Director of Adult Literacy

Make the Road New York (MRNY) builds the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival services. Make the Road New York operates community centers in Bushwick, Brooklyn; Jackson Heights, Queens; Port Richmond, Staten Island; Brentwood, Long Island and White Plains, Westchester County. With a membership of 27,000, MRNY tackles the critical issues facing our communities, including workplace justice, tenants' rights, immigrant rights and civil rights, TGNCIQ justice, public education, health care access, and immigration reform. (TGNCIQ = transgender, gender non-conforming, intersex and queer). MRNY is a newly unionized workplace.

MRNY is a multi-service organization. Our member-led organizing committees -- which work on the issues named above -- implement strategies to combat shared problems, and develop leadership and the capacity for civic participation. We also provide an array of high-quality bilingual services: We offer English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Spanish-language literacy, computer literacy, citizenship preparation, and in-school and after-school youth programs. We have a robust legal program that offers direct representation across a spectrum of practice areas, including employment law, immigration law, housing and benefits, and TGNCIQ civil rights; we also take on impact litigation as a strategy for achieving broad change. Our health program offers facilitated enrollment into health insurance programs and SNAP benefits, a community health worker home visit program, nutrition education and emergency food pantries, health care navigation, and more."

Current Opening:

The Director of Adult Literacy coordinates our adult education programs across all our MRNY offices. This position oversees all of our classes as well as the administrative and grant management functions of the department. The Director provides strategic direction to the team and works in collaboration with the rest of the team leaders to develop and implement plans for optimal function and performance. The Director of Adult Literacy leads program design and instructional design development using popular education models, and is responsible for fundraising and managing the budget of the department. They supervise other team supervisors and provide support to the full department.

The Director also participates in Adult Literacy coalitions and leads advocacy efforts around adult education funding.

The Director of Adult Literacy is responsible for ensuring that our adult education department is connected to the mission, vision and strategic plan of the organization. They are responsible for coordinating department wide meetings and department leadership team meetings and ensuring cross department collaboration. They also participate in the Senior Management Team and Strategic Planning Team to support organization wide efforts.

Key Responsibilities but not limited to:

Program Leadership & Strategy:

• Provide strategic direction for MRNY's adult literacy programs, aligning them with the organization's mission, vision, and strategic plan.
• Lead program and instructional design, incorporating popular education models to enhance learning outcomes.
• Ensure smooth coordination of adult education classes across all MRNY locations.

Team Management & and Coordination:

• Provide direct supervision to Adult Education Department supervisors, support the full department and work with the Adult Ed leadership team to coordinate all projects across the department.
• Coordinate and oversee our Adult Education classes across all MRNY offices in NYC, Westchester and Long Island including department operations and instructional/curricular and administrative program design and practices
• Responsible for coordinating department wide goal setting efforts
• Coordinate regular Adult Ed leadership team meetings as well as quarterly department wide meetings
• Ensure that the work of the department is connected to the mission, vision and strategic plan of the organization

Grant Management/Fundraising:

• Lead fundraising efforts for the department, cultivate and maintain funder relationships,manage the department's budget
• Responsible for funder reports and ensuring programmatic and financial documentation are submitted
• Ensure site visits happen as required by funders and all documentation is in order
• Responsible for ensuring all deliverables are met for each of our contracts
• Ensure all data is entered in a timely way into MRNY's salesforce database and other funder databases

Policy/Advocacy:

• Represent MRNY in adult education coalition meetings to ensure sustainable funding for classes.
• Participate in coalition advocacy days and advocacy efforts, including connecting students to our advocacy efforts.
• Coordinate the Adult Education Departments involvement in MRNY policy campaigns and connect classes to our organizing work and mobilizations.
• Engage with other organizations to help us continually innovate and improve our education programs and continue to connect our education services to organizing efforts

Organizational Leadership:

• Participate in the Senior Management Team and Strategic Planning team to support organization goals and wide efforts
• Work with other MRNY staff to envision and implement ways to support and mobilize MRNY members around education-related issues.
• Ensure that adult education efforts contribute meaningfully to MRNY's overall impact.

Requirements:

• Eligible to work in the U.S
• Bilingual (English/Spanish)
• Bachelor's degree required
• At least 5 years' experience working in education or program management
• At least 5 years of supervisory and management experience
• At least 5 years of experience with grant management, and/or fundraising
• At least 5 years of experience working with populations that make up major portions of Make the Road's membership- such as documented and undocumented immigrants, low-wage workers, members of TGNCIQ communities, and youth
• Possess a commitment to collective action, community organizing, advocacy and policy work.
• Have experience working in a multicultural, multi ethnic work environment
• Ability to travel to more than one work site as needed
• Flexible work schedule, some evenings or weekends required
• Experience with teaching and curriculum development preferred
• Excellent communication, organizational, and strategic thinking skills

Job Competencies:

• Analytical Thinking
• Problem/Situation Analysis
• Problem Solving Ability
• System-Oriented
• Balanced Decision Making
• Emotional Control
• Attention to Detail
• Project/Task and Goals Focus
• Empathetic Outlook
• Open/positive, respectful attitude Toward Others
• Flexibility
• Objective Listening
• Respect for Policies
• Personal Accountability and accountability towards others
• Ability to be a self-starter and eager to do team work to support the organization as a whole
• Team Player
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Meeting Standards
• Multitasking
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Strong computer skills (web-based database (ideally Salesforce), word processing, Excel, etc.)
• Adaptable
• Organized workplace

Salary and Benefits:

MRNY offers an excellent benefit package including health insurance, 401K, and generous paid vacation, sick, personal days. The salary range for this position is from $ 112,000 to $122,000.

How to Apply:

Please attach your resume and cover letter and submit all documents to the Make the Road New York career center.

Make the Road believes that social change is best achieved through grassroots community-based organizing that flows directly from and engages the community demanding the change. As a membership-based organization, we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, criminal history, or Veteran status. We strongly encourage those from historically excluded groups to apply.