Education Specialist: Brooklyn After School Programs - Good Shepherd Services

Good Shepherd Services is a leading multi-service agency with more than 85 programs that serve over 30,000 youth and families each year – and builds on their strengths to help them gain skills for success.  At Good Shepherd we respect the dignity and worth of every person and reject intolerance, inequity and injustice in whatever form it may take. Voted one of the top 100 places to work in NYC by Crain’s New York, Good Shepherd Services offers a fantastic work environment, a collaborative team dedicated to fulfilling our mission, and an amazing array of benefits. Join our team and help make a difference! 

For Full Time Employees Benefits/Perks:

• Tuition Assistance Program
• Generous paid time off (Including 5 Self-Care Days/Floating Holidays, 12 Sick Days, 15 Vacation Days, and 11 Holidays)
• Healthcare Plans (Medical, Dental, Vision, and Pet Care)
• 403(b) Plan (GSS contributes 3% of your salary to your 403(b) plan after 3 years of service, with contributions increasing over time) 

Candidates hired in this position will work in person but will have the flexibility to work remotely when program need allows.

The Education Specialist will plan and implement strategies to further the integration of Good Shepherd’s afterschool academic and enrichment framework, interface with program directors and school faculty to access curricular information and targeted learning standards and support innovative professional development opportunities that provide staff with opportunities to learn new models of facilitation and activity planning.

Reports to:     Vice President of Education & Vocation Programs (After Schools)

Location:        173 Conover Street, Brooklyn NY 11231

Hours:             35 Hours/Week; Exempt

Salary:             $46,212 - $57,765

Major Duties:

• Help create and support an environment of literacy conducive to effective learning and a feeling of belonging for all participants.
• Assist directors, assistant directors/coordinators and staff in finding and/or creating quality curricula and materials that align with programs’ academic and social emotional learning goals.
• Train staff (using a workshop model) and provide ongoing coaching on the development and implementation of sequenced activity plans to ensure focus and explicitness in activities such as literacy, STEM, visual arts, dance, theater, team-building and leadership.
• Contribute to planning and actualizing long and short-term objectives for the afterschool literacy and general academic enrichment programs in conjunction with education director and program directors.
• Provide technical assistance to group leaders to optimize homework time, ensuring that all participants’ needs are met.
• Assist in implementation of tutoring for participants in need of additional academic support.
• Work with afterschool staff to plan and co-facilitate/model sequenced activity plans, targeted to participants’ literacy and academic enrichment needs. Provide staff with tools and strategies that help them work together to facilitate activities.
• Advise and support staff on participant assessment in order to gain a better understanding of program success and areas in need of improvement.
• Work with education director, program directors and PEP (Program Evaluation and Planning) department to assess participants’ literacy progress, using research-based assessment tools and/or school data.
• Liaise (along with program director) and meet with designated school faculty to work on alignment of afterschool themes and learning objectives with the school day.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree Required. Masters Preferred.
• Expertise in effective instructional delivery techniques and excellent oral and written communication skills required.
• Knowledge of group and individual assessment tools and strategies required.
• Experience in lesson planning, curriculum development and implementation of structured programming for students in elementary and middle school required.
• Ability to differentiate curriculum and instructional methods in order to meet the needs of all learners and learning styles and the ability to teach others to do the same required.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships (including teamwork) with afterschool program staff, school staff and administrators, parents and participants required.
• Experience/expertise with staff development techniques (inc. creating and facilitating workshops, mentoring, coaching, etc.) strongly preferred.
• Experienced elementary and/or secondary teacher with background in developmentally appropriate reading techniques and remedial reading strategies a plus.
• Commitment to work from a strength based and/or youth development perspective required.

Good Shepherd Services is an equal opportunity employer that is proudly committed to becoming an anti-racist and multicultural organization that stands up for justice and equity. We welcome prospective employees from diverse backgrounds, for administrative support and direct service and leadership roles, who will join us on that journey, uphold our values and approach, and believe in our mission. Additionally, we aim to have a racially representative leadership and workforce that is reflective of the communities we work in partnership with.

Good Shepherd Services is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, participants, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and termination of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.

We are committed to providing a workplace that is accessible and accommodating to employees with disabilities. As part of our commitment to providing a barrier-free recruitment and selection process, we will provide reasonable accommodations upon request for candidates with disabilities. If you require any accommodations to participate in the hiring process, please inform us of your needs in advance. We value diversity and inclusivity in our workplace and encourage applicants of all abilities to apply.