Assistant Director, College Preparatory Program

Harlem Childrens Zone•New York, NY

About The Position

Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) is seeking a collaborative, strategic, and results-driven Assistant Director of the College Preparatory Program to join its College Success Office (CSO). The CSO provides year-round academic, administrative, emotional, financial, and career preparation support to participants from HCZ’s Promise Academy schools and afterschool programs. Its work includes scholar outreach, academic support and guidance, financial aid advisement, college transfer assistance, internship opportunities, and community building. Reporting to the Director of College Success Office, the Assistant Director oversees the development and implementation of a comprehensive college readiness and admissions strategy for scholars in the K-12 pipeline. The role supervises College Preparatory Program Coordinators and counseling staff and ensures high-quality support that advances college admissions and enrollment outcomes. The successful candidate will bring college access experience, people-management skills, and knowledge of admissions, financial aid, college counseling, and postsecondary success pathways. Experience working with higher education institutions and admissions professionals is strongly preferred. The position is full-time, with a Monday-Friday schedule that may be 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM, or 11:00 AM-7:00 PM. Some weekends and evenings may be required depending on site needs and events, along with occasional travel. The salary range is $80,000-$92,500.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least 5 years of experience in college counseling, college access, admissions, college success, or a related field.
At least 3 years of experience supervising professional staff, including coordinators, counselors, or program teams.
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing college readiness programming and curriculum for high school students.
Strong knowledge of college admissions, financial aid, scholarships, and college matriculation processes.
Ability to supervise, coach, develop, and empower staff while fostering accountability and continuous growth.
Ability to collaborate with schools, families, higher education institutions, and cross-functional teams.
Ability to use metrics, outcomes, and trends to evaluate program effectiveness and support continuous improvement.
Strong communication, presentation, workshop facilitation, organization, project management, and problem-solving skills.
Willingness to work a full-time schedule with flexibility, including some weekends and evenings depending on site needs and events, and occasional travel.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree highly preferred, in Higher Education Administration, School Counseling, Educational Leadership, Student Affairs, Social Work, or a related field.
Experience working with higher education institutions and admissions professionals is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement a comprehensive college readiness, admissions, and matriculation strategy for scholars in grades 9-12, with opportunities to scale practices across the K-12 pipeline.
Design, refine, and oversee College Preparatory Program curriculum, workshops, resources, and family engagement initiatives that support college awareness, planning, and enrollment.
Directly supervise and coach College Preparatory Program Coordinators, establish performance expectations, and support counseling staff development across programs.
Serve as the organizational subject matter expert on college admissions, financial aid, scholarships, enrollment trends, and postsecondary success practices.
Monitor scholar progress toward admissions and matriculation milestones; use data and performance metrics to evaluate program effectiveness, drive continuous improvement, and support strategic decision-making.
Build and maintain strategic partnerships with higher education institutions and internal HCZ teams to expand college, career, and experiential learning opportunities for scholars.
Collaborate with K-12, College Success, Career Services, and other HCZ departments to strengthen pathways toward postsecondary enrollment and career exploration.
Prepare reports, presentations, and recommendations related to program outcomes, enrollment trends, and strategic initiatives.
Perform other duties and projects as assigned.