POSITION: Adult Education Director
Make a difference in the lives of New York City's older adults, their families and the community. For over 60 years PSS has performed vital and important work. Through its ten centers, two apartment buildings and affiliated programs, the agency touches the lives of over 1,000 people every single day. One of PSS’s signature programs is PSS Life! University (Life U), which consists of in-person and online programming equipping people to successfully manage the significant life transitions they will face as they age.
As the Adult Education Director, you will be responsible for overseeing the entire program, working with staff in coordinating all aspects of the program design, day-to-day operations as well as leading the continuous growth of Life U within New York City and beyond.
This is a full-time exempt Work-from-Anywhere position, which means working from whatever location is called for on a given day, including remotely. The base office is in Manhattan, and attendance at the office or in-person meetings throughout NYC can be expected several times a week. The position reports to the Senior Director of Community Education. You will collaborate with all departments as well as the Executive Director.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
PROGRAM AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
- Oversee the overall PSS Life! U program and lead efforts to promote and expand its in-person and online offerings.
- Ensure that PSS creates and maintains educational programs that allow older adults to grow and to thrive.
- Work with other organizations and partners to provide informative or educational content to our participants.
- Stay abreast of the latest developments and best practices in adult education delivery and ensure these best practices are incorporated in Life U.
- Know how to use digital tools to create programming in an efficient manner while ensuring a high standard of quality and accuracy.
- Work with all department heads to help improve the quality of their Life U offerings using best practices.
- Stay current with topics of interest to the older adult audience. Cultivate and continually identify new content partners to offer engaging educational programming (courses and articles) on these topics.
- Oversee, develop, and improve educational programming with a special focus on innovative and engaging classes that emphasize healthy, purposeful and successful aging.
- Develop and facilitate communities of practice for participants who want to meet regularly (e.g., monthly) to go deeper in their classes or coursework, learning from each other.
- In conjunction with the Content and Communications Manager, effectively utilize social media and other communication tools where appropriate to disseminate Life U content and expand the Life U audience.
- Promote the agency and PSS Life! University by performing outreach, participating in community events, and representing the agency to the public. Develop and maintain liaisons with other organizations, as appropriate, to collaborate in outreach efforts or other partnership opportunities.
SUPERVISION
- Work with leadership and your team to set annual goals and objectives and supervise the program staff in achieving them.
- Provide direction and supervision to staff working with volunteer instructors.
- Provide direction and supervision to on-site technology instructors.
- Demonstrate leadership, lead team meetings and provide effective supervision of any relevant staff, interns, and volunteers - including completion of performance reviews, performance coaching, and staff professional development.
ADMINISTRATION
- Establish and maintain relationships with PSS training service providers and vendors. Responsible for all contracts and agreement negotiations and fulfillment of obligations.
- Monitor the PSS Life! University budget, including oversight for the timely and accurate ordering of services and supplies, as may be needed.
- Submit required metrics and reports in a complete and timely fashion.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Bachelor's degree. Advanced degree preferred.
- Deep familiarity with adult learning theory and best practices.
- Skill at making educational content feel relevant, accessible and inclusive to diverse audiences.
- At least 3 years of demonstrated experience working with older adults (age 50+) in an educational setting preferred.
- Experience supervising a team and working across departments to accomplish goals.
- Experience creating trackable curriculum and training materials.
- Excellent program management and creation skills.
- Good graphic design and usability sense and/or experience working with a designer.
- Bilingual Spanish/English a plus.
- Demonstrated experience in marketing and promotion
- Excellent Interpersonal and Organizational Skills.
- Strong computer skills, proficient with Microsoft Office and Microsoft Teams.
- Experience working with CRM databases (i.e. Salesforce) a plus.
- Experience developing corporate trainings and workshops a plus.
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral).
PROFESSIONALISM AND OTHER QUALITIES:
- Ability to work well independently and on a multi-generational team.
- Comfortable working in ambiguous situations and acting with limited information.
- Maturity and good judgment in relating to peers, partners, and participants.
- Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.
- Availability, dependability, and willingness to be flexible.
- Demonstrated ability to solve problems and think strategically.
Please include a resume and cover letter. We will review applicants on a rolling basis and applicants are encouraged to apply no later than June 21, 2024.
PSS offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:
- Generous health insurance with no out-of-pocket expenses
- Company-paid dental and vision.
- 15 paid vacation days in the first year
- 10 paid holidays
- Additional PTO for sickness, 3 personal and 1 professional day
- Pre-tax transit benefits
- 403(b) contributions.
-
EEOC and DEI Statement:
At PSS we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other legally protected status. We value diversity and strive to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where all individuals are welcomed, supported, and given the opportunity to thrive.
EOE M/F/D/V