Chief of Higher Education (Volunteer)

Chief of Higher Education (Volunteer)

PromiseRise | Higher Education, Career Pathways & Workforce Development

Organization: Mentor A Promise

Location: Hybrid / Remote

Type: Volunteer Senior Leadership Role

Reports To: Executive Director (CEO)

Works Closely With: PromiseLearning, PromisePublic, PromiseBridge, PromiseMeasure, Program Leadership, Institutional Partners, Workforce & Higher Education Stakeholders

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children and youth experiencing housing instability through mentorship, education, literacy, social-emotional learning, creative expression, and community-centered programming.

MAP believes educational access and long-term opportunity should not be determined by housing instability, economic hardship, or systemic inequities. As students grow, access to higher education, workforce development, internships, career exposure, and professional mentorship becomes essential to long-term stability, mobility, and self-determination.

About PromiseRise | Higher Education, Workforce & Opportunity Pathways

PromiseRise is MAP’s higher education, workforce development, and career pathways division. The division focuses on building sustainable systems that help students transition successfully from K–12 education into college, careers, internships, leadership opportunities, and long-term economic mobility.

PromiseRise works to expand access, remove barriers, strengthen institutional partnerships, and ensure students and families are equipped with the guidance, resources, exposure, and support necessary to navigate higher education and workforce systems with confidence.

Role Overview

Mentor A Promise is seeking a visionary, collaborative, and systems-oriented Chief of PromiseRise / Chief of Higher Education & Career Pathways to lead the organization’s long-term strategy surrounding college access, workforce development, internships, institutional partnerships, and opportunity pathways for youth.

This executive leadership role is responsible for designing and overseeing scalable systems that connect students to meaningful educational and career opportunities while ensuring alignment across MAP’s broader educational and community-based mission.

The Chief of PromiseRise serves as the senior strategic leader responsible for advancing MAP’s higher education and workforce ecosystem through partnership development, program oversight, pathway design, institutional collaboration, and long-term impact planning.

The ideal candidate understands that opportunity access is not simply about placement — it is about equity, exposure, systems navigation, confidence, sustainability, and long-term transformation.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and lead MAP’s long-term higher education, workforce development, and career pathways strategy
• Establish clear organizational goals, benchmarks, and measurable outcomes for PromiseRise initiatives
• Develop scalable systems that support student progression from early educational engagement into higher education and career opportunities
• Advise executive leadership on emerging trends, policies, partnerships, and workforce development opportunities

Program Development & Systems Oversight

• Oversee the development and operational coordination of college readiness, internship, career exploration, mentorship, and workforce pathway initiatives
• Ensure programs are sustainable, mission-aligned, student-centered, and operationally structured for long-term growth
• Support integration between PromiseRise initiatives and broader MAP educational and mentorship programs
• Help build systems that strengthen continuity between academic support, career exposure, leadership development, and long-term opportunity access

Partnership & Institutional Development

• Build and maintain relationships with colleges, universities, workforce organizations, employers, training programs, foundations, and institutional stakeholders
• Develop internship, fellowship, mentorship, apprenticeship, and career exposure opportunities for students
• Collaborate with PromiseBridge and senior leadership to strengthen institutional partnerships and long-term collaboration opportunities
• Represent MAP professionally in conversations with external educational and workforce partners

Student Opportunity & Pathway Access

• Help ensure students and families have access to structured guidance, resources, exposure, and pathways into higher education and workforce systems
• Support equitable access to educational and career opportunities for historically underserved communities
• Promote dignity-centered, student-focused practices that prioritize empowerment, belonging, and long-term success

Data, Outcomes & Organizational Impact

• Collaborate with PromiseMeasure to establish impact metrics related to college access, workforce participation, internships, and student outcomes
• Use data and program insights to improve systems, strengthen effectiveness, and support organizational learning
• Support leadership reporting, partnership updates, and long-term strategic planning efforts

Cross-Division Collaboration

• Collaborate with PromiseLearning to align educational programming with long-term student pathways
• Work with PromisePublic and PromiseVoice to strengthen outreach, storytelling, and public awareness regarding educational opportunity and workforce equity
• Ensure alignment and communication across MAP divisions and leadership teams

Leadership, Operations & Organizational Stewardship

• Help build and guide the long-term structure, priorities, and operational direction of PromiseRise
• Foster collaborative leadership, accountability, responsiveness, and mission alignment across teams
• Maintain timely, professional communication and coordination through Google Workspace systems including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Meet, and Google Chat

Qualifications

Required

• Demonstrated leadership experience in higher education, workforce development, college access, career pathways, youth development, or related fields
• Strong strategic planning, organizational leadership, and partnership development experience
• Experience building relationships with educational institutions, employers, workforce systems, or community organizations
• Strong communication, collaboration, and systems-thinking abilities
• Ability to operate professionally within a mission-driven, cross-functional environment
• Alignment with MAP’s mission, values, and dignity-centered approach to youth development

Preferred

• Experience within nonprofit, educational, public-sector, workforce, or youth-serving organizations
• Familiarity with college readiness programs, internship systems, workforce pipelines, or postsecondary success initiatives
• Experience supporting underserved or historically underrepresented communities
• Experience with program evaluation, outcomes tracking, or impact measurement
• Understanding of educational equity, workforce access, and long-term youth development systems

Commitment

• Volunteer senior leadership role
• Approximately 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment preferred
• Hybrid / remote with optional NYC-based collaboration opportunities

What You’ll Gain

• Executive-level leadership experience helping shape a growing educational and workforce development division
• Opportunity to build systems that create meaningful long-term opportunities for youth and families
• Collaboration with executive leadership, educators, institutional partners, and community leaders
• Professional references and leadership development opportunities
• Meaningful work expanding access to higher education, career pathways, internships, and economic mobility

How to Apply

Interested candidates must apply directly through Idealist and submit the following:

• Resume (required)
• Cover letter (required) describing relevant experience in higher education, workforce development, youth opportunity systems, or institutional partnerships and interest in MAP’s mission

Help build pathways that extend beyond graduation — creating opportunity, stability, confidence, and long-term possibility for young people and families.

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, operational, data privacy, and programmatic requirements. We sincerely appreciate your interest in supporting our mission and understanding these constraints.