Program Assistant

Barbershop Books, winner of the prestigious National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize, inspires Black boys and other vulnerable children to read for fun through child-centered, culturally responsive, and community-driven programming and content. The Program Assistant will report to Programs Manager and will play a key role in helping boys develop a positive relationship with reading by building strong relationships with NYC barbershop partners and ensuring child-friendly reading spaces are well-maintained.

In this dynamic and collaborative role, you’ll work alongside a passionate program team to create welcoming reading environments and deliver meaningful literacy programming that help boys identify as readers. If you are committed to making a difference in communities and in the lives of children, we invite you to join our team.

Watch The Barbershop Books Program In Action

Programs

• Barbershop Books: Distributes boy-approved books to a national network of barbershops and provides early literacy training to barbers.
• Reading So Lit Summer: A virtual summer reading program that hires and trains male high school students of color to lead fun, interactive reading explorations with Black and Brown boys ages 6-8.
• Reading So Lit (platform): A reading identity development platform for grades PK-3 that equips educators with actionable, strengths-based insights to support holistic reading personalization and student-driven decision making.
• Barbershop Books E-Library: Free online collection of independently published children’s e-books by Black and Brown authors and fun storytime videos.

Values

• Child-centered: We embrace the possibilities, strengths, and interests of children
• Leadership: We empower individuals and communities to expand learning opportunities
• Fun: We inspire and model the joy of lifelong reading
• Collaboration: We partner with diverse community stakeholders to create system change
• Innovation: We develop unique, compelling, and transformational content and programs
• Excellence: We pursue measured impacts and organizational efficiencies that support long-term sustainability

Responsibilities

Build relationships and maintain reading spaces (core responsibilities):

• Build and maintain positive relationships with participating NYC barbershops and barbers
• Conduct regular in-person site visits to maintain child-friendly reading spaces in NYC barbershops

Materials Management And Logistics

• Organize, track, and distribute program materials to barbershops in a timely manner
• Assist with ordering, shipping, and storage of program materials including periodic inventory of program materials in the Harlem office

Program Implementation

• Administer barbershop program surveys in-person and over the phone
• Collect quotes and images from program stakeholders and accurately enter program data into tracking systems
• Lead in-person barbershop program orientations and provide ongoing training and support as needed

Collaboration And Outreach

• Collaborate with community partners to implement impactful literacy programming
• Travel to program areas outside NYC occasionally to assist with program outreach, attend events, and represent the organization at conferences
• Assist program team with updating program materials, processes, and implementation strategies
• Work with team members across departments to support impactful donor and volunteer engagement opportunities

Skills/Qualifications

Additional tasks/projects as assigned by manager

Education: Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree preferred

• Background in education, community engagement, program management, or evaluation
• Entrepreneurial, self-starter, solution-oriented, and adopts a growth mindset
• Detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple tasks and projects efficiently.
• Takes ownership of goals and can work collaboratively and independently to complete tasks/projects
• Familiarity with barbershop culture in program areas and comfortable working with diverse populations
• Flexible and comfortable in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; Spanish fluency is a plus
• Experience with Google Workspace (Gmail, Google Drive, etc.).
• Experience with, or willingness to learn, project management and CRM tools.