Assistant Director of Career Readiness

Harlem Children's Zone • New York, NY

2h • $85,000 - $100,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and mission-aligned Assistant Director of Career Readiness (K-12) to join our Wealth Builds team. This role is essential to sparking early professional curiosity, building career awareness, and preparing K-12 students for their future transitions. The Assistant Director will oversee and manage the K-12 Career Exposures Coordinator, drive the strategic vision for youth career exploration, and collaborate with internal counselors, school leaders, and external programming vendors to open new doors for our youth. The ideal candidate will be an exceptional leader, curriculum strategist, and relationship-builder who can manage staff, analyze early exposure outcome data, and design structured pathways that prepare K-12 students to write their own stories of professional success. Wealth Builds is an innovative effort to eliminate the wealth gap through nine evidence-based pillars beginning in Harlem and ultimately expanding to up to 10 cities nationwide. Our theory of action is that cradle-to-career services plus capital lead to social and economic mobility. Through Wealth Builds, we are providing financial education and capital infusions to increase social, financial, and human capital, ultimately generating wealth for our youth.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree preferred (Bachelor’s Degree required, preferably in Education, Counseling, Business Administration, or a related field)
• 2+ years of experience leading K-12 student programming, career awareness initiatives, or youth development pipelines
• Proven experience in staff supervision, team leadership, or program management
• Proven track record of building and managing partnerships with external vendors, organizations, or employers
• An empathetic and strategic leader with a proven track record of supervising, coaching, and developing staff
• Exceptionally organized planner with strong attention to detail and a proven ability to manage project trackers, monitor complex timelines, and make data-driven decisions
• Creative and resourceful program builder who can design engaging, age-appropriate career experiences and identify unique student opportunities
• Clear, professional communicator who is comfortable building and nurturing relationships with internal teams and external vendors
• Resourceful and analytical problem-solver who can leverage data to assess career program effectiveness, track milestones, and scale operations
• A collaborative team player who takes initiative, manages multiple strategic priorities simultaneously, and maintains a proactive approach to student economic mobility
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); experience managing student databases or project management tools is highly preferred
• A deep commitment to the mission and programs of the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ)

Nice To Haves

• Experience managing student databases or project management tools is highly preferred

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic vision and oversee the daily operations of the K-12 Career Readiness pipeline in close partnership with the Director
• Provide direct supervision, coaching, and professional development to the K-12 Career Exposures Coordinator
• Develop and execute a comprehensive strategy designed to promote early-stage career awareness, financial literacy, and soft skill development for K-12 students
• Oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of a dynamic, year-round calendar of K-12 career exposures (including entrepreneurship programs, career workshops, and Career Days)
• Direct the high school internship process in partnership with staff, ensuring robust placements, readiness workshops, and seamless student matching
• Build, maintain, and leverage relationships with internal HCZ teams, K-12 school partners, and external educational vendors to secure high-quality exposure opportunities
• Utilize robust data analysis to track programmatic timelines, assess early career program effectiveness, and make data-driven decisions for scalability
• Compile and provide high-level executive summary updates on metrics, milestones, and outcomes for HCZ leadership and staff
• Perform other duties and projects as assigned

Benefits

• Highly competitive base salaries
• Paid time off
• Employee referral bonus
• Career Advancement
• No-cost health insurance
• Life Insurance
• Short-and long-term disability
• Additional voluntary benefits
• Wellness discounts
• Commuter benefits
• Financial wellness perks
• Additional Benefits (Discounts on flights, hotels, theme parks, concert tickets, and more.)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level