Community Development & Housing

About NYRR

New York Road Runners was founded in 1958 when a small group of passionate runners vowed to bring running to the people and has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s mission is to empower everyone, of all ages and abilities—beginners and competitive athletes, the young and the elderly, adult professionals and underserved schoolchildren—to improve their health and well-being through the power of running and fitness.

NYRR’s races, community events, instruction and training resources, and youth programs give hundreds of thousands of people each year the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to start running and keep running for life. NYRR’s premier event, the famed TCS New York City Marathon, attracts the world’s top pro runners and committed amateurs alike while also raising millions of dollars annually for charity and driving economic impact for the City. But NYRR is equally committed to the runners of tomorrow, passionately providing youth fitness programs that educate and inspire more than 100,000 kids in underserved communities in New York City, all 50 states, and around the world.

Headquartered in New York City, NYRR implements a unique nonprofit model that teams contributed and earned income to make all its efforts possible. To learn more, please visit www.nyrr.org.

New York Road Runners is an Equal Opportunity Employer

About the Department

NYRR’s Youth & Community Programs Department is dedicated to growing NYRR’s impact and reach through free programs serving youth and adults in communities of New York City and across the country. We believe in the power of running, movement and social interaction to build physical and mental strength and we encourage people of all ages and abilities to participate in-person or online in our programs and events. Our programs embody NYRR’s mission of helping and inspiring all people through running.

The Youth & Community Programs Department oversees the strategy, execution and promotion of NYRR’s portfolio of free and impactful programs, including Rising New York Road Runners, NYRR Run for the Future, NYRR Open Run, NYRR Striders, and resources for athletes with disabilities. These programs inspire kids, young adults, adults and seniors to get moving and stay moving for life. We offer valuable online resources, virtual classes and educational webinars in addition to in-person opportunities including classes, events, training sessions and races. As a department, our goal is to foster our communities’ lifelong desire to run and to prioritize health and wellness.

The department closely collaborates with NYRR’s Development & Philanthropy Department, whose primary role is to raise funds for NYRR’s various philanthropic efforts. The Development & Philanthropy Department oversees individual and institutional giving, NYRR’s membership program, and NYRR Team for Kids, a team of adult runners who raise funds for NYRR’s youth programs through training and racing.

About the Position

The Adaptive Programming Specialist will be responsible for managing, developing and growing programs that support the unique needs of youth athletes with disabilities. The role will coordinate all aspects of the wheelchair training program which introduces youth ages 8-21 to wheelchair racing with the vision to expand the program to support more youth with different abilities. The role will also help to create appropriate Adaptive Physical Education content for K-12 educators to incorporate into their PE lessons. The role will liaise with the Event Development and Production (ED&P) teams to ensure the needs of youth with disabilities are incorporated in the strategy, design and execution of in-person events. The role will work across the organization with Professional Athletes to engage wheelchair athletes and integrate them into NYRR youth and community programs. The role will explore, secure and nurture partnerships with like-minded organizations that can help to further support the AWD community in addition to coordinating activities with Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (NYC).

Job Responsibilities:

Youth Wheelchair Training Program Lead

Develop and manage the virtual and in-person wheelchair program and its associated logistics and oversee two part-time expert coaches.
Lead outreach and develop partnerships to recruit and grow participants in both virtual and in-person programs.
Work with Development to identify and secure donations and philanthropic support to advance the program’s impact.
Youth Athletes with Disabilities and Adaptive Physical Education

Work with the Youth Program Development team and expert coaches to create adaptive physical education activity resources.
Train internally and externally on how best to deliver the physical activities in an inclusive environment.
Help expand the Youth program to provide opportunities for youth with different types of abilities to participate in-school/out-of-school, virtual and in-person offerings.
Identify, secure, and activate partnerships and activities with mission-driven, like-minded organizations and agencies to further support the AWD community in NYC (including Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (NYC)
Youth Events and Engagement

Develop and support in-person training and racing strategy in coordination with ED&P for youth with disabilities.
Work with Youth Program Engagement Team to further develop ways to extend virtual offerings to wheelchair program participants and youth with disabilities.
Oversee the pre-event logistics and help support Youth on site, as needed.
Work multiple weekday and weekend days a year at major NYRR and Youth and Community Program events, in accordance with the youth events participation policy.
Job Requirements:

Experience:

Five years of experience working directly with people with disabilities &/or in an adaptive physical education setting or in parasport.
Three years of experience in creating physical activities, training plans, or resources youth or adults with disabilities.
Three years of experience in program management and development
Skills and Attributes:

Strong communication and public speaking skills
Excellent relationship building and relationship nurturing skills with youth and adults.
Initiative to work independently while simultaneously collaborating across teams to achieve goals.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize, multi-task and meet deadlines.
Other Requirements:

This position requires working weekends on a regular basis when the wheelchair training program is taking place and travelling throughout NYC to perform outreach and provide support and training to Rising New York Road Runners sites
Willingness to travel throughout the 5 boroughs and adjust schedule according to the needs of the program implementers.
First Aid and CPR/AED certification preferred.
Proficiency with use of Microsoft Office
Represent NYRR in school, community and professional meetings and events as appropriate.