School Leadership and Innovation Partner, NYC

About the Role/Purpose:

The School Leadership and Innovation Partner, NYC primarily supports BPL’s efforts to influence student-driven career exploration at scale across NYC. This role supports leaders and educators in providing student-driven learning opportunities, refining practice and driving school improvement, while modeling continuous improvement, relationship- and trust-building, collaboration, and creative solution-making. This NYC-based School Partner will join an NYC-based team of dynamic educators and advocates for youth voice and opportunity, as well as a team of coaches supporting schools across the country.

Primary Responsibilities: specific scope includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Provide school and leadership coaching and professional development to teachers and principals, primarily in schools across NYC in support of BPL's key design elements, and in particular its student-centered approach to real-world learning.
• Support BPL’s partnership in NYCPS’ career-connected learning initiatives FutureReady NYC and the Career Readiness and Modern Youth Apprenticeship program (CRMYA), including:
  • Providing coaching, technical support and on-site support to school teams to meet Key Implementation Measures (KIMs) around FRNYC pillars of career-connected instruction, work-based learning, personalized advising, early college credentials, and financial literacy
  • Collaborate with coaches from other organizations through regular coach huddles and city-wide Community of Practice events
  • Maintain records detailing coaching support, schools’ KIM progress, and notable school achievements.
• Plan and facilitate activities to support the cultivation and maintenance of a community of practitioners implementing real-world learning programming, including trainings and convenings for school leaders and others
• Develop and support networking efforts to fulfill BPL’s mission, vision and priorities
• Ensure the success of complex projects through planning, collaboration, and regular project reporting through face-to-face and virtual meeting updates, and written reports using technology and digital tools
• Participate in organization-wide trainings, meetings, and events, including monthly staff meetings and annual BPL Conferences
• Support the planning and execution of BPL’s National Leadership Summit, which will be hosted in NYC in January 2026.
• Collaborate proactively and productively with BPL NY team, other School Partners, and other staff or team, as needed
• Collaborate with colleagues to address organizational changes needed to support successful implementation of new initiatives, including structures, processes, and systems
• Willingness to travel throughout NYC (and beyond) on a regular basis, including for coaching visits to schools across the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan as well as monthly in-person team meetings.
• Support efforts to foster fairness, belonging, and equal opportunity while actively advocating for justice at the personal, organizational, and systemic levels
• Other responsibilities may be assigned based on organizational need and individual skills and interests

Qualifications, Requirements, and Skills:

• BA, ideally with an MEd, MBA, MPA, or related advanced degree. However, as research demonstrates that education requirements can be a deterrent for qualified candidates to apply, we encourage all candidates with the professional experiences and leadership qualities outlined in this position specification to apply.
• 5+ years’ experience in educational leadership and/or facilitating professional development/coaching.
• Experience working in/with NYC Public Schools, and navigating NYC academic policy, strongly preferred.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented project manager
• Experience with data collection a project evaluation preferred
• Experience/familiarity with BPL’s approach to student-centered real-world learning
• Documented track record of success working with schools/teams serving:
  • Students growing up in poverty
  • Students of color
  • Students with Learning Disabilities
  • Immigrant Youth & English Language Learners
  • Learners dealing with trauma

Organizational Skills

• Steadfast belief that students should be at the center of their own learning and that education (in particular public education) is due for a reorientation that allows students to be confident in the pursuit of their own passions and interests
• Strong internal accountability (especially important due to the geographic spread of BPL’s work and our virtual teams), comfort juggling multiple projects and prioritizing tasks, and the ability to work remotely in distributed teams across multiple time zones
• Ability to exhibit entrepreneurial behaviors, take ownership, and see tasks and ideas through from conception to implementation
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills (speaking, writing, listening) in person and virtually
• Commitment to continuous improvement, a relentless approach to growth and learning, and an openness to constructive critical feedback
• Collegial and empathetic approach to working with others, while bringing a creative, flexible and thoughtful approach to your work
• Ability to use - or quickly learn - multiple tech platforms (i.e., Google Suite, Salesforce, Asana)

Candidates for this position must share our passion and commitment for rethinking the possibilities of education for decades to come. We steadfastly believe that students should be at the center of their own learning and that education (in particular public education) is due for a reorientation that allows students to be confident in the pursuit of their own passions and interests.

The geographic spread of BPL’s work and the fact that all BPL staff work virtually, requires individuals to have strong internal accountability. The organizational culture supports flexible and contextually appropriate decision making processes. As a result, individuals who thrive in BPL are comfortable juggling multiple projects and prioritizing tasks, advancing the work in the face of uncertainty, willing to take risks, exhibit entrepreneurial behaviors, take ownership and see tasks and ideas through from conception to implementation, and possess the communication and interpersonal skills needed to work well with people at all levels of the organization.

Application Process and Timeline:

Confidential inquiries are welcomed. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a final deadline of September 1st.

Desired Start Date Window: ASAP pending new hire availability.

Click Here To Apply

You will need to provide the following documentation:

1. Thoughtful and Tailored Cover Letter of Introduction (≤ 2 pages)
2. Resume/CV
3. List ≥ 2 Professional References

Location:

Hybrid - The majority of the BPL organization is fully remote, but our NYC-based team follows a hybrid schedule which includes working from home, coaching schools in person and virtually (schedule varies), and attending other in-person events (as necessary).

Reports to:

Program Director, New York Internship Pathways Community

Compensation

• BPL provides a competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Annual salary range for this position is $87,000–$117,000 annually for full-time; part-time salary will be prorated accordingly.

Benefits Package

• Fully paid medical, vision, and dental coverage
• Fully paid life insurance policy, including short term and long term disability insurance
• Pension plan which includes a company contribution of 5% of your salary with 100% vested after 6 months of employment
• Eight (8) weeks paid parental leave, four (4) weeks of medical leave after 12 months on staff
• Thirteen (13) paid holidays, plus 2 religious floater holidays
• End of year holiday break (from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day)
• Eleven (11) personal/sick days, plus paid birthday
• Eighteen (18) days of paid vacation, which is earned and accrued at 1.5 days/month beginning the first full month of employment

Other workplace benefits offered full time employees

• Use of company laptop computer
• Printer/copier/scanner for home office
• Office supplies for home office
• Cell phone bill is paid or can become part of the company plan. BPL will pay up to $400 towards the purchase of a new phone

Eligibility Requirement: U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency

Please note that this position requires the candidate to be a U.S. Citizen or a permanent resident with pre-approved work authorization. Due to the nature of this role and to comply with federal regulations and/or contractual obligations, only citizens and residents are eligible for employment. Proof of U.S. citizenship/residency will be required as a condition of employment.

About BPL

It is our vision that all students live lives of their own design, supported by caring mentors and equitable opportunities to achieve their greatest potential. We move forward prepared to activate the power of schools, systems & education through student-directed, real-world learning. www.bigpicture.org

At BPL, we are practitioners and practice the implementation of truly innovative designs. We are story doers and we work with an intensity and drive that rivals any other organization or business. We relentlessly focus on elevating the voice of students, parents, and communities. At BPL, innovative and valuable ideas matter more than the role of the person sharing them. We work together to achieve our mission because we know we can accomplish more as a team. Many BPL team members report that

the "family feel" of our organization is what makes our work so rewarding. Working at BPL is a vibrant and ongoing learning experience and we seek to offer all staff the opportunity to experience work that aligns with the ten student expectations described in Leaving to Learn.