In-School Programs Director (Co-Director Role)

826 Boston seeks a dynamic candidate with a strong command of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles to serve as our In-School Programs Director. The ideal candidate is an experienced educator who has a passion for writing and youth leadership development. The ideal candidate is someone who can lead large-scale projects while coordinating the work of others across multiple program sites, build and leverage strong networks to cultivate meaningful relationships with students, teachers, school leaders, volunteers, and community partners, and approach challenges with creativity and speed.

The In-School Programs Director will co-lead the In-School Programs Department with a fellow program director and directly supervise at least three program managers. The In-School Programs Department currently consists of six Writers’ Room programs.

Our Mission: 

826 Boston is a nonprofit writing, tutoring, and publishing organization where students in grades K-12 and beyond can share their stories, amplify their voices, and develop as leaders in school and in life.

Responsibilities: 

The In-School Programs Director will work 40 hours a week and is expected to be in-person at an 826 Boston office or program site at least three days/week (Monday-Thursday). In-school programming typically takes place between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, with some occasional evenings. 826 Boston office or program sites are located in Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and Hyde Park. 

The In-School Programs Director can also anticipate being in-person at our Tutoring center located at 3035 Washington Street in Roxbury approximately one Friday per month. Applicants must reside in Massachusetts before the role starts.  

Program Management

• Establish annual goals for the In-School Programs Department in alignment with organizational-wide priorities and strategic plan; monitor and report out progress quarterly


• Ensure In-School Programs result in students receiving high quality writing tutoring support, publication opportunities, and leadership roles that strengthen their writing, creative self-expression, and critical thinking skills and instill in them a deepened sense of self-confidence and self-empowerment


• Support the expansion of 826 Boston’s programs portfolio in alignment with the organization’s strategic plan and current five-year campaign for growth, resulting in eight Writers’ Rooms, 20 Boston Public School partner sites, and 5,000 students served annually across the full programs portfolio


• Conduct three formal observations each year and twice monthly site visits for each program in portfolio; co-lead beginning and end-of-year school leadership meetings with program managers


• Ensure accurate program data across the In-School Programs Department, including tracking volunteer and student attendance, ensuring the completion of student and teacher surveys, administering the annual writing assessment, and collecting student release forms


• Manage the In-School Programs Department budget, guiding resource allocation and resource deployment and ensuring accurate record keeping of expenses

Department Management 

• Provide coaching and guidance to the growing In-School Programs Department, comprised of 16+ full-time staff members, 25+ part-time interns, and 200+ volunteer tutors


• Guide In-School Programs Department staff in establishing team goals and individual work plans in support of department goals


• Collaborate with the Senior Director of Programs to identify, plan, coordinate, and lead monthly monthly professional development sessions for Programs Department staff


• Supervise at least three program managers who are responsible for running individual Writers’ Room at partner sites across the city and and who directly supervise one or two program assistants 


• Lead opportunities to strengthen and increase cross-team and cross-department communication, collaboration, and community

Additional Responsibilities

• Liaise with 826 National and the network of chapters, attending monthly Program Director cohort calls


• Provide counsel, guidance, and thought partnership to the Senior Director of Programs 


• Provide support at select outreach and fundraising events, including nights and weekends on occasion


• Support organization-wide summer programming


• Provide other services as reasonably requested by the Senior Director of Programs

Qualifications: 

The ideal candidate is a team player with a steadfast commitment to improving the quality of K-12 education, including adopting antiracist/anti-oppressive approaches, a desire to work in a collaborative and inclusive culture, and a passion for youth empowerment through cultivating a love for learning, academic enrichment, writing, and publishing.

826 Boston recognizes that impostor syndrome and the confidence gap might prevent some applicants from applying. Few candidates will have all of the relevant experience listed below, but 826 Boston is committed to assessing candidates with transferable skills and a willingness to be trained for this role.

Skills and Experiences: 

• 5+ years professional experience working in a K-12 school, education, or youth development nonprofit


• Prior experience supervising others and leading a team


• Demonstrated commitment to fostering community, building a strong sense of team, and embracing values of diversity, equity, and inclusion


• Ability to give and receive feedback with humility, regulation, and tact


• Comfortable adapting to change in a fast-paced environment; ability to undertake several tasks simultaneously and manage them effectively


• Knowledge of and fluency with social and racial justice, intersectionality, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ history, and historic/current systems of oppression


• Ability to incorporate anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices into analysis, planning, and programming


• High level of intercultural competence and experience working in urban communities


• Ability to take initiative, demonstrate flexibility, and thrive in a fast-paced environment


• Familiarity with the Boston Public Schools system, particularly the schools in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Jamaica Plain


• Ability to travel between 826 Boston offices and school partners, including some locations that are not ADA accessible


• Proficiency in Spanish, Haitian Creole, or Cape Verdean Creole preferred but not required


• Experience with Canva, Google Apps, Salesforce and InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, or similar design tools preferred

Compensation

826 Boston offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience in a similar position, with the potential for an annual performance-based bonus. The salary for this position is $72,000 annually. 

We offer competitive salaries and benefits and are committed to equity, trust, and transparency in compensation. Basing compensation on someone’s ability to negotiate or their prior salary can lead to inequities and bias in how people are paid, particularly for groups experiencing historical oppression. Therefore, we do not ask for prior pay history from our candidates, and our offer-making process is negotiation-free for salaries and benefits. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary based on internal equity and the budgeted amount for the role. 


Benefits include flexible work from home options, generous paid time off (including 15 PTO days, 5 days of sick leave, 13 paid holidays, 6 Summer Fridays off, and an organization-wide two-week winter break); health, dental, and vision insurance (826 Boston covers 80% of premiums), parental leave, paid sabbatical, and more.

This is an exempt, full-time position that reports to the Senior Director of Programs. The ideal start date is July 1, 2026.

826 Boston Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement 

At 826 Boston, we honor and actively work toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across our organization. We are committed to centering the voices of the students who we serve, to creating inclusive spaces, and to incorporating feedback from our community into our decision-making processes. Our DEI lens is always evolving through the courageous conversations in which we participate and the relationships that we build through our work and service. We strengthen our cultural competency through experience, training, and feedback, which informs the development of all new organizational practices and goals and the evaluation of all existing procedures.

826 Boston is dedicated to providing a platform for student advocacy through writing and publishing opportunities. In our work and mission, we are committed to dismantling white supremacy culture by recognizing that we are complicit in systems of racism and oppression. We will work to hold ourselves accountable in addressing these harmful structures and behaviors. 

About Us

826 Boston is part of a national network of youth writing centers, co-founded by the award-winning author Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari, that were named in GOOD Magazine’s “30 Places We Want to Work.” Since opening in 2007, 826 Boston has delivered its free youth writing and tutoring programs to more than 35,000 students and has been recognized by The Boston Globe as one of the best places in the city to volunteer. 826 Boston’s youth writers have published their work in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and in numerous award-winning 826 Boston books, including A Place for Me in the World, which was hailed as a “triumph of middle school education” by The Boston Globe. In 2013, the 826 National network garnered the prestigious American Literacy Prize awarded by the Library of Congress. In 2025, 826 Boston was named one of the Bostonians of the Year for our steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Accommodations

826 Boston provides reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities at every stage of the application process. Disclosing a disability or requesting a need for accommodations is a separate process from admissions and will have absolutely no bearing on a candidate’s application status. 826 Boston will make every effort to meet your request, but specific requests are not guaranteed. If you need to request an accommodation, please contact Catherine Gomez at [email protected].

How to Apply

Please include why you are interested in 826 Boston and how your experience has prepared you for this position in your cover letter. The priority application deadline for this position is April 10, 2026. After that date, applications will be considered on a rolling basis. It is in your best interest to apply as soon as possible.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.