Executive Director, Reading Partners New York

Reading Partners New York has been a part of the New York City educational landscape since 2011, when we first began placing community volunteers in public schools to help kids master basic reading skills. Through impactful one-on-one and small group tutoring, we don’t just teach literacy—we ignite confidence, curiosity, and a foundation for lifelong success. From 2024 - 2025, Reading Partners New York delivered over 30,000 tutoring sessions, reaching over 1,300 students with high-quality, individualized literacy support across four boroughs. We envision a future where every child—regardless of background - has access to high-quality, evidence-based literacy support. We are committed to empowering students with the foundational skills they need to become confident readers and lifelong learners.

As the largest region at Reading Partners, Reading Partners New York has established and built mutual and long-standing relationships with New York City Public Schools and community-based organizations to enhance the learning experience of students and to partner with communities to ensure that children find joy in reading. In collaboration with the Reads Neighborhood Initiative and community organizations like Children’s Aid and Grand Street Settlement, we expand access to high-quality learning experiences beyond the school walls. In 2026, Reading Partners New York is poised to reach more than 1,500 students, fueled by critical support from champions like the MetLife Foundation. Our 1,200+ volunteers and 55+ AmeriCorps members position Reading Partners New York to provide deep and focused support for in-person and virtual literacy programming to help students achieve impactful literacy growth goals. Read more about our impact here.

Our people are our heartbeat and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that truly works. Join our stellar, committed team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service. Watch this video to learn more about the mission and core tutoring work of Reading Partners.

The high level:

Reading Partners is seeking a dynamic and strategic leader to serve as the next Executive Director (ED) of Reading Partners New York, which is the largest region in our organizational portfolio. This role is responsible for setting the vision and conditions for regional success and positioning the organization to serve more students across the city. The ED will translate the national vision of Reading Partners into a local context and scale the impact of Reading Partners New York through the lens of literacy, equity, and community.

The Executive Director is an effective fundraiser, external representative, strategist, and regional operations leader. The ED spearheads the region’s partnerships with the New York City Public Schools and other strategically aligned partners. The ED also sets the vision and the course for Powered by Reading Partners' (PbRP) growth and expansion within the region.

Our people are our heartbeat and our greatest resource; we are all passionately rallied around our mission to help children become lifelong learners by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction that truly works. Join our stellar, committed team leading the charge to deepen our impact and expand our service. Watch this video to learn more about the mission and core tutoring work of Reading Partners.

The high level:

Reading Partners is seeking a dynamic and strategic leader to serve as the next Executive Director (ED) of Reading Partners New York, which is the largest region in our organizational portfolio. This role is responsible for setting the vision and conditions for regional success and positioning the organization to serve more students across the city. The ED will translate the national vision of Reading Partners into a local context and scale the impact of Reading Partners New York through the lens of literacy, equity, and community.

The Executive Director is an effective fundraiser, external representative, strategist, and regional operations leader. The ED spearheads the region’s partnerships with the New York City Public Schools and other strategically aligned partners. The ED also sets the vision and the course for Powered by Reading Partners' (PbRP) growth and expansion within the region.

They will be the primary face of Reading Partners New York City, managing fundraising and community partnerships, and have full bottom-line fiscal responsibility for the entire region. The ideal candidate is a social impact leader with deep connections with the educational and/or nonprofit sector(s) and possesses strong relationships with public officials, community-based organizations, and philanthropic leaders rallied around the educational success of children.

They bring experience leading diverse, layered teams and fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and equity-driven culture. They will guide staff and AmeriCorps members to achieve regional goals, impacting over 1,800 students and over 700 volunteers. They will lead programmatic and community engagement goals that are aligned with regional and national strategic plans. They will act as a coach, mentor, and inspirational leader to retain a collaborative and community-focused team. A deep commitment to educational equity and experience in building and leading racially diverse teams are essential.

The ED will report to the Vice President of Regions and collaborate deeply with national teams to achieve strategic objectives. This position requires hybrid reporting. The ED will work from Reading Partners' regional offices 1-3 times per week to lead regional strategy, operations, and team engagement.

What you’ll do:

The primary responsibilities of the Executive Director are to:

Lead and manage the NYC Staff and AmeriCorps members toward highly successful program implementation, community engagement, and financial targets. Oversee growth strategy and all regional business operations.

• Help determine and achieve programmatic and other goals aligned with the regional and national strategic plans:
  • 1,800 students enrolled and 1,530 served
  • Fee for service from school program partners
  • Exploration of Powered by Reading Partners partners
• Build fundraising, regional infrastructure, and capacity to support future growth.
• Provide executive oversight of all program operations: budgeting, compliance, quality assurance, and program efficacy.
• Oversee day-to-day regional operations with support from the Regional Operations, National Accounting, HR, Talent, and IT departments.
• Partner with the regional team to drive resources (both funds and volunteers) to the region.
• Collaborate with other executive directors and members of the national team to develop and implement a system for sharing resources and best practices across all Reading Partners locations.
• Oversee the recruitment, selection, coaching, management, and support for up to 80 Reading Partners AmeriCorps members toward successful program implementation across all NYC partner schools and organizations.

In partnership with the Development Director, lead all fundraising for the region to exceed the revenue goal of $5,500,000.

• Ensure appropriate funding diversification to meet the revenue goal
• Steward individual and high-net-worth donors
• Oversee key annual campaigns
• Develop and manage the regional advisory board to provide effective local leadership and ambassadorship.
• Collaborate with development staff and board members to identify, cultivate, and steward potential funders.
• Work closely with the national grants team to ensure proper implementation of the state or national AmeriCorps grants, and to steward the relationship effectively to continue our strong relationship with all state and national AmeriCorps agencies.

Drive all external partnership-building in the region to grow and scale the region.

• Partner with the program team to recommit current schools and recruit new schools by late spring to ensure Reading Partners NYC will meet its schools served each year.
• Partner with other nonprofit, for-profit, and governmental entities to affect students’ reading success.
• Support the sustainability and growth of Powered by Reading Partners (Collective Impact) programming, whereby the regional team trains program delivery partners to deliver tutoring and family engagement beyond the school day.
• Engage and manage relationships with elected officials and public sector partners to support the advancement of Reading Partners as a key partner in the educational system in NYC.
• Build and grow relationships with school district-level leaders to ensure Reading Partners’ success as an evidence-based literacy program that is proven to help students learn to read.
• Support Reading Partners’ role in the policy dialogue around literacy, education, and national service.
• Increase organizational visibility and profile in local media markets through the successful creation and implementation of a regional communications plan.
• Serve as the primary local public spokesperson for Reading Partners, acting as the public face of the organization within the region.
• Develop strategic partnerships to support Reading Partners’ community engagement and volunteer recruitment efforts.

Other duties as needed.

How you’ll do it:

To successfully lead the region, the Executive Director will embody the following competencies:

Strategic Leadership and Execution:

• You develop and design new strategies and approaches to meeting programmatic growth goals and then lead the implementation of those strategies. You bring a systems perspective to organizational challenges, with the ability to effectively move from vision to strategy to plan to execution while managing multiple work streams and demonstrating exceptional project management instincts. You are creative, a thoughtful decision maker, and are comfortable partnering with others to problem-solve, and use clear and strategic processes in making decisions. In addition, you have professional experience both developing and executing strategy to optimize organizational processes and achieve ambitious goals.

People & Operations Management:

• Lead, motivate and manage a team to results, while coaching and developing the capacity of the people on the team. You oversee and deliver professional development and management training for regional staff. You demonstrate an advanced ability to plan and implement efficient internal operations to support future growth. Demonstrate experience serving as an inspiring mentor to staff members, either in a formal management structure or informally through influence. You also can develop a strategic vision and motivate teams to achieve measurable goals, while maintaining a results-oriented, collaborative, and healthy organizational culture. You bring a strong track record of establishing the metrics, processes, and protocols needed to effectively move from vision to implementation. Finally, you have experience juggling multiple work streams concurrently, managing complex and competing priorities, and executing ambitious goals effectively.

Mission and Culture Catalyst:

• You are highly motivated by Reading Partners’ work and authentically represent this mission externally. You demonstrate a sincere passion for enriching the lives of systemically under-resourced students through literacy development and embody Reading Partners’ mission, core values and approach. You are energized by working amid ambiguity and will bring a patient and solutions-oriented outlook to the work. You are a leader who is strategic and dynamic, with a track record of establishing meaningful and trusting relationships with colleagues and stakeholders. Finally, you bring an understanding of how to partner with schools and communities, ideally within the context of K-5 education.

Relationship Development & Communications:

• You establish deep relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including staff, community constituents, elected officials, media outlets, nonprofit and business leaders, as well as board members. You can open doors, make connections, tell a compelling story, build consensus and create opportunities to both generate revenue and support advancement in literacy education, across the region and within a very competitive market. You have experience identifying, building, and maintaining strong relationships with a diverse array of nonprofit, government, community, private sector, and high-net-worth stakeholders. You are someone who is an effective communicator, natural “connector,” and you have a track record of successfully increasing revenue and cultivating donors and community support.

What we offer:

Reading Partners’ compensation and benefits programs are designed to attract, motivate, engage, and retain top talent to propel our mission forward.

Compensation: This is a full-time, exempt, and salaried position. The pay range for this position is $127,547 - $170,063 per year. We aim to set salaries based on objective, external, high-quality market data. Our salaries are adjusted for candidates in different geographic regions. We do our very best to ensure that we’re bringing our best offer - therefore we do not engage in salary negotiations.

Our benefits: We offer a comprehensive benefits program intentionally crafted to support employees and their families with physical, mental, and financial health:

• Health & Insurance Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance with substantial employer contributions toward both employee and family premiums; life and disability insurance at no cost to employees; and a free Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Pre-Tax Medical Support: Significant pre-tax employer funding to help offset employees’ out-of-pocket medical expenses, including providing first dollar coverage for some plan options.
• Mental Health Support: Spring Health for easy access to therapy, coaching, and wellness resources, including six sessions provided at no cost to employees.
• Inclusive Health Support: Carrot for guidance and support related to hormonal health, fertility, family-building, and gender-affirming services.
• Retirement Benefits: 403(b) retirement plan with immediate eligibility to participate and to receive employer matching contributions.
• Paid Time Off: Flexible Paid Time Off (Unlimited PTO) and Paid Parental Leave for up to 8 weeks for birth and non-birth parents.
• Holidays & Office Closures: 14 paid holidays annually, plus one week of office closure in early July and two weeks in late December.
• Culture & Growth: A dynamic, mission-driven culture with a strong commitment to employee development and career growth.

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in joining our Reading Partners team, please submit the following application materials to our online job posting:

• A cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role.
• Resume

About you!

To meet these priorities and fulfill these responsibilities, our ideal Executive Director candidate will be/will have:

• Have over 5+ years of robust senior-level leadership experience working with nonprofits, school districts, government officials, and philanthropic organizations in the NYC area.
• Able to build authentic relationships with community partners, policymakers, funders, and supporters.
• Can engage diverse audiences and clearly communicate organizational goals and priorities.
• Demonstrated success in developing and executing fundraising strategies.
• Proven accomplishments in front-line fundraising, including demonstrated success in fundraising one million dollars or more.
• A track record of accomplishing programmatic goals in an educational setting in collaboration with internal and external partners.
• Demonstrated success in staff recruitment, leadership, management, and development.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage large and complex operating budgets.
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated creativity when addressing challenging situations with limited resources.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, highly adaptive environment.
• Demonstrate a commitment to fostering a dynamic and collaborative work environment.
• Display a deep belief in our mission and root your work in our core values.
• Ability to prove eligibility to work legally in the U.S. and that you are at least 18 years of age.

Bonus Points if you:

• Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alumnus/alumna
• Have experience working in launch or growth phases of organizations

The other things you need to know:

• This role is hybrid and may require evening and weekend event attendance.
• Travel: This position requires travel throughout the New York City area on a weekly basis. This position may also involve occasional travel to other regions and locations for retreats and convenings. Candidates must have access to reliable transportation.