Director of Programs

ABOUT COOL CULTURE

Founded in 1999, Cool Culture exists to ensure that families of color, and families facing poverty have access to the cultural resources that all people need to thrive. We act in service of ensuring that families have resources and tools for joy and healing, self and collective expression; to celebrate their heritage and give voice to their stories; make connections across culture; and to take individual and collective action to secure a more just society for future generations.

We are a small and resourceful team that wears multiple hats, understands the importance of being agile and nimble in achieving our mission. The ideal candidate has a practice that is informed by a racial equity framework, and a deep understanding of equity and social justice that is actively integrated into their practice. We believe that our organizational culture must embody the change we want to see in the world. In line with this, they should enjoy working in an environment that privileges collaboration and interdependence over hierarchical structures and autonomy. They will also thrive in a small, fast-paced environment, and have an eye for identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement in our work. If this sounds like you, keep reading!

PROGRAMS

Cool Culture programs operate at the citywide and neighborhood level. Across NYC, Cool Culture connects a community network of over 50,000 families, educators from 450 early childhood centers and schools, and hundreds of museum staff from 90+ cultural institutions. We offer families free access to our partner cultural institutions, multilingual programs, resources and large-scale Family Festivals. We collaborate with educators through Seminars and Workshops designed to build family engagement and equitable learning environments; and we support museum staff to develop relationships with historically marginalized communities through co-design of programs and Cool Culture’s Family Audience Data Project. In our Neighborhood-based Initiatives, families participate in art activations in their schools and at museums; form Cool Culture Clubs to tour cultural institutions, create art, and, build community. They also curate exhibits and co-design Family Festivals in cultural venues for the larger community of families––all in collaboration with educators, museum staff, and local artists.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Director of Programs at Cool Culture will lead the Program Team in the visioning, design, facilitation, and assessment of CityWide and Neighborhood-based initiatives that work in partnership with marginalized families and communities, educators, artists and museum staff. The Director of Programs ensures that these initiatives are designed and delivered to center those most affected by inequity, amplify the voices and increase activism of families, build authentic relationships, and strengthen communities. The Director will also be charged with working with the Executive Director, Director of Development and Programs Team to continue the buildout of new cross-organizational systems for project management and for collection of quantitative and qualitative data and sharing with our community network, and will collaborate with the team to develop a multi-year plan for organizational sustainability and growth.

A transdisciplinary practitioner, the Director of Programs brings experience in all aspects of programming and program operations, from program and curriculum design to assessment, systems design, team management, development, and budgeting. The Program Team currently consists of the Assistant Director of CityWide, Programs Coordinator and a team of consultants. This position reports to the Executive Director and serves as the staff liaison for the Board of Directors’ Program Committee.

Specific Responsibilities Include:

Strategy, Program Design & Oversight

• Work in deep collaboration with the Executive Director and members of Cool Culture’s Team to guide the overall strategic vision and successful execution of organizational mission and programs. Work, in partnership with Cool Culture board, staff, key stakeholders, and supporters.
• Hire, manage, train, mentor, and motivate a collaborative, high-performing team of staff and consultants, focusing on staff development and fostering an inclusive work culture.
• Envision, manage, reimagine and implement bold and integrated programs that serve as a model in the field of family and community arts/culture engagement through popular education and cultural organizing frameworks, tools, and strategies grounded in reciprocity, accountability, and self-determination.
• Lead the Program Team in aligning all initiatives with Cool Culture’s mission to engage, activate and mobilize marginalized families, ensuring that each program is responsive to community priorities, and builds on the synergies of CityWide and Neighborhood-based programs.
• Support the team to develop, deepen, and maintain meaningful relationships with education and cultural institution partners, artists and other stakeholders that are part of Cool Culture’s community network.
• Develop, manage, and monitor rigorous program assessments, benchmarks, and evaluations with an eye towards values alignment and program refinement.
• Interface with the Cool Culture board and serve as the Liaison to the Program Committee. Utilize the committee as a resource and support in delivering successful and relevant programs.

Infrastructure & Systems Development

• Work with the Cool Culture’s Team and operations consultant to design and strengthen new infrastructure and management systems to support cross-organizational collaboration and ensure that program operations are effective, efficient and flexible.
• Oversee management of all program and administrative tools to ensure program operations are effective, efficient, and flexible.
• Develop, manage and monitor the Program budget in collaboration with the Program Team

Cross-Department Collaboration

• Support and collaborate with the Development and Communications departments as needed, including supporting grants management; supporting content creation that brings visibility to families’ voices, and ensuring coherence of initiatives across the organization.

Who You Are:

• You have at least 10 - 12 years of experience leading the design, facilitation, assessment, and sustainability of community arts engagement, popular education, and family engagement programs; and/or related fields.
• You have experience managing a highly collaborative team, cultivating shared commitments, and being attentive to individual working styles and needs; and identifying and facilitating staff development opportunities.
• You demonstrate a strong understanding and passion for diverse artistic expressions and cultural practices, with the ability to engage meaningfully with creative communities and contribute to culturally informed initiatives.
• You are a strong conceptual and strategic thinker that can both zoom into the details and out to see the systems, patterns, and connections
• You have extensive experience implementing systems that support the development and monitoring of multiple projects, and adapting to shifting needs – and a keen interest in contributing to the build out of rudimentary systems and to build new systems as needed
• You have demonstrated ability to build authentic, ongoing relationships with a variety of external partners to identify, enact, and achieve common goals.
• You have a well-honed analysis of issues of equity, structural racism and patriarchy and your own privileges

Other Core Attributes:

• Excellent knowledge of NYC’s arts and cultural landscape, including trends, best practices, and activism.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

Also a plus:

• Proficiency/fluency in Spanish, Haitian Creole, Chinese, or ASL.
• Excellent command of Microsoft Office and Google Apps.
• Familiarity with Salesforce, Canva, Adobe suite, or other design software.