Programs Director
Full-Time | Hybrid | Los Angeles, CA
Posted: March 12, 2026
Application Deadline:
Position Overview
Justice for My Sister (JFMS) is seeking an experienced, values-driven, and collaborative Programs Director to join our small and growing mission-driven team. The Programs Director will oversee the implementation and structure of our Youth Leadership, Workforce Development, Systems Change, and Production Services programs, integrating trauma-informed pedagogy with scalable models for community-based media education and narrative change. In this newly established role, the Programs Director will supervise and develop a team of coordinators and teaching artists, fostering a culture of clarity, excellence, trust and accountability.
This role bridges strategy and systems: the Programs Director strengthens program design, builds efficient administrative models, and identifies partnership opportunities that increase program impact and financial sustainability. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced professional who is eager to grow the organization’s programmatic capacity while expanding their own leadership practice.
about Justice for My Sister
Justice for My Sister (JFMS) is a nonprofit arts organization that trains women of color, nonbinary folks, and foster youth in filmmaking with gender equality and racial justice lens. Using a trauma-informed approach, we seek to provide artists of various ages and skill levels to transform stories marked by pain into stories of liberation. Read more about our commitment with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion herehere.
Key Responsibilities
Program Strategy & Operations (35%)
Design and oversee strategic program plans for Youth Leadership, Workforce Development, Systems Change, and Production Services portfolios in collaboration with the Executive Director.
Ensure all programs align with JFMS’ mission, strategic plan, and budget.
Translate vision into systems, tools, goals, and structure for the Programs team.
Provide project management guidance and coordinate workflow, resources and timelines across program areas.
Serve as a member of the leadership team alongside other Directors.
Design professional events and special initiatives for JFMS students, including field trips, film festivals and conferences.
Ensure consistent integration of trauma-informed and equity-centered approaches across all programming.
Ensure storytelling aligns with organizational values and that all JFMS-produced or sponsored video content maintains high production quality.
Track sector trends and community needs to inform program innovation.
Develop and implement strategies that maximize synergy among program areas.
Cultivate and maintain relationships with vendors to ensure resources and services are available as needed.
Team Leadership & Staff Development (25%)
Collaborate with the Executive Director to foster a team culture defined by excellence, mutual respect, joy, accountability, and continuous learning.
Supervise program staff and contractors, including hiring, onboarding, ongoing training, and performance evaluations.
Create and implement professional development plans for staff growth and retention, including regular coaching.
Lead weekly Programs meetings, ensuring team cohesion and clarity around deliverables.
Ensure the Programs team is equipped to lead high-quality execution of all day-to-day operations and teaching artist coordination.
Partnerships, Systems Change & Revenue Generation (25%)
Cultivate high-impact, values-aligned partnerships with schools, agencies, and peer organizations that advance programmatic and systems-change goals.
Collaborate with the Executive Director and Development team to align fee-for-service programming with fundraising strategy, including but not limited to curriculum licensing, client-based video production, and tailored workshops.
Co-design alumni and community engagement strategies that strengthen long-term sustainability, impact tracking and movement-building.
Represent JFMS in coalition spaces, policy conversations, and community initiatives that advance systems change.
Maintain a partnership and stakeholder database to track opportunities for growth, referrals, and visibility.
Evaluation, Compliance & Reporting (15%)
Oversee systems for measuring program impact and ensure timely, high-quality data collection.
Ensure pre/post surveys, testimonials, and program data are collected and analyzed across programs to measure socio-emotional learning and participant outcomes.
Support the Development team by providing program data and authoring narrative reports for grants, reports, and fundraising materials.
Ensure compliance with funder deliverables and contracts in collaboration with Development staff.
Prepare program reports for funders, board members, and internal leadership.
Contribute to the Annual Report, curriculum evaluation processes, and public storytelling about program impact
REquired Qualifications and expectations
5-7+ years leading programs in youth development, media arts, workforce development, creative education, or a related field.
Proven experience supervising and developing teams using a coaching-based, strengths-forward approach.
Demonstrated ability to design, scale, and improve systems (workflows, tools, program models, evaluation structures).
Strong project management skills with the ability to move multiple workstreams forward with clarity, accountability, and calm.
Experience collaborating across teams (Development, Communications, Operations) to align strategy, resources, and messaging.
Excellent communicator who can offer direct, compassionate feedback and manage up, down, and across.
Deep commitment to racial justice, gender equity, and trauma-informed practice.
Knowledge of youth development and creative pedagogies.
Working understanding of media production or storytelling fundamentals.
Expectations:
Full-time, hybrid role with regular in-person meetings, trainings, retreats, board meetings, site visits, and industry/sector related events.
Ability to travel locally to site visits, community events, and partnership meetings.
Availability for occasional evenings and weekends based on program needs.
Strong proficiency in Google Workspace; experience with CRMs, project management tools, and budgeting systems.
Job Compensation & Payment schedule
Salary: $80,000 - $85,000, commensurate with experience.
Benefits: This role is eligible for medical and making personal contributions to a 403b retirement plan.
Payment Schedule: Payroll is every two weeks
This position has a trial period of 90 days.
Annual performance reviews conducted with opportunity for merit-based increases.
To Apply:
Please submit a cover letter and resume to hiring@justiceformysister.org.
In the spirit of fairness and transparency, we ask all applicants to engage fully through the formal application process. To ensure equity for all candidates, please refrain from reaching out directly to board members or staff about open roles outside of the application process.
Justice for My Sister is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Partners®. Community Partners is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. All Justice for My Sister staff are employed through Community Partners as the employer of record. Community Partners will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.