Debate Program Director

About us

Debate Spaces is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers young people to advocate for themselves and their communities by cultivating critical thinking, empathy, and confidence through cross-cultural debate education. We envision an interconnected world, where dialogue is driven by understanding instead of fear, and where communities find common ground while celebrating their differences. We believe that debate is an immensely valuable activity for youth, both in teaching them skills that they can apply to their daily lives and in inspiring them to think critically about issues affecting our society.

Founded in 2016 to create a space for middle school students to connect across social and economic divides in South Africa, Debate Spaces went global in 2020. Our flagship program, the Debate Spaces Academy facilitates debate education within the context of intercommunity bridge building. For some students, this means access to debate programs currently lacking where they live; for all students, the Academy offers a powerful combination of cultural empathy and critical skills typically reserved for wealthy traveling debate teams.

From a few dozen students taught by volunteer educators, Debate Spaces has grown to serve hundreds of debaters from more than 30 countries with world-class debate coaches—all at no cost to students. Our goal is to continue this growth and bring high-quality debate education to more communities than ever, and we are seeking a Program Director who can help us realize that vision.

About the position

Based in New York City, the Program Director will serve two complementary roles: establishing debate teams at local partner schools while expanding and improving our virtual programs for the international debate community. Success will require a Program Director who brings a passion for our mission and an ability to grow and improve debate education in both in-person and remote environments. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Program Director will play a key role in designing, strategizing, and implementing unique and impactful debate opportunities that further Debate Spaces’ mission.

Debate Spaces is partnering with local secondary schools to integrate debate education. Starting in the 2024-25 academic year, this means creating and coaching debate teams at two middle schools: designing and implementing curricula for public forum and parliamentary debate, facilitating practices, collaborating with school staff and parents, and coordinating competitions at local and virtual tournaments. In subsequent years, the partnership will grow to include high school programs, as well as extend debate education into the classroom. 

The Program Director would also lead the development of new debate education initiatives that maximize the potential of virtual programs to promote cross-cultural exchanges. The Program Director will build bridges in the debate community through a network of collaborative practices and tournaments. Combined with the increased scale of our weekend Academy programs, these initiatives will extend world-class, cross-cultural debate education to more students in more places than ever before.

This is a hybrid position that requires both in-person and virtual day-to-day work. The start date for this position is mid-August and will continue year-round. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis with interviews likely to begin as soon as possible.

Salary & Benefits

• The starting salary range for this position is $55,000-$60,000, commensurate with experience and skills
• Competitive benefits including retirement, generous paid time off, and HRA are provided

Responsibilities

The Program Director will support Debate Spaces’ mission by taking a leading role in the development and implementation of innovative in-person and remote debate education programs. As a key member of a small, growing nonprofit organization, the Program Director will have multiple responsibilities, including (but not limited to) the following:

Program Growth and Strategy

• Engage in big-picture vision and goal-setting, working with organization leadership to align program growth with our mission
• Implement a cycle of reflection and innovation to effectively grow both student participation and program impact
• Contribute to organization-wide strategic decision-making and maintain program data to facilitate evidence-based approaches

In-person Coaching

• Design and implement a world-class middle school debate curriculum focused on year-long skill growth in both public forum and parliamentary debate
• Recruit and retain students at multiple secondary schools through a combination of in-person and joint virtual practices
• Establish and maintain a positive and supportive team culture through enrichment and parental involvement
• Identify opportunities for competition and supervise students at tournaments
• Promote and celebrate competitive success while maintaining Debate Spaces’ emphasis on the broader role of debate skills in students’ lives

Virtual Program Implementation

• Oversee major programmatic efforts, such as the Debate Spaces Academy, joint practices, roundtable topic discussions, guest speaker programs, and virtual international tournaments
• Plan and direct programs to ensure a positive experience for all students, volunteers, and parents
• Coordinate and support volunteer instructors and student leaders with high-quality materials and clear communication
• Manage the recruitment and retention of individual students and group partnerships
• Use data to evaluate successes and challenges of the program and work with leadership to implement solutions to identified challenges
• Implement cross-cultural debate opportunities that cultivate critical thinking, empathy, and confidence for students regardless of their background

Skills, Qualifications, and Qualities

The following qualifications and skills are required for this position:

• A demonstrated passion for cross-cultural debate education that promotes critical thinking, empathy, and confidence
• Experience coaching debate; familiarity with public forum and/or parliamentary debate
• Experience with student-centered curriculum design, lesson planning, and lesson delivery 
• Enthusiasm for volunteerism; experience recruiting and supporting volunteers is a plus
• Commitment to community building, both among program participants and with broader networks of parents, teachers, and partner organizations
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Energetic, adaptive, and entrepreneurial mindset; takes initiative
• Strong event planning and organizational skills with attention to detail for multiple events at different stages of development
• Ability to work with ethnically, culturally, socially, and economically diverse groups of students, volunteers, staff, and partners
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate and solve problems
• Saturday availability during the school year (September - June) for tournaments and other weekend programs
• Must live in the NYC area and be able to commute to both Manhattan and the Bronx for twice-weekly in-person practices

The following qualities are not required, but the ideal candidate will also exhibit the following qualities:

• Expertise in a variety of debate and forensics events
• Familiarity with the NYC and/or international debate communities
• A working knowledge of customer relationship management, event management software, social media, design tools, and communication systems
• Experience in education nonprofits and/or secondary school classrooms
• Proficiency in delivering professional development to educators and instructors of all experience levels and backgrounds

Debate Spaces is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of our organization. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment that celebrates our differences and allows everyone to bring their full selves to work.