Product Lead / Toy Program Manager (Staff or Senior Volunteer)

Product Lead / Toy Program Manager (Staff or Senior Volunteer)

Organization: Mentor A Promise (MAP)

Division: Creative Products, Education & PromisePlay

Location: Remote via Google Meet and/or New York City (as needed)

Type: Staff (Part-Time) or Senior Volunteer (Unpaid)

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit dedicated to supporting children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability. Through mentorship, literacy development, social-emotional learning, creative expression, and storytelling, MAP designs programs and products that honor dignity, imagination, and learning.

MAP’s toy and product initiatives extend our stories beyond the page—transforming characters, worlds, and values into tangible tools for play, comfort, and growth.

Purpose of the Role

The Product Lead / Toy Program Manager oversees the vision, development, and coordination of MAP’s toy and physical product initiatives. This role bridges storytelling, education, design, and production—ensuring that toys and products are safe, meaningful, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with MAP’s mission.

The Product Lead manages the full lifecycle of toy concepts, from idea to prototype to production readiness, while coordinating cross-functional teams and external partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategy and roadmap for MAP’s toy and physical product initiatives
• Translate stories, characters, and educational goals into toy concepts
• Manage product timelines, milestones, and deliverables
• Collaborate with writers, illustrators, educators, and SEL specialists
• Coordinate with designers, manufacturers, and vendors as needed
• Ensure toys align with developmental, safety, and educational standards
• Support prototyping, testing, and iteration processes
• Maintain documentation, spec sheets, and product requirements
• Support budgeting, sourcing, and cost-awareness in collaboration with leadership
• Ensure products reflect trauma-informed, culturally responsive design
• Participate in planning meetings, reviews, and feedback cycles
• Check and respond to emails daily, with responses within 48 hours

Qualifications

• Experience in product management, toy development, consumer products, or program management
• Strong ability to manage timelines, stakeholders, and creative workflows
• Understanding of child development, play-based learning, or educational products
• Ability to translate abstract ideas into concrete product requirements
• Strong communication, organization, and decision-making skills
• Commitment to ethical, inclusive, and mission-driven product design

Bonus (Not Required)

• Experience working with toy manufacturers or product vendors
• Familiarity with safety standards for children’s products
• Experience with prototyping, materials selection, or manufacturing processes
• Background in education, SEL, or children’s publishing
• Bilingual or multilingual abilities (Spanish or Haitian Creole preferred)

Commitment

• 5–10 hours per week
• Minimum 6-month commitment preferred
• Remote collaboration with optional NYC-based participation

What You’ll Gain

• Leadership experience in mission-driven product development
• Portfolio-relevant toy and product management work
• Collaboration with creative, education, and operations teams
• Professional references and letters of recommendation
• The opportunity to help transform stories into tools for play, learning, and comfort

How to Apply

Please submit:

• Resume via idealist
• Short written summary (2–4 paragraphs) describing your product or toy development experience, approach to mission-driven design, and availability

Email materials to:

hr@mentorapromise.org

Subject Line: Product Lead / Toy Program Manager – Mentor A Promise

Or apply directly here:

https://forms.gle/ptgy2zBZXJB1q7GV8

Build with care. Turn stories into objects that children can hold, play with, and grow alongside.