Program Director
Harlem Children's Zone
Program Director
Harlem Children's Zone
Breaks poverty cycle through on-the-ground programs
Harlem Children's Zone · New York, United States · Full-time · Posted 2026-10-01
Salary: USD 85,000–95,000
Workplace: on_site
Department: Future Hiring Needs HCZ
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 (K-12) 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.
We are seeking a Program Director to lead the day-to-day operations of a dynamic after-school program, ensuring alignment with HCZ’s mission, values, and long-term goals. The ideal candidate is a proven leader with deep experience in program and administrative systems development, staff coaching, and professional learning design, who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and families in historically underserved communities.
The Program Director will join HCZ's leadership team and partner closely with the Assistant Director to provide strategic oversight and day-to-day leadership for the site. HCZ's After-School Programs offer scholars a safe, supportive, and enriching environment that promotes academic success, self-confidence, and social-emotional growth. Through a wide range of high-quality, project-based experiences, scholars engage in arts enrichment programs such as dance, culinary arts, media arts, and production, alongside health and wellness initiatives, physical fitness activities, and leadership development opportunities.
In addition, scholars participate in college and career readiness programming, life skills development, character education, community service, and conflict resolution activities that help prepare them for future success. The program also offers a variety of team sports and recreational activities, including basketball, soccer, table tennis, track and field, and karate, ensuring every scholar has opportunities to explore new interests, build relationships, and thrive.
We strive to create strong bonds and partnerships among scholars, families, and staff to meet the needs of each individual child and the community overall.
For more information, check out Want to Work at Harlem Children’s Zone? Here’s 7 Things You Need to Know.
Who you are
What you’ll do
Role Strategic Priorities:
Program Implementation: Lead the 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 ensures fidelity across all sites and offerings.
Operational Excellence: Drive efficiency, accountability, and performance through strong operational systems. Manages budgets, compliance, talent pipelines, and resource allocations while fostering a high-performing, mission-aligned culture across the portfolio
Program Evaluation: 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.
Leadership Alignment and Staff Development: Design and executes a comprehensive development strategy that builds staff capacity, promotes internal mobility, and supports a culture of learning and innovation. Facilitates direct coaching and skip-level engagements.
Scholar Safety and Engagement: Ensure a safe, inclusive, and responsive environment where scholars are consistently engaged, protected, and empowered. Implements proactive safety protocols and programming that meets scholars’ developmental and emotional needs.
Schedule
As a member of the Harlem Children's Zone team, you will join a supportive and inclusive community dedicated to helping children, families — and our staff — thrive. We offer highly competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefits package, and opportunities for growth.
Our exceptional benefits include:
The salary range for this position is $85,000 - $95,000 per year. To be considered, interested applicants should apply directly through the posting. No telephone inquiries or recruiters, please. Replies will only be sent to qualified applicants.Harlem Children's Zone and Promise Academy Charter Schools does not provide work visas for candidates who require employer sponsorship to ensure work authorization in the United States. Harlem Children’s Zone is an EOE
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Breaks poverty cycle through on-the-ground programs
Harlem Children’s Zone coordinates a place-based set of programs across early childhood through adulthood in Harlem to help children and families thrive. It operates directly through schools, community centers, and outreach to deliver education, career pathways, health and wellness, and family supports. Programs are integrated, meaning services at different stages coordinate for each family, rather than one-off initiatives. This approach distinguishes HCZ from peers by offering a wraparound, long-term support system in a single community, focusing on mobility and prosperity rather than only schooling. The goal is to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by creating opportunities in education, work, and life for residents of Harlem.
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