Director, State & Local Policy

Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) — a world-renowned education and poverty-fighting organization based in New York — seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and mission-aligned Director of State & Local Policy to join the William Julius Wilson Institute-National Impact Team.

The Director will bring a passion for the mission of Harlem Children’s Zone: break the cycle of intergenerational poverty with comprehensive, on-the-ground programming that builds up opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work, and life.

Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) is advancing a bold vision to transform the lives of one million young people by scaling what works, building the field, and supporting place-based efforts rooted in community. Through the National Impact Team, HCZ works alongside communities, school systems, governments, philanthropy, and local organizations to accelerate cradle-to-career outcomes and economic mobility nationwide. 

The Director, State & Local Policy, provides strategic leadership and subject-matter expertise in state and local policy implementation. Reporting to the Deputy Director, this role supports communities, government partners, and National Impact teams in translating policy into action and advancing systems-change efforts that improve outcomes for children and families. 

The Director works closely with governors' offices, mayors, state agencies, local governments, school systems, and community partners to advance implementation of policies that strengthen cradle-to-career systems, economic mobility, and place-based change efforts. This role also partners across National Impact functions to ensure that policy implementation aligns with technical assistance, field-building, learning, and community-impact strategies. 

This position is ideal for a leader who understands both policy and implementation and can bridge government systems, community organizations, and cross-sector partnerships to drive sustainable change. 

For more information, check out Want to Work at Harlem Children’s Zone? Here’s 7 Things You Need to Know .

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred in public policy, public administration, education, law, government, or a related field. 

• 6+ years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience in public policy, government, public sector systems, or related fields, with demonstrated success leading complex initiatives and driving strategy and implementation efforts. 

Who you are

• Demonstrated experience leading policy implementation efforts, systems-change initiatives, or cross-sector partnerships. 

• Experience working with governors' offices, mayors, state agencies, local governments, school systems, or other public-sector institutions. 

• Strong strategic planning, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills. 

• Experience developing frameworks, implementation models, toolkits, or systems-change approaches. 

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 

• Ability to influence across organizations, navigate ambiguity, and drive execution in complex environments. 

• Commitment to equity, community transformation, and improving outcomes for children and families. 
• Functional Leader: Provides leadership for the state and local policy implementation function and helps ensure quality, consistency, and impact across the organization. 
• Policy-to-Practice Expert: Understands how to translate policy into implementation and measurable results for communities and families. 
• Systems Change Strategist: Sees connections across government, education, workforce, economic mobility, and community systems. 
• Government Relationship Builder: Builds trust and credibility with public-sector leaders and effectively navigates complex government environments. 
• Cross-Functional Collaborator: Partners effectively across teams and functions to advance organizational goals and community impact. 
• Mission-Driven Leader: Brings a deep commitment to equity, place-based change, and expanding opportunity for children and families.

What you'll do

State & Local Policy Strategy 

• Lead the strategy and approach for HCZ's state and local policy implementation work. 

• Develop and refine frameworks, tools, and implementation models that help communities translate policy into measurable impact. 

• Identify opportunities to strengthen policy implementation efforts across states, municipalities, and partner communities. 

• Monitor emerging policy trends, implementation challenges, and opportunities that inform HCZ's work. 

• Serve as an internal resource and thought partner on state and local policy implementation.

Policy Implementation & Technical Support 

• Support governments, school systems, and community partners in operationalizing enacted policies and translating policy goals into implementation plans. 

• Develop implementation guidance, toolkits, playbooks, and resources that support effective execution. 

• Advise communities on governance structures, public funding opportunities, and cross-sector implementation strategies. 

• Support replication of promising policy models and implementation approaches across communities. 

• Help partners identify and address implementation barriers that could impede progress and outcomes. 

Standards, Frameworks & Quality 

• Develop frameworks, tools, and implementation resources that support effective policy implementation. 

• Identify and elevate promising practices and lessons learned from implementation efforts. 

• Support Portfolio Directors and community partners in applying policy implementation approaches within their portfolios. 

• Contribute expertise that strengthens the quality and effectiveness of policy-related work across National Impact initiatives. 

Government & Cross-Sector Partnerships 

• Build and maintain relationships with governors' offices, mayors, state agencies, local governments, school systems, and other public-sector stakeholders. 

• Serve as a trusted advisor to government leaders implementing place-based and economic mobility strategies. 

• Support the development of public-private partnerships that strengthen implementation and long-term sustainability. 

• Represent HCZ in policy implementation discussions, working groups, and strategic convenings. 

• Facilitate collaboration among government, nonprofit, philanthropic, and community stakeholders. 

Learning & Field Leadership 

• Capture lessons learned from implementation efforts and translate them into actionable insights for communities, policymakers, and partners. 

• Partner with research, learning, and field-building teams to elevate promising practices and implementation innovations. 

• Contribute to publications, presentations, convenings, and learning opportunities that strengthen the broader field. 

• Help position HCZ and WJWI as leaders in policy implementation, systems change, and place-based impact. 

Cross-Functional Leadership 

• Partner closely with colleagues across the National Impact Team to support policy implementation efforts within community, regional, and strategic engagement portfolios. 

• Support strategic planning, portfolio reviews, and organizational priorities related to policy implementation. 

• Provide policy expertise and implementation support that advances portfolio goals and outcomes. 

• Coordinate resources and priorities across policy initiatives and engagements. 

• May supervise staff, consultants, fellows, or project-based team members as assigned. 

• Collaborate with colleagues across WJWI, Wealth Builds National, Practitioners Institute, and the National Impact Office to strengthen cross-sector impact.

Schedule

• New York or Baltimore (3 days in office, 2 days remote).
• Fully remote candidates will be considered if they are located outside of our New York and Baltimore hub offices.

Benefits

As a member of the Harlem Children's Zone team, you will join a supportive and inclusive community dedicated to helping children, families — and our staff — thrive. We offer highly competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefits package, and opportunities for growth.

Our exceptional benefits include:

• Highly competitive base salaries
• No cost health insurance 
• Annual performance bonuses
• Deferred bonus programs
• Paid time off 
• Employee referral bonus 
• 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.)

The salary range for this position is $130,000-$140,000 per year. To be considered, interested applicants should apply directly through the posting. No telephone inquiries or recruiters, please. Replies will only be sent to qualified applicants. Harlem Children's Zone and Promise Academy Charter Schools will not provide work visas for candidates who require employer sponsorship to ensure work authorization in the United States. Harlem Children’s Zone is an EOE