Director of Programs and Prevention Education

Job Title: Director of Programs and Prevention Education

Reports to: Executive Director

Location: Based in Manhattan’s Chinatown

Employment Type: Full-time, Exempt

Salary Range: $85K-$95K, plus benefits

Start Date: Immediate

Applications: Open Until Filled

About the Organization

A community-based nonprofit rooted in New York City’s Chinatown/Lower East Side, Immigrant Social Services, Inc. (ISS) provides culturally responsive programs that support children/youth, families, and older adults—offering afterschool programs, prevention education, and access to resources that promote wellbeing, equity, and community care. Our work centers those often overlooked in systems of care—monolingual immigrant households, low-income Asian American youth, and multigenerational families navigating complex social and economic challenges.

As a small nonprofit, we value authentic relationships, collaboration, and building programs alongside the communities we serve. We are entering an exciting stage of growth and are looking for a leader who is energized by both strengthening existing programs and helping shape what comes next.

Position Summary

The Director of Programs and Prevention Education provides strategic and hands-on leadership for ISS’s prevention and youth development programs. The Director will oversee a portfolio of culturally responsive prevention initiatives focused on youth development, substance use prevention, health navigation, community education and training, outreach, and family-centered programming. This work includes supporting programs that strengthen protective factors, respond to community needs, and help youth and families increase their awareness of risks related to substance use, problem gambling, and mental and overall wellbeing.

The ideal candidate brings a systems lens, deep community roots, and a commitment to prevention as a pathway to equity. The Director will provide leadership for Prevention Services staff development, program quality, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement in alignment with NY State’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) standards, funder requirements, and community needs. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, this new role will serve as a strategic thought partner in strengthening prevention programming, systems, and community impact.

Organizational Approach

Prevention begins long before a crisis. It lives in trusted relationships, connected families, strong communities, and opportunities for young people and families to thrive. We believe prevention is most effective when it reflects the values, experiences, and strengths of the communities it serves. In communities where conversations about behavioral health, substance use, and mental wellbeing may be shaped by stigma or cultural expectations, we see prevention as an opportunity to build trust, strengthen belonging, and expand access to support in ways that honor community strengths and lived experiences.

Leadership Approach

We believe effective leadership is relational, collaborative, and grounded in both vision and action. The successful candidate will be someone who enjoys building: strengthening and growing programs, supporting staff growth, creating systems, and fostering partnerships.

Because ISS is a small and evolving organization, this role combines strategic leadership with thoughtful, hands-on engagement. The successful candidate will move fluidly between program strategy, staff development, community partnerships, and operational problem-solving, knowing when to personally lead an initiative and when to develop systems and capacity through others.

What Success Looks Like

In your first year, you’ll build strong relationships with staff and community partners, strengthen core program systems, and identify opportunities to deepen the impact and sustainability of ISS’s prevention work. Working closely with the Executive Director, and with an in-the-trenches approach, you’ll help guide the continued evolution of prevention programming. You will ensure existing services remain responsive to youth, families, and community needs, and are impactful.

Leadership Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Strategic Vision

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of culturally responsive, community/school-based programs focused on prevention education, youth development, and behavioral health promotion.
• Drive a holistic prevention approach that addresses the root causes of substance misuse and supports protective factors for youth and families, especially in Asian American/immigrant and under-resourced communities.
• Identify opportunities to deepen impact, strengthen promising practices, and evolve programming in response to community needs and emerging approaches in prevention, behavioral health and youth services.

Contract, Compliance & Quality Oversight

• Provide leadership in ensuring prevention programs meet NYS OASAS standards, government contract requirements, and organizational expectations.
• Serve as the primary program liaison to government and private funders, ensuring successful contract implementation, reporting, and compliance with funding requirements.
• Lead quality assurance, continuous quality improvement, and evaluation efforts to support high-quality prevention programming and achievement of program goals.
• Partner with finance, development, and organizational leadership to support budgeting, grant reporting, audits, and long-term funding sustainability.

Evaluation, Learning & Program Improvement

• Strengthen systems for program monitoring, data collection, evaluation, and performance measurement to inform decision-making and demonstrate program impact.
• Use data, community feedback, and program outcomes to guide continuous improvement and strengthen prevention programming.
• Lead the preparation of reports, presentations, and communications for funders, partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Foster a culture of learning and accountability across the team by centering evaluation as a tool for growth, reflection, and shared responsibility.

Staff Supervision & Capacity Building

• Supervise a small team of program staff; provide coaching, support, and accountability to promote quality implementation and professional growth.
• Foster a strong team culture that values lived experience, collaboration, and a shared commitment to community wellbeing.
• Ensure staff meet training and credentialing requirements (e.g., CPP, CASAC, etc.), and coordinate ongoing professional development aligned with prevention and program goals.
• Assess staffing and organizational capacity needs and collaborate with the Executive Director on future hiring, role development, and team structure.

Community Engagement & Partnership Development

• Cultivate and sustain strong partnerships with schools, community-based organizations, coalitions, faith leaders, and neighborhood stakeholders to advance prevention goals and community care.
• Represent ISS in community partnerships, coalitions, and cross-agency collaborations while elevating community voice in shaping prevention priorities and program development.
• Partner with staff and community stakeholders to strengthen a shared understanding of prevention as a culturally responsive approach to supporting youth, families, and community wellbeing.
• Advocate for culturally intelligent prevention approaches by helping translate evidence-based prevention frameworks into strategies that resonate with Asian American and immigrant communities, reduce stigma, and strengthen community trust in prevention efforts.

Organizational Leadership & Development

• Partner with the Executive Director and senior leadership to shape organizational strategy, guide organization-wide planning, and support long-term sustainability.
• Contribute to proposal writing, grant reporting, and organizational planning, while helping identify opportunities for sustainable funding and program growth.
• Bring a prevention and community-centered lens to cross-departmental initiatives and organization-wide decision-making.

Core Qualifications

• NYS OASAS-recognized prevention credential (CPP, CASAC, LMSW, or equivalent).
• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive leadership experience in nonprofit, prevention, education, behavioral health, or human services settings, including program development, staff supervision, and organizational leadership.
• Experience managing or overseeing government-funded programs, grants, or contracts, including familiarity with compliance, reporting, and accountability requirements.
• Knowledge of prevention frameworks (e.g., Strategic Prevention Framework), including risk and protective factors, evidence-based strategies, and environmental approaches.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, strengthen, and evaluate community-based programs that respond to evolving needs.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships with community partners and diverse populations through culturally responsive, community-centered approaches.
• Strong project management, organizational, writing, and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and collaborative leadership abilities.

Additional Strengths

• Experience working with and having relationships built with Asian American, immigrant, multilingual, low-income, or other historically underserved communities.
• Familiarity with NYC government funding systems and contracts (e.g., OASAS, DYCD, DOHMH).
• Experience with youth development, community education, family-centered programming, and prevention-focused outreach.
• Experience integrating youth voice, racial equity, and community organizing into prevention or human services work.
• Experience developing or facilitating group education, trainings, or community learning initiatives.
• Bilingual or bicultural background relevant to the communities served is a plus, along with sensitivity to cultural issues and the needs of youth and parents from diverse backgrounds.
• Naloxone, First Aid, and/or CPR certifications, or willingness to obtain certification.

To apply: send resume and cover letter to hr@issnyc.org

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check and/or fingerprinting (department-dependent), which will be conducted following a conditional offer of employment in adherence to NYC Fair Chance Act guidelines.

Bilingual or bicultural background relevant to the communities served is a plus, along with sensitivity to cultural issues and the needs of youth and parents from diverse backgrounds.