Chess Coordinator, ASAP/After School Activities Partnerships

Posted by After School Activities Partnerships on September 14, 2021

ASAP is searching for a Chess Coordinator, who will work alongside the Director of Chess Programs to support the expansion of ASAP Chess and provide more opportunities for young leaders to be engaged and challenged in a competitive and supportive environment. This includes building new school partnerships, recruiting and training adult chess club leaders, and fostering a sense of community among student chess players.

ASAP/After School Activities Partnerships was created in 2002 at the request of city leaders to bring public awareness to the dangers of the afternoon hours for unsupervised youth in Philadelphia.  ASAP’s mission is to develop and support high-quality after school activities and resources to empower youth and strengthen communities in Philadelphia. ASAP works with schools, libraries, and community sites to serve more than 4,000 youth (K-12) annually through the following citywide initiatives: ASAP Chess, ASAP Debate, ASAP Drama, and ASAP Scrabble. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ASAP has adapted its programs to virtual platforms in order to continue to engage students, support their social-emotional well-being, and keep them connected to their school communities.

ASAP Chess helps more than 2,300 youth in Philadelphia (grades K-12) develop critical problem solving and strategic thinking skills by coordinating more than 150 out-of-school time chess clubs and organizing dozens of after school and weekend competitions each year. Students in ASAP Chess clubs learn that every move has potential value and consequences. Students are instructed to carefully evaluate their different options in pursuit of the best possible solution. By practicing these tactics in club meetings and learning from their mistakes at competitions, students spend hours outside the school day honing critical mathematical skills. Looking forward, ASAP Chess endeavors to build on this success and provide even more youth in Philadelphia with the same opportunities as their suburban and private school peers to develop key critical problem solving and strategic thinking skills.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Work in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia to promote ASAP Chess to priority schools and communities
• Work in partnership with provider sites supported by the City of Philadelphia Office of Children and Families for summer and school year programming
• Recruit and train chess coaches on how to teach chess to K-12 students in an in-person or in an online setting, with an emphasis on using the website ChessKid.com
• Provide support and encouragement for ASAP Chess coaches and volunteers through regular phone calls and emails, a weekly e-newsletter, and periodic site visits
• Assist with the planning and leadership of after school and weekend chess tournaments, including the Philadelphia Scholastic Chess League, monthly Saturday chess tournaments, and regional after school scrimmage competitions
• Manage special ASAP Chess projects as needed. This could include but is not limited to the high school chess mentor program, which matches high school chess players with middle school ASAP Chess clubs for additional coaching and mentoring support
• Promote gender equity in scholastic chess by promoting ASAP’s Philly Girls Play Chess Initiative. This includes organizing an all-girls tournament, managing a monthly Philly Girls Chess Club, and recruiting youth to attend the annual ASAP Girls Summer Chess Camp, a week-long program where more than 40 young girls spend 25 hours honing their critical thinking and strategic problem-solving skills in a supportive community
• Work with the Director of Chess Programs and Director of Programs to collect and analyze student- and club-level data to measure the program’s impact and look for opportunities for continuous quality improvement
• Support ASAP’s other initiatives as needed and contribute to overall organizational goals through participation on ASAP’s internal staff committees, including ASAP’s Racial Justice Committee

*Note: Many of these programs may be hosted in an online or virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants should demonstrate familiarity and comfort with online video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

The ideal candidate for this position will:

• Be passionate about empowering youth, strengthening communities, and providing equitable educational opportunities
• Have experience with youth development programs and/or community outreach
• Be familiar with the Philadelphia school system, preferably as an alumnus
• Demonstrate experience building relationships with external partners
• Previous experience with the City-funded Out-of-School Time (OST) system preferred but not required
• Be able to multi-task and organize multiple long-term projects with overlapping deadlines
• Exhibit a willingness to collaborate and work as a team to accomplish strategic goals
• Value creativity, critical thinking, and attention to detail
• Demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills
• Have the flexibility to work some evenings and weekends
• Competitive chess experience preferred but not required
• Experience working with virtual platforms like Zoom or Google Classroom preferred
• Ability to work in a hybrid office environment (remote and in-person) in accordance with local and state health & safety guidelines
• Required education level: minimum Associate’s degree, Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Upon employment, candidate must obtain required clearances to work with youth (available through ASAP office)

Preferred start date is October 4, 2021. Annual salary is in the range of $30,000-$40,000 and will be determined based on candidate’s strength of qualifications and relevant experience. Employment at ASAP comes with a generous benefits package, including subsidized health and dental insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, life insurance, and free enrollment in the company’s 401K plan. Employees are eligible for comp-time for working events outside of normal business schedule of 9am-5pm Monday through Friday.

For more information and to apply, please send a resume, writing sample (which can include an original lesson plan), and cover letter (to provide more information on your educational and professional experience) to Sara Morningstar, ASAP Director of Programs at smorningstar@phillyasap.org.