Tax Program Director

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position: Program Director

Program: VITA Tax Program

Reports to: Senior Program Director

Salary Range: $80,000 to $105,000

Full-Time - VITA Tax Program Director

About This Opportunity

We welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences. If you are passionate about advancing economic justice and possess strong leadership skills, we want to hear from you.

This senior leadership role provides strategic direction and high-level oversight of Ariva’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and meaningful community impact. The Program Director supervises full-time and seasonal staff, oversees dozens of volunteers, leads program design and evaluation, and cultivates partnerships with funders, city and state agencies, and community organizations. This position plays a key role in shaping Ariva’s long-term strategy to build financial stability in the Bronx and other underserved communities.

About Ariva

MISSION: Our mission is to bring economic justice, opportunity and inclusion to our Bronx neighbors and other underserved communities across New York City.

VISION: We envision a world where all New York City residents experience economic justice, financial inclusion, and the opportunity to build financially empowered and prosperous lives.

We offer free comprehensive financial capabilities services and free income tax assistance at locations around New York City. Information on our projects and programs can be found at

Position Description

Ariva is seeking a Program Director to join our leadership team. The Program Director is an experienced manager with demonstrated leadership abilities who works with us to develop, launch, execute, and evaluate effective programs that support vulnerable and underserved residents of our community.

Ariva is one of the most established non-profit organizations providing free tax assistance in the Bronx. We are an IRS-sponsored VITA program and a Certified Acceptance Agent for ITINs. The program serves over 8,000 New Yorkers each year.

The Program Director must have proven experience in managing, cultivating, and retaining staff. The Program Director will oversee a team of 5 full-time, year-round staff, 20-25 seasonal staff, and about 100 volunteers.

This is a full-time position with an average schedule of approximately 45 hours per week, with the possibility of additional hours during the income tax filing season. The position requires some evening and weekend availability to support community-based programs. During the main filing season (January–April), the Program Director may be expected to work most evenings and Saturdays. Face-to-face in-person service is an essential component of this position. This role involves frequent local travel to sites throughout NYC.

Responsibilities

The Program Director provides strategic and operational leadership for Ariva’s VITA tax program. The Program Director directly oversees projects and tax sites, supervises staff, ensures IRS-compliant service delivery, cultivates partnerships, and provides coverage as needed to ensure seamless, high-quality service at all sites. The Program Director's responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Primary Responsibilities

Program Leadership

● Set the overall vision and strategy for the assigned financial capability programs in alignment with Ariva’s strategic plan.

● Design, implement, and evaluate new and existing programs.

● Lead program budget development, monitoring, and financial reporting of assigned programs.

● Serve as a key contributor in agency strategy sessions with executive staff and the Board.

● Oversee contract management, including compliance and invoicing.

● Monitor performance and reporting for all assigned tax sites and projects, ensuring ongoing compliance with IRS and local funder requirements.

● Ensure a highly professional and client-centered environment at all tax sites.

● Identify, implement, and monitor tax time savings and asset-building initiatives.

● Coordinate program integration strategies with Ariva’s financial counseling program.

● Review and approve communications content (website, social media, outreach materials).

● Support succession planning and cultivate leadership capacity within the program team.

Team Management & Operations

● Recruit, mentor, and supervise full-time program staff.

● Develop and implement long-term professional development and staff retention strategies.

● Recruit, mentor, and supervise site coordinators and seasonal staff during tax season.

● Ensure tax sites have adequate equipment, technology, and supplies.

● Maintain safeguards to protect client privacy and data security.

● Maintain a secure and accurate equipment inventory of laptops and peripherals, ensuring security and antivirus software are up to date.

External Relations & Representation

● Represent Ariva in meetings with funders, city agencies, and external partners.

● Design and oversee community outreach and marketing campaigns that build a sustainable client pipeline.

● Develop and maintain a sizable client story bank.

● Cultivate and sustain partnerships with community-based organizations, financial service providers, and other host partners where the tax sites operate.

The Program Director will also have lead responsibility for the following initiatives:

● Oversee Ariva’s ITIN program. Ensure that Ariva’s ITIN program is fully compliant with all IRS requirements.

● Oversee Ariva’s Senior Citizen Tax Initiative, a program focused exclusively on the tax needs of seniors in our communities.

Core Competencies:

● Minimum five years of experience in income tax preparation, preferably some in VITA sites. Multiyear seasonal site experience is acceptable.

● Minimum three years of experience in program management, including direct supervision of staff.

● A demonstrated commitment to and experience working with low-income people and in low-income communities.

● Extraordinary customer service skills and high standards of professionalism.

● Skilled in managing, motivating, and supporting staff and volunteers.

● Strong project management skills; ability to manage multiple projects with varying goals, requirements, and timelines.

● Ability to simultaneously manage several busy tax sites.

● Cultural competence to provide services to the diverse members of our community.

● Adept at building and sustaining strategic partnerships with funders, community organizations, and government agencies.

● Computer-literate; comfortable with data management, data entry, and reporting.

● Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, including public speaking.

● Familiarity with CRMs, especially Salesforce and tax software (currently TaxSlayer)

● Contract or grant management experience and skills.

● Able to work in person and engage in frequent local travel to visit multiple tax sites, primarily in the Bronx.

● Willing and able to be flexible in their work schedule; able to accommodate evening and weekend hours to support the tax sites during tax season

Compensation & Benefits

● Salary: $80,000 - $105,000, commensurate with experience

● Subsidized health and dental insurance

● Generous paid time off

● 401K retirement plan

● Additional employee benefits

To apply: Interested applicants should email their resume and cover letter to Maribel Montilla at [email protected]. This posting will remain open until the position is filled.

"Ariva is an Equal Opportunity Employer"

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $80,000.00 - $105,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Health insurance

Work Location: In person