Education Specialist

Job Title: Education Specialist (Full-Time)

Reports to: Senior Education Specialist

Location: New York City; Hybrid position that will require travel to assigned program locations in other boroughs & HQ located in Mid-town.

Schedule: Monday-Friday; 10am-6pm

FLSA Status: Exempt

Salary: $64,500 (non-negotiable)

Why You’ll Love Working at LEAP

At LEAP, we don’t just build great programs — we build a great place to work. You’ll thrive here if you’re excited to be part of a mission-driven, people-centered, and joy-filled team.

We are:

🌱 Community-oriented, believing in a shared moral responsibility

🎨 Creative, flexible, and open-minded

🚀 Collaborative and mission driven

✅ Accountable to ourselves, each other, and our goals

🌟 Committed to feedback and clear, consistent communication

🌍 Champions of a compassionate and inclusive culture

💖 Supporters of self-care and the well-being of others

🎉 And above all… FUN!

At LEAP, you’ll be empowered to grow, lead, and make a lasting impact — all while being part of a community that values who you are and what you bring.

About the Role

Are you passionate about helping young people thrive in dynamic out-of-school time environments? Do you believe in the power of great instruction and thoughtful curriculum to unlock student potential? If so, you might be the next Education Specialist on our team.

In this role, you'll be a key driver of instructional excellence across a portfolio of 6–9 DYCD-funded after-school sites. You'll partner directly with Program Directors and front-line staff to strengthen lesson design, deepen youth engagement, and elevate educational outcomes. You'll also shape how we train and support educators internally, helping to build a learning culture rooted in coaching, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

This is more than a compliance role — it’s a strategic opportunity to raise the bar on program quality and impact for the communities we serve.

What You’ll Do

Coach & Support Site Teams

• Conduct regular site visits to observe programming, provide actionable feedback, and model best practices in instructional facilitation, classroom management, and youth development.

Strengthen Curriculum & Lesson Design

• Review, refine, and approve lesson plans to ensure alignment with DYCD quality indicators and age-appropriate engagement strategies.

Lead Professional Development

• Design and deliver engaging training sessions for part-time and full-time staff that build instructional skills, cultural responsiveness, and youth-centered design.

Drive Quality Improvement

• Collaborate with the Senior Educational Specialist to co-create tools, rubrics, and systems that help measure and improve instructional quality across all sites.

Build Capacity

• Work side-by-side with Program Directors to develop the instructional leadership of their teams, ensuring each site is prepared to deliver high-quality educational and enrichment activities.

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for a learning leader who is energized by building the capacity of others, and who believes deeply in educational equity and culturally responsive practice.

Core Competencies & Strengths:

• Instructional Expertise: Deep knowledge of lesson planning, facilitation, and youth engagement rooted in K–12 or after-school education.
• Coaching & Adult Learning: Demonstrated success coaching adults, providing feedback, and/or facilitating professional development.
• Relationship Building: Ability to connect, influence, and collaborate with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Equity & Inclusion Mindset: Commitment to inclusive, culturally relevant, and strengths-based practices in education and youth work.
• Systems Thinking: Organized, proactive, and able to balance short-term needs with long-term program goals.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Youth Development, Curriculum & Instruction, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• At least 3 years of experience in formal or informal K–12 education, youth development, or after-school program leadership.
• Familiarity with NYC DOE or DYCD programmatic standards is a strong plus.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING

Pre-employment screening is required for this position, including but not limited to criminal history checks by regulating agencies as needed per placement.

WE ARE AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Please note: In accordance with organizational policy, LEAP does not sponsor individuals on O-1 visas.