Senior Director of Intellectual Property & Creative Rights (Volunteer)

Senior Director of Intellectual Property & Creative Rights (Volunteer)

PromiseTrust | Intellectual Property, Publishing & Media Rights

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: PromiseTrust

Location: Remote / Hybrid (NYC Collaboration as Needed)

Type: Volunteer Senior Leadership Role

Commitment: Approximately 5–10 Hours Per Week

Minimum Commitment: 6-Month Commitment Required

Reports To: Deputy General Counsel & Chief of Legal Operations

Works Closely With: Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel, Chief of Content & Storytelling, Chief Product & Technology Officer, Chief Education Officer, Executive Leadership Team, PromiseStudios, PromisePress, PromiseVoice, PromiseBrands, and PromiseStack

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit organization supporting children, youth, and families experiencing housing instability through mentorship, literacy, educational enrichment, social-emotional learning, creative expression, publishing, technology innovation, workforce development, and community-centered opportunity.

As MAP continues to expand its publishing, media, education, and technology initiatives, protecting the organization's intellectual property becomes increasingly important. Every book, podcast, curriculum, film, brand asset, educational resource, and technology platform represents an investment in the future of the communities we serve.

About PromiseTrust

PromiseTrust serves as Mentor A Promise's Legal Division and provides leadership in:

• Legal Affairs
• Governance
• Compliance
• Risk Management
• Contracts & Agreements
• Intellectual Property
• Publishing Rights
• Media Rights
• Organizational Accountability

PromiseTrust helps safeguard the ideas, content, innovations, and creative assets that support MAP's mission and long-term growth.

Role Overview

Mentor A Promise is seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Director of Intellectual Property & Creative Rights to lead the organization's intellectual property, publishing rights, licensing, media rights, and creative asset protection initiatives.

This leader serves as MAP's senior authority on intellectual property strategy and rights management and is responsible for helping ensure that the organization's books, curriculum, podcasts, films, brands, technology products, educational content, and creative works are properly protected, documented, licensed, and managed.

The Senior Director will oversee:

• Copyright
• Trademark
• Licensing
• Publishing agreements
• Podcast rights
• Film rights
• Curriculum rights
• Technology-related intellectual property
• Creative asset protection
• Rights governance and administration

This role helps ensure that the ideas and creative works developed by MAP remain protected, sustainable, and aligned with the organization's mission.

Core Responsibilities

Copyright Management

Lead and oversee:

• Copyright protection strategies
• Copyright registration support
• Content ownership documentation
• Creative works protection
• Educational resource rights management
• Intellectual property monitoring

Help ensure MAP's creative and educational assets remain protected and properly managed.

Trademark & Brand Protection

Support and oversee:

• Trademark strategy
• Brand asset protection
• Logo and visual identity protection
• Naming rights administration
• Brand usage governance
• Intellectual property monitoring

Partner closely with PromiseBrands and executive leadership.

Licensing & Rights Management

Oversee:

• Licensing agreements
• Content usage permissions
• Educational licensing opportunities
• Intellectual property partnerships
• Rights administration
• Licensing compliance

Help ensure MAP's intellectual property is used responsibly and strategically.

Publishing Agreements & Rights Administration

Support and manage:

• Author agreements
• Publishing agreements
• Editorial agreements
• Contributor agreements
• Distribution rights
• Publishing partnerships

Partner closely with PromisePress and PromiseStudios to support MAP's growing publishing ecosystem.

Podcast, Film & Media Rights

Oversee:

• Podcast release agreements
• Guest agreements
• Media releases
• Film rights administration
• Documentary rights management
• Distribution permissions
• Creative content rights tracking

Help protect MAP's expanding media portfolio.

Technology & Digital Asset Protection

Partner with PromiseStack to support:

• Software ownership frameworks
• Technology intellectual property protection
• Platform rights governance
• Digital asset ownership
• Content ownership policies

Help protect MAP's growing technology ecosystem and digital assets.

Creative Asset Governance

Develop and maintain:

• Rights management systems
• Creative asset inventories
• Contributor agreements
• Volunteer creator agreements
• Asset ownership documentation
• Usage standards and guidelines

Help create consistency across MAP's creative operations.

Organizational Education & Guidance

Provide guidance involving:

• Copyright awareness
• Trademark considerations
• Licensing best practices
• Content ownership standards
• Intellectual property policies
• Creative rights education

Help strengthen organizational understanding of intellectual property and creative rights management.

Leadership Responsibilities

The Senior Director provides leadership and oversight for:

Intellectual Property Counsel

Responsible for:

• Copyright matters
• Trademark matters
• Intellectual property guidance
• Rights protection strategies

Licensing Manager

Responsible for:

• Licensing agreements
• Permissions management
• Rights administration
• Licensing compliance

Publishing Rights Specialist

Responsible for:

• Publishing agreements
• Author and contributor rights
• Editorial rights administration
• Publishing documentation

Media Rights Coordinator

Responsible for:

• Podcast rights
• Film and documentary rights
• Media releases
• Content permissions management

Qualifications

Helpful experience may include:

• Intellectual Property Law
• Copyright Law
• Trademark Law
• Publishing
• Licensing
• Media Rights
• Entertainment Law
• Content Rights Management
• Digital Media
• Creative Industries

Strong candidates often demonstrate:

• Intellectual property expertise
• Publishing or media experience
• Contract review experience
• Rights management experience
• Strategic thinking
• Exceptional organizational skills
• Strong communication abilities

Experience working with publishers, authors, filmmakers, podcasters, educational organizations, technology companies, media organizations, or creative industries is highly valued.

JD strongly preferred.

Licensed attorney preferred but not required for exceptional intellectual property and rights management professionals.

First-Year Priorities

Within the first year, this leader will help:

• Develop MAP's intellectual property governance framework
• Create centralized rights management systems
• Standardize publishing and contributor agreements
• Strengthen trademark and copyright administration
• Build licensing and permissions processes
• Protect MAP's educational, creative, and technology assets
• Develop intellectual property policies and guidance
• Support growth across publishing, media, and technology initiatives

Success Measures

Success in this role includes:

• Strong intellectual property protection
• Effective rights management systems
• Consistent publishing and licensing practices
• Protected creative and educational assets
• Strong trademark and copyright governance
• Reduced intellectual property risk
• Improved organizational awareness of rights management
• Increased operational efficiency in managing creative assets

Why This Role Matters

Mentor A Promise is building more than programs.

We are building books.

We are building curriculum.

We are building podcasts.

We are building films.

We are building technology.

We are building stories that can impact lives for generations.

The Senior Director of Intellectual Property & Creative Rights helps ensure that these assets remain protected, stewarded, and available to advance the mission for years to come.

This role protects the creativity behind the promise.

What You'll Gain

• Senior leadership experience within a growing nonprofit organization
• Opportunity to build a best-in-class intellectual property and creative rights function
• Collaboration with publishing, media, technology, education, and executive leadership teams
• Experience overseeing diverse creative, educational, and digital assets
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• Meaningful impact supporting children, youth, and families experiencing housing instability

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist and submit:

• Resume or CV
• Brief statement of interest
• Relevant intellectual property, publishing, licensing, media, legal, or creative rights experience

Please share experience involving:

• Copyright
• Trademark
• Licensing
• Publishing
• Media rights
• Intellectual property management
• Creative content protection

Help protect the ideas behind the mission.

Because today's book, podcast, curriculum, film, or technology platform may become tomorrow's lasting impact.

This role holds the pieces together.

From copyright to publishing to media rights—help ensure MAP's creativity, innovation, and intellectual property remain protected before opportunities are lost.

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 understanding of these constraints.