Assistant Project Director, Project Achieve

Advocates For Children (AFC) is a dynamic social justice organization that strives to ensure a high-quality education for New York students who face barriers to academic success, focusing on students from low-income backgrounds. AFC works on behalf of children and youth who are at greatest risk of academic failure due to poverty, race, ethnicity, disability, homelessness, immigration status/limited English proficiency, or involvement in the child welfare or juvenile/criminal legal systems. We use uniquely integrated strategies to advance systemic reform, empower families and communities, and advocate for the educational rights of individual students.  

AFC grounds our work in our organization’s values:  

• Family-Centered: We listen to what families want for their children and empower them with information and support.  

• Expertise: We ground our advocacy in more than 50 years of experience with the NYC public schools and deep knowledge of the legal and education systems affecting the students and families we serve. 

• Passion: We are united by our unrelenting drive to dismantle obstacles to education and our unwavering dedication to NYC’s students and families. 

• Community: We foster collaboration and inclusive practices within our team and with outside partners so we can learn from different perspectives and unite in advancing our common goals. 

• Justice: We view the law as a powerful tool to bridge gaps in access to education and help families from under-represented communities fight for their rights. 

• Impact: We recognize that our value lies in the difference we make in the lives of students and their families and push ourselves to achieve concrete results.  

For more information on AFC, see www.advocatesforchildren.org.

Job Summary

AFC seeks an attorney to fill the role of Assistant Project Director on Project Achieve, our program that has been fighting for the educational rights of students in New York City’s foster system for over 20 years.  Many students in the foster system face tremendous barriers to educational success, due to frequent school changes, high rates of disability, and trauma associated with their foster care placement. Project Achieve trains professionals, parents, and youth on the rights of students in foster care; secures services for students in foster care whose educational needs are not being met; and builds upon our on-the-ground experience to advocate for policy changes that will benefit all students in the City’s foster system.  

The Assistant Project Director will partner with the project’s Director, Senior Education Specialist, and Staff Attorney to support all aspects of Project Achieve, including providing legal representation to individual students, consulting with foster care agency staff, delivering trainings, and engaging in policy advocacy at the state and local level. The Assistant Project Director will also work closely with New York City Public School’s Foster Care Office and representatives from the Administration for Children’s Services, the Bureau of Early Intervention, and other external stakeholders. This position will report to the director of Project Achieve. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides ongoing technical assistance to foster care agency staff. 
• Develops and maintains resources, materials, and directories to support education advocacy for students impacted by the foster system. 
• Conducts trainings for youth and families impacted by the foster system and the professionals who support them, including Education Specialists, Coaches, caseworkers, educators, service coordinators, legal advocates, and others. 
• Advocates on behalf of students and families experiencing school-related difficulties involving special education, school discipline, enrollment, transportation, and other issues. 
• Represents students at IEP meetings, suspension hearings, Manifestation Determination Reviews, special education hearings, mediations, and appeals. 
• Leads aspects of Project Achieve’s policy advocacy to improve the educational experiences of youth in the foster system, including organizing allies, drafting public comments, meeting with public officials, speaking with the press on behalf of AFC, and testifying before the City Council. 
• Works with the Project Director to develop annual project goals, draft grant proposals, and report to funders. 
• Assists with supervision and training of attorneys, advocates, and interns on Project Achieve. 
• Assumes Project Director’s responsibilities as needed.  

Qualifications

• Understanding of and alignment with AFC’s mission. Please review AFC’s work at www.advocatesforchildren.org. 
• Law degree required, with admission to the NYS bar preferred. 
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience with education, education advocacy or the foster system. 
• Desire to learn, both as an individual and as part of an organization, and apply diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism principles. 
• Demonstrated commitment and ability to empower the families that are the focus of AFC’s mission. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience conducting trainings or presenting to groups. 
• Strong interpersonal skills; the ability to engage with a variety of stakeholders across cultures, identities, and ethnicities and negotiate effectively in collaborative and adversarial contexts. 
• The ability to manage projects, set priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently or as a member of a team.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends and to travel within the five boroughs. 
• Spanish proficiency preferred but not required. 
• Proficient in Microsoft Office programs: Word, Outlook, SharePoint.

How to Apply

Candidates should submit a resume and cover letter highlighting why you are interested in this role at AFC and how your experience aligns with the Assistant Project Director position, including any personal or professional experience that demonstrates your connection to the populations that AFC serves.  

The position is available immediately, and resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Due to the high volume of applicants, only qualified candidates will be contacted.  

Compensation

This is a full-time position, with a salary in the range of $100,552 – $141,560 depending on experience, and includes a comprehensive benefits package.   

This position is expected to work at least 2 days a week in the office and remotely on the remaining days. 

ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION INFORMATION

AFC’s current compensation package includes medical and dental insurance, with a plan option that covers full payment of medical plan premiums for staff and their qualified dependents.  AFC has generous time-off policies that include 10 federal holidays, office closure between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and 15 vacation days and 15 paid time off days in the first year of employment.  AFC also offers a 403(b) plan with a fully vested employer match and coverage of the premium cost of life insurance and short-term and long-term disability insurance.

AFC is an equal opportunity employer that actively seeks to recruit and retain a diverse staff and encourages all applications including from people of color, persons with disabilities, parents of persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or gender expressions and persons of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. 

AFC is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability or other protected characteristic. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment, including the application process. For more information and to request an accommodation, contact Human Resources at HR@advocatesforchildren.org.