STEM Director

Title/Position:


STEM Director


Location:


Roxbury, MA


Reports to:


Executive Director of Early Education


FLSA Class, Status:


Full-time, Exempt


Position Grade:


Assistant Director/Director


Starting Salary Range:


$86,000 - 100,000 (grant-funded)


Date Written:


May 2026


Our Mission


Horizons for Homeless Children is a Boston-based non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of young children experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts. We help their families succeed by providing high-quality early education, opportunities for play, and comprehensive family support services. Our advocacy efforts extend our impact and advance our vision of ending homelessness among families with young children.


Summary of Position:


The STEM Director works alongside the STEAM Lab team to build and sustain high-quality, developmentally appropriate STEM/STEAM learning experiences. This role will help design a program that can be independently led after the current two-year grant, and lab partnership concludes. This role will strengthen a consistent, curriculum-aligned approach to classroom lab visits by defining activities, learning objectives, and instructional support. The STEM Director will collaborate with teachers to plan and deliver regular STEAM Lab experiences linked to classroom curriculum, modeling strong instruction and supporting clear learning goals for each visit.


The STEM Director will work in close partnership with the DevTech research group at Boston College to implement their robotics and coding programs, carry on DevTech's pedagogical approach to all STEM/STEAM areas at Horizons and engage in active research. In addition, the STEM Director will work with DevTech to position Horizons as a local hub for STEM education for early childhood.


Key Responsibilities:


Instructional Leadership & Program Delivery

• Model high-quality, inquiry-based STEAM instruction in the STEAM Lab and classrooms

• Collaborate with teachers to plan and deliver curriculum-aligned STEAM experiences

• Demonstrate effective teacher-student interactions that build exploration, critical thinking, and problem solving

• Ensure developmentally appropriate and engaging learning experiences for young children

Curriculum Design & Program Development

• Design and refine STEM/STEAM curriculum aligned with standards and best practices

• Partner with the Curriculum and Training Manager to ensure alignment across Horizons' Early Education Center's curriculum

• Define learning objectives, activities, and instructional supports for lab experiences

• Develop a sustainable STEM program that can operate independently beyond the grant period

Coaching & Professional Development

• Coach teachers to integrate STEAM concepts into daily classroom instruction

• Facilitate small-group learning sessions to build teachers' STEAM content knowledge and instructional skills

• Design and lead embedded professional learning throughout the year, including orientations for new and current staff

Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with DevTech (Boston College) to implement robotics and coding programs

• Coordinate with corporate partners, sponsors, and guest facilitators to ensure alignment to instructional goals and student learning objectives

• Build relationships with community organizations that expand students' exposure to STEM careers and mentorship opportunities

• Position Horizons as a local hub for early childhood STEM education

Research & Innovation

• Partner with the DevTech research group on research initiatives, including program implementation and data collection

• Attending DevTech trainings and regular collaboration meetings

• Contribute to the development of innovative programming and instructional approaches

Family & Community Engagement

• Plan and support family engagement events featuring hands-on STEM learning experiences

• Promote awareness of STEM learning and career pathways for families and children

Program Coordination & Operations

• Coordinate logistics of STEM programming, including classroom implementation and scheduling

• Support integration of lab experiences with classroom instruction

• Ensure effective use of materials, resources, and learning environments

Equity & Inclusive Practice

• Promote culturally responsive STEAM experiences that affirm students' identities and lived experiences

• Ensure inclusive, accessible learning opportunities across all program components

Starting salary range, compensation, and benefits


$86,000 - 100,000 is the starting salary range for this Director role. Your starting salary will fall within that range depending on your competencies, experience, and skillset.


This position is grant-funded for 2 years, starting July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. Should additional funding become available, the position may be extended.


Your total compensation package includes the following benefits:


Health coverage options designed to be as comprehensive and affordable for you as possible, with Horizons covering between 70-75% of premiums (a value that ranges from an additional $10,000 -30,000 per year based on your enrollment choices).


While you have a choice between an HMO and PPO plan for medical coverage, most employees pay $117.77 for individual, $235.54 for 2-person, or $370.44 for family coverage per biweekly paycheck and never pay more than $300 for individual or $600 for 2-person/family toward deductibles.


Visit The Benefits of Working at Horizons

Qualifications


Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Education, STEM/STEAM, Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field (Master's preferred).

• Valid teaching license/certification (where applicable) or demonstrated ability to lead standards-aligned instruction in early childhood/elementary settings.

• 5-7+ years of experience designing and delivering hands-on STEM/STEAM learning experiences for young children.

• Experience coaching educators and/or facilitating professional learning; ability to model instruction and provide actionable feedback.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong understanding of developmentally appropriate practice, inquiry-based learning, and culturally responsive pedagogy

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with classroom teachers, school leaders, and external partners

• Excellent communication and organizational skills; ability to plan, document, and adapt lessons to meet learning objectives

• Commitment to maintaining a safe, well-managed learning environment, including appropriate use of materials and equipment

• Basic proficiency with common digital tools for lesson planning, communication, and tracking participation/outcomes

• Interest in educational research is a plus but not required

• Dedicated to Horizons' mission and embodies core values (Collaborative, Inclusive, Innovative, and Passionate)

• Demonstrates core competencies that are critical to success across Horizons (Communication, Collaboration, Cultural Competency, Growth Mindset, and Mission-Driven Excellence)

Workspace


This is a 40-hour, full-time, onsite position. Regular hours are Monday-Friday during business hours, with occasional evening/weekend events with notice. The work you will perform is largely active, taking place in the STEM lab, in a school setting, working alongside children and teachers. There is a large staff room with indoor and outdoor space for breaks as well as a designated quiet room. Our beautiful office space is located: Edgerley Family Horizons Center at 1785 Columbus Ave, Roxbury, MA.


This position requires the employee to comply with all applicable federal, state, local and company policy concerning immunizations, employment physical/screening, and Background record check.


Commitment to our Workforce


Horizons is committed to fostering the well-being of our workforce who are tackling one of the nation's toughest issues; family homelessness. We respect the unique perspectives and potential of each member of our team and believe that diversity of thought and perspective will not only sustain employee well-being but drive better outcomes for our families. Horizons' leadership sets the tone and priority for this work. Visit our commitments page to learn more about what that looks like at Horizons.


As such, we are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.


For more information about Horizons, please visit horizonschildren.org.