Program Director

Program Director (PD)

Harlem Lacrosse Program Directors help students growing up in low-income communities activate the skills and mindsets to reach their full potential. Program Directors are lacrosse coaches, tutors, and mentors. They maintain a daily presence in the lives of their students, and help them make connections between success on the field, growth in the classroom, and goals for the future. If you are passionate about lacrosse and committed to the belief that all students deserve equitable opportunities to achieve academically, athletically, and socially, the Program Director role could be an outstanding position for you to make an impact.

Harlem Lacrosse's mission is to empower the children who are most at risk for academic decline and dropout to rise above their challenges and reach their full potential. Harlem Lacrosse inspires children to dream about tomorrow while working hard on the field and in the classroom today.

Founded in 2011 in New York, Harlem Lacrosse has grown to five cities, 20 schools, and 39 programs as of Fall 2025. In addition to developing crucial athletic and social-emotional skills, our students consistently outperform their peers academically, passing their classes, graduating high school, and enrolling and persisting in college at a higher rate than other students in their schools. HL teams have won multiple city-wide championships, and many alumni go on to play lacrosse in college.

Harlem Lacrosse's unique school-based model embeds full-time Program Directors within our partner schools to run academic, athletic, and enrichment programming for middle and high school students. In addition to practices, study halls, tutoring and field trips, Program Directors are constantly present for students to offer high fives, pep talks, individualized push-in and pull-out support, and a listening ear as students navigate the day-to-day. This is a full-time, year-round position.

Responsibilities

Planning, Managing, and Delivering Program (70%)

• Recruiting the students most likely to benefit from participating in the Harlem Lacrosse program and working actively to understand participant needs and retain them in the program
• Establishing both a strong team culture and individual relationships with students to encourage attendance and engagement
• Setting goals and clear expectations for student participants around team behavior and conduct, and creating routines and structures to help students meet those expectations
• Creating an outcomes-oriented program plan for each season and year, planning and delivering a meaningful set of academic, athletic and enrichment activities
• Scheduling clinics, games, and weekend events with partner towns and lacrosse clubs
• Traveling with the team to clinics, games, and tournaments as well as field trips to professional work environments, educational institutions, museums, cultural or historical sites, and outdoor activities (some overnight travel with the team is required)
• Supporting students on their path to college and/or career through application support with families, campus and career visits, and on-going monitoring and counseling.
• Collecting data about participants' academic, athletic, and social emotional growth through the program, and ensuring that students meet the core growth metrics of our program: increased school attendance, improved academic performance, and growth in physical fitness

Maintaining Relationships with School and Community (20%)

• Being present in the partner school throughout each day and maintaining strong relationships with school faculty, staff, and administrators to monitor student progress and foster a strong partnership between the school and Harlem Lacrosse
• Facilitating regular communication with parents and guardians, informing them of Harlem Lacrosse activities and partnering with them in supporting participants
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with partner towns, colleges, and teams
• Recruiting and managing volunteers and paid assistant coaches
• Collaborating with community organizations to leverage resources within the neighborhood

Organizational Stewardship (10%)

• Consistently demonstrating organizational stewardship by making good use of organizational resources, complying with organizational policies, and contributing to organizational efforts around social media, development and evaluation.

What You Bring…

• Expertise in the structure, rules, and strategy of lacrosse. Ideal candidates will have experience with lacrosse as a player and as a coach.
• Experience working with middle or high school youth in a tutoring, mentorship, and/or coaching capacity. Ideal candidates will have experience mentoring a caseload/group of youth.
• Demonstrated success with setting and achieving significant goals.
• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain a rigorous plan for programming, and keep meticulous track of program data and documents.
• Ability to build relationships with students, school faculty and staff, parents, partners, and other Harlem Lacrosse staff. Experience and skill fostering relationships across lines of difference.
• Strong professional judgment and ability to work effectively with minimal oversight.
• Comfort with discussions about diversity, equity and inclusion, and enthusiasm for investigating one's own identity and honing a racial equity lens.
• Morning, evening and weekend work is often required.
• Local and regional travel, including occasional overnight travel with the team, is required. Please note that the possession of a valid driver's license is helpful for success in the role.
• Spanish language proficiency is encouraged, but not required.
• All employees will complete a criminal background check upon hire and throughout employment with Harlem Lacrosse.

What We Offer…

We invest in and support our team members at Harlem Lacrosse! We offer an extensive suite of benefits including, but not limited to:

• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, dental and vision plans
• Access to One Medical, a 24/7 patient-focused primary care practice with highly qualified, board-certified physicians
• Receive access to online mental health therapy via a 1-year membership to Talkspace
• Flexible spending and health saving account options, 401k with match
• A $500 technology stipend for your home office; whatever you choose to buy is yours to keep!
• Parental leave policy to support your family planning journey
• Flexible PTO policy, in addition to 10 paid holidays and a company-wide winter break during the holiday season.

Compensation

The salary ranges for this position are indexed to cost of living in each of our cities and are commensurate with experience. Starting pay for a successful candidate is dependent upon a variety of factors, including education, prior career experience and job location.

• Baltimore: $52,000 - $54,500
• Boston: $62,000 - $65,000
• Los Angeles: $69,000 - $72,000
• New York: $64,500 - $67,000
• Philadelphia: $53,500 - $56,000

How to Apply

The application is now live on our website, harlemlacrosse.org/careers, effective January 5, 2026. You will be asked to submit the following as part of your application package:

• Current resume
• Cover letter describing your interest in and qualifications for the position
• Short-essay questions (we recommend 250 words or fewer for each)
• Contact information for 2-3 references who can speak to your qualifications for this role

Application Process:

• January 5 - February 2 : Accepting applications
• February and March : Candidates will progress with a two-step interview process:

1. Video interviews: Candidates will meet via Zoom with members of our Program Director Hiring Team to discuss their interest in and fit for the role.
2. Finalist interviews: Candidates will run an in-person demo study hall and lacrosse practice with a group of Harlem Lacrosse students, and participate in conversations with members of the team. May be modified for covid safety.

Harlem Lacrosse is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Diversity of opinions, experiences, and backgrounds is a key asset. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information,