ Athletics (three locations), overseeing a team of 200+ staff and delivering high-quality developmental experiences to more than 2,000 scholars annually.
• Ensure the highest standards of scholar safety, youth development practice, program quality, consistency, and impact across all sites by establishing clear expectations, performance standards, and systems that deliver exceptional scholar experiences and outcomes.
• Advance HCZ's cradle-to-career strategy by embedding college, career, and life readiness experiences throughout the K-12 afterschool and athletics portfolio.
• Integrate academic, wellness, and economic mobility supports into all offerings to ensure a holistic development of every scholar.
• Utilize data, feedback, and continuous learning to evaluate program effectiveness, inform program design and implementation to drive measurable gains in scholar participation, engagement, and outcomes.
• Steward significant staffing and financial resources, ensuring organizational investments are aligned with strategic priorities, program quality expectations, and long-term sustainability.
Strategic Leadership
• Lead the implementation of key strategic initiatives across the portfolio, including College & Career Readiness, Advocacy Case Management, Wellness & Mental Health, and Community & Family engagement.
• Serve as a key organizational leader in shaping, advancing, and executing HCZ's strategic priorities.
• Translate organizational strategy into clear priorities, operating plans, and performance expectations for leaders across the portfolio.
• Identify, evaluate, and champion innovative opportunities that expand program quality, strengthen scholar outcomes, and increase organizational impact.
People Management
• Lead and develop a senior leadership team including Program Directors, Lead Data Manager, and an Administrative Coordinator, creating the conditions for high performance acro