English & Language Arts Instructional Design Team Lead (Volunteer)

Learning Design & Educational Programs

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Location: Remote

Type: Volunteer (ELA Leadership & Instructional Design Role)

About Mentor a Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit serving children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, literacy, social-emotional learning (SEL), and creative expression. MAP designs learning experiences that are safe, engaging, culturally responsive, and grounded in dignity.

Instructional design at MAP is not abstract—it directly shapes how young people learn, regulate emotions, build skills, and experience consistency during instability.

Role Overview

The English & Language Arts Team Lead (Volunteer) guides the design, development, and refinement of MAP’s literacy-based learning materials. ELA learning design at MAP directly shapes how young people build literacy skills, develop voice, and experience consistency during instability. This role provides leadership for the ELA team, ensuring that instructional content is aligned with MAP’s mission, trauma-informed practices, and developmental needs across K-12.

The Team Lead collaborates with educators, program leaders, writers, and researchers to ensure materials are effective, age-appropriate, and culturally responsive.

Key Responsibilities

• Generate scope and sequence for each grade level
• Lead the design and refinement of ELA instructional materials, literacy lessons, and reading/writing learning modules
• Provide guidance, feedback, and support to ELA team members
• Translate program goals into clear literacy-focused learning objectives and outcomes
• Apply trauma-informed, child-centered, and culturally responsive instructional strategies
• Support development of lesson plans, facilitator guides, and literacy activities
• Review and improve existing ELA materials for clarity, accessibility, and engagement
• Ensure alignment of ELA instructional content with developmental stages (K-12 as applicable)
• Collaborate with program, research, and creative teams
• Support evaluation and iteration based on feedback and outcomes

Qualifications

• Educational background in English, Literacy, Reading, ELA Education, Curriculum & Instruction (ELA focus), or a closely related field
• Experience in instructional design, curriculum development, literacy education, or learning sciences
• Strong understanding of literacy development, learning objectives, scaffolding, and assessment
• Ability to design for diverse learners and learning environments
• Experience mentoring or supporting other educators or designers
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Alignment with MAP’s mission and trauma-informed values

Preferred Skills

• Experience with SEL, youth development, or trauma-informed literacy instruction
• Familiarity with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• Experience designing for informal or nonprofit learning environments
• Comfort working with digital or blended learning formats
• Background in literacy education, reading instruction, or instructional technology

Commitment

• Volunteer role
• Approximately 5-10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment preferred
• Fully remote

What You’ll Gain

• Hands-on experience designing mission-driven literacy content
• Collaboration with educators, researchers, and program leaders
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• The opportunity to shape literacy experiences for youth facing instability
• A meaningful role in advancing equity-centered education

How to Apply

Interested candidates must apply directly through Idealist and submit:

• Resume (required)
• Cover letter (required) describing ELA instructional design experience and interest in MAP’s mission
• Sample work (lesson plan, curriculum, or learning design sample preferred)

For questions, email hr@mentorapromise.org

Help design literacy experiences that offer structure, safety, and possibility - when young people need it most.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with our organization. At this time, volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals based in the United States due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, and programmatic requirements. We appreciate your interest in our mission and your understand