Innovation manager

Reports to: Curriculum Director

Department: Program Innovation Team

The Innovation Manager works closely with our listening partners—schools, nonprofits, youth sports programs, and family service providers—to design and deliver the Girls Leadership social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum that is informed by listening activities with girls and gender expansive youth and their adult influencers.

The Innovation Manager also facilitates programming to test lessons in all-gender classrooms and youth-serving spaces, ensuring that every young person experiences SEL in ways that foster play, belonging, courageous growth, and authentic communication.

This role is guided by the core values of Girls Leadership:

• Play – designing lessons and activities that are engaging, joyful, and developmentally meaningful.
• Inclusion & Belonging – creating environments where every youth feels seen, heard, and valued.
• Courageous Growth – supporting youth and adults to reflect, take risks, and stretch their leadership capacity.
• Authentic Communication – fostering honest, empathetic, and effective dialogue between youth, peers, and adults.

Key Responsibilities

1) Direct Programming & Youth Listening (35%)

• Recruit a minimum of 15 participants (girls or gender-expansive youth) for each Empower Club.
• Lead Empower Club programming for girls and gender-expansive youth in partner schools and organizations.
• Facilitate sessions to listen to youth and extract learning to inform lesson plans and Girls Leadership curriculum.
• Record youth feedback, learnings, and daily logs; upload data into tracking systems.
• Test lessons in all-gender classrooms and youth-serving spaces to ensure SEL is effective and inclusive.

2) Curriculum Innovation & Design (40%)

• Collaborate with the Innovation program team to design and implement a K–12 curricular scope and sequence.
• Innovate, create, or adapt SEL lessons using a culturally responsive, healing-centered approach informed by youth input.
• Support out-of-school programming by creating content for sports and family programs.
• Lead needs assessment processes and focus groups with youth to identify priority areas for curriculum development.
• Design, facilitate, and iterate lessons and activities based on youth input.
• Test lessons in advisory or circle time for school partnerships and group sessions for out-of-school partners.
• Evaluate lesson effectiveness through informal and formal assessments and revise as needed.

3) Professional Development & Adult Support (10%)

• Support adult listening for training content development through connections with educators, nonprofit professionals, sports coaches, and family service providers.
• Facilitate Girls Leadership professional development trainings, virtually and in-person, as needed.

4) Collaboration & Team Engagement / Other Duties (15%)

• Participate in cross-team meetings and collaborative projects.
• Attend professional development trainings and workshops.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the mission and culture of Girls Leadership.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements

• Experience teaching and knowledge of SEL, particularly with middle and high school youth.
• Experience working with school-age children in direct service programming.
• Strong understanding of gender implications in leadership development and racial awareness and culturally responsive practices.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed and healing-centered teaching strategies.
• Strong curriculum writing and development skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, modeling authentic communication.
• Ability to work across multiple New York area locations within the designated region.
• Experience facilitating adult trainings.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience conducting youth focus groups or needs assessments
• Knowledge of mindfulness and self-compassion practices.
• Background in educational theater or arts-integrated learning.
• Experience with project-based learning and design thinking.
• Experience building partnerships with schools and community-based organizations.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and comfortable working independently with accountability.
• Degree in education or a related field.
• We are committed to building a team that reflects the lived experiences of the young people we serve.

Additional Information

• Location/Format: Hybrid. Requires in-person work at schools, afterschool programs, sports programs, and training sites.
• Compensation & Benefits: Full-time, exempt. Annual salary: $81,500.
• Benefits include health insurance, optional dental/vision coverage, vacation time, separate sick time, 11 holidays, and eligibility for a 401(k) plan after one year.

Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to [email protected] with “Innovation Manager” in the subject line.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: Up to $81,500.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person