Program Manager

Mission and Vision

Through the joyful art and practice of social dances, Dancing Classrooms cultivates engaged learners, collaborative leaders, and inclusive spaces. We envision a world that values social dance as foundational to every child’s well-being and joy, celebrates the beauty of diversity, and amplifies our shared humanity.

Organizational Overview

Dancing Classrooms (DC) cultivates engaged learners, collaborative leaders, and inclusive spaces through the joyful art and practice of social dances. Through standards-based, in-and-out-of-school residencies, we strive to create a more equitable, just, and joyful world by dancing together. Made famous by the acclaimed 2005 documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom”, Dancing Classrooms has been a leader in social dance education for 30 years, partnering with hundreds of NYC schools to deliver its portfolio of programs to thousands of students in the NYC Metro area each year. In addition to our local programs, we also operate the DC Institute, a national network of educators and nonprofits delivering Dancing Classrooms' programs in their local communities. Since our founding, DC has served over 750,000 children globally.

Our Culture:

DC believes in the potential of every student and is dedicated to cultivating their artistic, physical, cognitive and social skills in order to support their long-term success. Our culture thrives by putting the remarkable young people we serve at the center of everything we do. Having worked remotely for several years, DC team members are proactive and self-driven, but also thrive in a collaborative environment where flexibility, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit are encouraged and celebrated. Kindness, compassion, empathy and respect are at the forefront of the way we treat each other, our students, our teaching artists, our school partners, and our supporters. We strive to embrace our role as life-long-learners and to embrace diversity, inclusion, and cross-cultural understanding.

Position Overview:

The Program Manager (PM) works in close collaboration with other members of the Program team and DC Teaching Artists (TAs) to support the growth, promotion, administration, logistics, and overall management of DC’s NYC-area programs. Reporting to the Program Director, the PM is a highly organized program professional who values excellent customer service experience, looking to join a dedicated team and grow in their nonprofit career. Working both in a team setting with other Program team members and individually, the PM will be the main point-of-contact for schools, after-school programs and organizations engaging with DC and for TAs delivering in and out-of-school programs. In addition, the PM will work with the Program Director to strategically grow DCs programs in out-of-school time (after school, school breaks, summer, weekends, etc.).

With a good sense of humor and ability to remain graceful under pressure, the PM must be engaging, approachable, and able to navigate difficult customer service situations. They must be committed to maintaining the standards of excellence and joy for which Dancing Classrooms is so well known, and are at the heart of our pedagogical values, the Dulaine Method. Flexible, adaptable, and comfortable shifting priorities when needed, the ideal candidate will have a strong work ethic and experience working in an energetic, fast-paced environment. They must be passionate about Creative Youth Development and dance education, and dedicated to student success and social-emotional wellbeing.

Requirements and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education, along with 3+ years of experience in nonprofit or education administration, preferably in programs, arts education, or youth development.
• Demonstrated self-starter and proactive problem solver, able to elevate challenges and collaborate with leadership to develop solutions
• Strong organization and project management skills with ability to balance multiple priorities, high-volume case loads, and complex tasks
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Must be tech savvy and comfortable delivering high-quality customer service and communication through multiple channels
• Passionate about the mission and work of DC
• A knowledge of social dance practices, NYS Dance Standards and the NYC Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance encouraged
• Experience working in or with NYC public schools and/or NYC after school settings a plus
• Demonstrated commitment to:
  • Culturally responsive and culturally sustaining education
  • LGBTQ+ and disability inclusivity practices in education
  • Social emotional learning
• A willingness to learn new skills, try new things, and “dive in”
• Experience in and/or willingness to develop expertise in the following areas:
  • Zoom, Salesforce, Google Suite, Slack, mailchimp, Google Classroom, Asana
• Must be comfortable working remotely, with ability to travel (drive or public transportation) to NYC area schools for in-person visits / events

Key Roles include:

Program Administration

• Schedule and support residencies in- and out-of-school in all five boroughs, New Jersey and Westchester
  • Schedule classes and meetings, communicating with teachers and school or program administrators by phone/zoom/email, managing multiple calendars and keeping records of the services delivered
  • Keep meticulous records on residency scheduling, pricing, purchase orders, and more as needed to support Operations in accurate bookkeeping
  • Prepare and track accurate budgets for residency programs, including grant-funded programs
  • Assist Finance and Operations departments as needed in residency billing, assist in the collections of residency receivables, and gather data necessary to generate calendars and payroll reports
  • Together with the other Program Team members, work to assign teaching artists to residencies to help ensure productive and successful student learning
  • Lead (in-person and/or virtual) orientation meetings between teachers, staff and TAs
  • Ensure that TAs are equipped with necessary program support materials, including videos, music, history guides, etc.
  • Support TAs as needed to set up and plan for Culminating Events, helping to ensure proper representation of DC
• Lead administrative and logistical support of all other out-of-school DC programs
  • Work with Program Director and Education Director to identify new partnerships and opportunities for out-of-school programs
  • Provide scheduling, communication, billing and programmatic support as above
  • Work with Program Team to schedule TAs and classes for DC school-break programs
• Provide ongoing support for Teaching Artists
  • Together with the Education and Program Directors, provide technical and program development support to TAs
  • Work with Education and Program Directors to address challenges with partners or residencies as needed
  • Provide support in the creation, distribution and collection of informal and formal feedback from school / community partners and families, including (but not limited to) creating and tracking surveys
• Additional administrative duties as needed

Marketing and Promotion

• Together with the Program Team and Education Team, lead efforts in promoting DC programs to new partners in NYC, NJ and/or Westchester, including after-school organizations, schools / CBO summer camps, community organizations, faith-based organizations, and government-run programs
• Together with Program Team, support marketing of DC programs, including creating and maintaining school contact lists, drafting copy for eblasts, and proofing materials as needed
• Represent DC in all necessary communications with current and potential partners
• Cultivate positive relationships with school/organization administrators and teachers to inform and support multi-year partnerships with DC

Special Events

• Represent DC as needed at community and DC special events, including but not limited to DC’s Annual Gala, Colors of the Rainbow Team Match, Culminating Events and NYCPS vendor fairs
• Work with the Program Director, Education Director and Senior Teaching Artists to execute all elements of regular Colors of the Rainbow Team Matches and/or other cross-school celebrations
• Support annual TA training, TA auditions, and DC institute convenings as needed

Status & Compensation:

The Program Manager is a full-time, exempt employee and receives an annual salary ranging from $60,000-$65,000, commensurate with experience and aligned with company-wide pay equity. Dancing Classrooms works remotely year-round, with weekly in-person meetings and semi-flexible schedules determined by the needs of each department and/or supervisor. DC offers a comprehensive benefits package including employee/employer contribution health care coverage, employee-contribution 401K options, employee-covered pre-tax commuter benefits, employer support for remote workspace setup needs, and generous paid time off. All full-time employees participate in ongoing professional development and other group and 1:1 professional growth opportunities.

Location:

NYC-based. Primarily remote, with in-person hours at meetings or school visits, average of 1-2 days per week.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter detailing your experience and expertise in the aforementioned qualifications. Please send application materials to jobs@dancingclassrooms.org, with the subject line “Program Manager Position”. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, with a targeted start date no later than October 26th, 2026

Dancing Classrooms encourages applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply for roles that align with their own interests and career trajectory. If you meet a majority of the qualifications and see yourself in this role, we would love to see your application! Dancing Classrooms is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, dedicated to ensuring diversity in our workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, parental needs, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you are an applicant who requires a reasonable accommodation to apply for the Program Manager position, please send an email to jobs@dancingclassrooms.org with your request.

For more information about Dancing Classrooms please visit dancingclassrooms.org.

The Program Manager is a full-time, exempt employee and receives an annual salary ranging from $60,000-$65,000, commensurate with experience and aligned with company-wide pay equity. Dancing Classrooms works remotely year-round, with weekly in-person meetings and semi-flexible schedules determined by the needs of each department and/or supervisor. DC offers a comprehensive benefits package including employee/employer contribution health care coverage, employee-contribution 401K options, employee-covered pre-tax commuter benefits, employer support for remote workspace setup needs, and generous paid time off. All full-time employees participate in ongoing professional development and other group and 1:1 professional growth opportunities.