About Us:
Founded in 2001 and located in Harlem, the Reading Team helps children in New York City’s underserved neighborhoods become strong readers and develop the skills and habits that will support their success in school and in life. We provide two free, evidence-based, literacy programs using the Orton-Gillingham approach to multisensory phonics. We serve approximately 350 children per year in grades Pre-K through 5:
Preschool - 2x/week (2-hrs/session) teachers instruct 3 and 4 year old children on phonemic awareness, letter recognition, and sound manipulation.
After-School - 5x/week (2.5-hrs/session) teachers instruct children in Grades K-5 on phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, literary devices, and writing.
Our programs are thoughtfully designed to focus on essential early literacy components such as phonics, explicit comprehension strategies, oral and written expression, and analytical skills. Over the course of our existence, we have proudly fostered substantial literacy growth and academic achievements for over 10,000 children hailing from economically challenged backgrounds and underserved neighborhoods. We firmly believe that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, and we aim to inspire more children to develop a lifelong love for reading, equipping them with the tools they need to thrive in their educational journeys and beyond.
For more information, please visit our website: .
Role Overview:
The Program Director is a critical member of the organization, responsible for ensuring the high quality delivery of program services. This role manages approximately 15-20 part-time employees during the academic year. Additionally, the Program Director serves as the primary relationship point of contact for parents/guardians and school partners.
The Program Director works Monday to Friday, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm during the school year and 10:00 am - 4:00 pm during the summer break (occasional evening or weekend hours may be needed).
Profile:
- A passion for social justice and equity and the belief that all students deserve the opportunity for a great education.
- Minimum of 4 years experience teaching in an elementary school environment.
- Demonstrated ability to plan, implement, and supervise educational program services.
- Exceptional writing skills; background in writing instruction or tutoring preferred.
- Strong oral communication skills; ability to critically listen and clearly respond to various constituents (e.g. students, parents, teachers, and program partners).
- Attention to details and meeting deadlines, especially regarding applications, files, records, systems, and data tracking.
- Previous supervisory experience strongly preferred.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint) and related Google products.
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Master’s degree in Elementary Education strongly preferred.
Key Responsibilities:
- Ensure a healthy, safe, and nurturing program environment for students and staff.
- Recruit, hire, on-board, supervise, and evaluate program staff.
- Coordinate and develop periodic training workshops for program staff.
- Schedule and monitor program staff work hours.
- Visit program sites monthly.
- Manage relationships with school partners (e.g. principals, teachers, parent coordinators, etc.).
- Manage After-School program student recruitment (through relationships with schools, families, and community organizations).
- Serve as primary point of contact for After-School program parents/guardians.
- Step in to teach After-School program as needed (due to unexpected teacher absence).
- Coach teachers on student behavior or academic issues. Partner on resolutions as needed.
- Manage student records.
- Periodically review program impact.
- Collaborate with Executive Director and Director of Institutional Giving on grant proposals and ideation around potential funding opportunities.
Submission Requirements:
Submit the following to the Executive Director at with a subject line “Program Director”:
- Resume
- Cover Letter
- List of 3 References (We will not contact them until you have advanced to the final round interview.)
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $70,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Schedule:
Experience:
- Elementary Teaching: 5 years (Required)
- Management: 1 year (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- New York, NY 10027 (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- New York, NY 10027: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person