Director, Early Career Programs

Job Title:                        Director, Early Career Programs 

Employment Status:    Exempt

Department:                Workforce Development                                                                 

Reports To:                   Senior Vice President, Workforce Development     

Summary 

The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that serves as the real estate developer and property manager of the Yard on behalf of the City of New York. BNYDC is committed to fostering an ecosystem where businesses thrive and equitable career opportunities are accessible to New Yorkers.

The Director of Early Career Programs is a strategic leadership position responsible for developing, implementing, and scaling programs that connect young people to meaningful career pathways across the Yard’s key industries. This role oversees youth engagement, internship, work-based learning, and early career initiatives, with a focus on expanding access for historically underrepresented groups in STEAM. The portfolio helps to strengthen talent pipelines into the Yard’s priority industries, including advanced manufacturing, design and innovation, engineering, and climate technology.

Areas of Responsibility 

Program Development, Implementation, and Management  

• Implement and grow high-quality early career and youth programming including internships, applied and work-based learning (WBL), and career exploration aligned with BNYDC priority industries
• Develop and execute a multi-year youth and early talent strategy aligned to BNYDC’s organizational vision and workforce priorities
• Develop and oversee tools, curricula, and resources that support effective program delivery, participant success, and employer/industry engagement
• Establish and monitor program goals, outcomes, budgets, and performance metrics
• Oversee data collection, evaluation, and reporting to inform decision-making and demonstrate impact
• Manage program budgets, ensuring effective stewardship of funding resources
• Monitor workforce development trends and emerging industry needs to inform program strategy and identify opportunities for innovation and growth

 Strategic Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement  

• Oversee BNYDC’s partnership with the Brooklyn STEAM Center, a NYCPS career and technical (CTE) high school, including leading the STEAM Center’s Industry Advisory Council, managing the work-based learning (WBL) contracting process, and supporting the WBL curriculum
• Develop employer engagement strategies that increase tenant participation, expand experiential learning opportunities, and strengthen long-term talent pipelines
• Build and maintain relationships with Yard tenants, industry partners, youth serving organizations, CTE programs, colleges, universities, and subject matter experts to expand career pathways and support programming
• Cultivate relationships with philanthropic partners, government agencies, and corporate sponsors. Support fundraising efforts through grant proposals, funder communications, and impact reporting
• Collaborate with internal departments and external partners to advance workforce development objectives, increase visibility, and strengthen outcomes
• Represent BNYDC at industry and community events, career fairs, and related engagements

Team Leadership and Management

• Lead and supervise a program team of 3, providing coaching, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to support staff growth
• Establish clear roles, expectations, and accountability structures to ensure the team achieves program goals and outcomes

The above responsibilities are not intended to limit the scope of this position, and supervisors may assign other work in alignment with organizational needs.

Required Skills and Abilities 

• Proactive and results-oriented with demonstrated experience successfully leading and scaling youth workforce, internship, or early career programs
• Sector knowledge in one or more of the following areas: advanced manufacturing, engineering, climate technology, and/or green careers strongly preferred
• Passion for inclusive economic development and equitable pathways
• Experienced people leader with strong emotional intelligence and the ability to coach and motivate teams to deliver high-quality work
• Excellent organizational and project management skills across multi-vertical portfolios
• Strategic problem-solver with sound judgment and the ability to identify, evaluate, and leverage opportunities to increase program impact
• Ability to monitor market trends and emerging industry needs to inform strategy
• Experience using program and organizational data to inform decisions and improve programming
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking, with the ability to engage diverse audiences and stakeholders
• Experience managing program budgets, grant-funded initiatives, and reporting requirements preferred
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint required
• Experience with CRMs and programmatic databases (Airtable preferred)
• Experience with Calendly, Canva, and Mailchimp preferred.

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred
• 6+ years of experience in education, youth development, workforce development, training, or a related field
• 3+ years of programmatic leadership experience, inclusive of partnership management
• 3+ years of team leadership experience, managing people managers preferred
• Must be able to work occasional nights and weekends