What: CUP is seeking a creative and energetic individual with experience in design and policy who wants to use design and art to contribute to meaningful social change. The Director of Programs will work on and oversee the core Community Education and Youth Education programs. This is an exciting new position that will support the implementation of CUP’s recently completed strategic plan, which emphasizes a deepening of our work’s impacts, an expansion of our efforts to share our methodologies with others, and a greater commitment to leadership development.
The Director of Programs will lead CUP’s Community Education and Youth Education programs, working on a broad range of projects directly, as well as overseeing and providing strategic guidance to the work of other program and administrative staff. As part of the organization’s leadership team, the Director of Programs will also work closely with the Executive and Deputy Directors, and will report to the Executive Director. We envision this role as a critical one in supporting the high quality of CUP’s existing programming, while thinking strategically with our talented team about how to deepen the reach and impact of our work in meaningful ways. We imagine someone who is a great collaborator, likes to think about how organizations work, but is also excited to work on projects with our community partners. Responsibilities include:
Participate in shaping strategic direction:
- The Director of Programs will be part of CUP’s leadership team, and will contribute actively to the evaluation of existing and development of new strategies, approaches, and programs and the execution of CUP’s strategic plan.
- They will represent CUP through public engagements and continued development of partnerships, and contribute to the growth of CUP’s public reputation and presence locally and nationally, particularly in support of our social and racial justice values.
- The Director of Programs will lead CUP’s Community Education and Youth Education programs, managing staff, contractors, interns, and volunteers; developing and managing budgets and workplans with staff; overseeing program execution and evaluation; and contributing to strategic opportunities for program evolution and growth.
- They will support CUP’s continued growth through development of new partner relationships and securing new contracts in our Technical Assistance work.
- As a manager to entry- and mid-level staff, the Director of Programs will provide supportive guidance and leadership, helping staff to develop their own capacities as they take on increasing responsibility.
- The Director of Programs will collaborate on several projects each year in our Community Education programs (Making Policy Public, Public Access Design, and Technical Assistance), working directly with community organizations and designers to facilitate the creation of accessible, visual explanations of complex policy issues using CUP’s community- engaged design methods.
- The Director of Programs will engage actively in activities that help CUP to thrive, including strategic planning, fundraising (grants, events, appeals, etc), supporting the development of CUP’s organizational infrastructure, and engaging in our work to continue to make our projects and our processes more directly anti-racist.
- A minimum of 7-10 years of work experience in a related field some of which must be shaping, managing, and implementing programs
- Relevant fields may include public policy, government, communications design, service design, arts/culture/curatorial management, urban planning, as well as others, but the strongest applicants will demonstrate some ability to understand both design and policy
- Experience leading community-engaged design, human-centered design, or other participatory design processes
- Strong visual literacy, ideally experience practicing some field of design and/or artistic direction work
- Experience with/ability to understand public policy
- High level of proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite software, basic web applications, and Microsoft Office
- Ability to work with a broad range of partners in a variety of communities; particularly with a strong understanding of racial justice and an ability to engage respectfully with individuals from historically under-represented communities (whether or not you come from one yourself); our stakeholders and partners include members of many different communities, community organizers, funders, government agencies, designers, teaching artists, and high school students
- Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to speak and write clearly and accessibly for multiple audiences
- The ability to explain complex issues
- Experience managing staff at various levels of experience, creating workplans (or using other project management tools such as staffing plans, projections, project management software, etc.)
- Experience managing and supporting multiple projects § Experience managing program budgets
- Demonstrated commitment to social justice, and specifically to racial justice
- Interest in being part of a fast-paced, growing organization and contributing to strategic thinking
- Ideal candidate is friendly, fun, self-directed, extremely detail-oriented, and able to work in a collaborative environment with a broad range of partners
- Interest in youth education programs and project-based learning
- Superior administrative & time management skills
- Familiarity with NYC community organizing landscape
- Fluency in another language, particularly Spanish
- Teaching experience, especially at the high school level
- Experience with new business development
- Experience with grant writing and reporting and managing funder relationships
- Experience art directing
- Digital UX/UI experience
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until Monday, July 30th. CUP staff will review all complete applications and schedule interviews (to be conducted in-person or via Skype/Google Hangout) in August. Finalists may be asked to participate in a second interview and/or to complete a short assignment. The successful applicant will be notified by early September.
If you are interested in the position, your application should include (in this order):
- A cover letter, in which you address why you are interested in this position, how your experience qualifies you for it, and why you would like to work at CUP
- A current resume
- A short writing sample (3 pages maximum), preferably on a topic relevant to CUP’s work
- A list of 3 references, with contact information. (No need to provide letters!)
Find the complete job posting online here.