Vice President of Youth Development 

Position Summary 

Partnership With Children (PWC) strengthens the mental health and well-being of New York City students by embedding licensed social workers and comprehensive supports directly in schools reaching over 20,000 children and families each year. Across our core partner schools we build ecosystems of support that empower students, support families, and transform schools through trauma-informed counseling, community-based programming, and healing-based arts education—creating nurturing environments that foster resilience, learning, and opportunity.   

The organization is expanding its support to its partner schools by launching afterschool programs. The VP of Youth Development will lead the design, launch, and ongoing management of the organization’s afterschool programs. This role is responsible for building a high-quality, scalable program model and overseeing multi-site implementation aligned with organizational values and existing school-day program principles. Combining strategic leadership with strong operational execution, the VP will develop systems while driving program excellence. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

Planning, Design & Program Launch 

• Lead the design, planning, and launch of the organization’s afterschool expansion, translating organizational vision into a scalable and sustainable program model. 

• Design key program elements and establish or expand core systems and infrastructure 

• Ensure afterschool programming is integrated with and reinforces PWC school-day services including social work and family engagement supports 

• Support the hiring and onboarding of program leadership and staff in advance of program launch 

Strategic Leadership & Vision 

• Develop and articulate a multi-year strategic blueprint for afterschool and youth development services aligned with the organization’s mission and strategic priorities, building on initial program design and launch 

• Identify new opportunities for program growth, innovation, and funding expansion 

• Ensure continual alignment of afterschool programs with organizational priorities and program principles in education, enrichment, SEL, family engagement, and behavioral health 

• Serve as a cross-functional leader, working closely with HR, Talent, Finance, Administration, and Data teams to ensure alignment and effective execution of afterschool programs 

• Serve as member of senior program leadership team, translating organizational strategy into actionable priorities for after school programs.  

 

Multi-Site Leadership & Management 

• Supervise Multi-Site Directors  and program leadership across all afterschool locations 

• Build a high-performing team, providing mentorship, coaching, and performance management 

• Establish clear targets, accountability systems, and communication structures for program leadership  

• Conduct ongoing cross-site monitoring and use insights to drive continuous improvement and consistency 

• Ensure strong collaboration between afterschool staff and school-day staff and partners 

Program Quality, Compliance & Evaluation 

• Ensure all sites meet or exceed DYCD COMPASS/SONYC /Beacon (or other funding) and SACC standards, staffing ratios, safety requirements, program hours, and contractual obligations 

• Develop cross-site quality improvement systems using data-driven decision-making 

• Ensure student recruitment, enrollment, and retention strategies meet participation targets 

• Oversee the development of curriculum frameworks, instructional rubrics, and project-based learning models across sites 

• Oversee development of systems to continually support and improve high quality instruction and positive youth development 

• Ensure all programs reflect best practices in youth development, trauma-informed care, social-emotional learning, and culturally responsive programming 

• Ensure programs drive strong outcomes in student engagement, SEL development, overall youth experience, and parent/guardian engagement and satisfaction 

Partnerships, Enrollment & External Relations 

• Serve as a primary representative to NYC DYCD, DOE, school principals, community partners, funders, and city agencies 

• Monitor and support principal engagement and satisfaction 

• Establish and/or strengthen relationships with school networks, community organizations and representatives, and potential partner organizations 

• Represent the organization in external forums and contribute to broader conversation in the youth development and afterschool field 

Fiscal Management & Resource Allocation 

• Oversee budgets across all afterschool programs in collaboration with the finance team 

• Ensure fiscal compliance with DYCD guidelines, funder requirements, and internal controls 

• Participate in grant development, contract renewals, and revenue forecasting 

Staff Development & Organizational Culture 

• Develop cross-site professional development systems including training in curriculum, leadership, compliance, SEL, and youth engagement 

• Promote an inclusive, collaborative, and equity-focused culture across all afterschool teams 

• Support recruitment, retention, and succession planning for program leadership 

Safety, Risk Management & Crisis Oversight 

• Oversee the implementation of organizational safety policies and emergency protocols across all sites 

• Ensure effective systems for incident reporting, mandated reporting, and crisis response 

• Serve as a senior-level point of escalation for high-risk or urgent issues 

Qualifications 

• Master’s Degree preferred (Education, Public Administration, Social Work, Nonprofit Management, Youth Development, or related field) 

• Minimum 7–10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in afterschool, youth development, education, or multi-site management 

• Extensive knowledge of DYCD COMPASS/SONYC /Beacon requirements and regulatory expectations 

• Proven experience managing multi-site operations, senior-level staff, and large budgets 

• Experience designing, launching, or scaling new programs or initiatives strongly preferred 

• Strong background in youth development theory, curriculum design, and program evaluation 

• Exceptional leadership, communication, strategic planning, and problem-solving skills 

• Experience working in multi-service or complex organizational environments strongly preferred 

• Proficiency with data systems, including DYCD Connect, Microsoft Office,  and project management tools 

Physical Requirements 

• Ability to travel frequently to program sites throughout NYC 

• Ability to participate in classroom and program observations and attend events after traditional business hours 

Salary and Benefits: 

Salary range is $120,000 to $140,000 commensurate with experience. All full-time employees receive an excellent benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan with employer match, life insurance, Flexible spending Account/FSA, Commuter benefits, and twenty four days paid annual leave per year, plus four Summer Fridays and 12 other paid holidays. 

  

  

Partnership with Children welcomes diversity in all its forms and believes that its mission can only be achieved when diversity is leveraged across all areas, including race, gender, gender expression, age, nationality and life experience. Partnership with Children is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and strongly encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds. Partnership with Children provides equal opportunity for all applicants and employees.