Product Lead / Toy Program Manager (Senior Volunteer)
Role summary
Mentor A Promise (MAP), a NYC-based nonprofit supporting youth experiencing housing instability, seeks a Product Lead / Toy Program Manager (Senior Volunteer) to oversee their toy and physical product initiatives. This remote role involves managing the full lifecycle of toy concepts from idea to production readiness, ensuring products are safe, meaningful, and aligned with MAP's mission. Responsibilities include leading strategy, translating stories into toy concepts, managing timelines, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and ensuring adherence to developmental and safety standards. Qualifications include experience in product management, toy development, or program management, with a strong understanding of child development and stakeholder management.
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Product Lead / Toy Program Manager (Senior Volunteer)
Organization
Mentor A Promise (MAP)
Division
Creative Products, Education and PromisePlay
Location
Remote via Google Meet and/or New York City (as needed)
Type
Senior Volunteer (Unpaid)
About Mentor A Promise
Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit dedicated to supporting children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability. Through mentorship, literacy development, social-emotional learning, creative expression, and storytelling, MAP designs programs and products that honor dignity, imagination, and learning.
MAP’s toy and product initiatives extend our stories beyond the page—transforming characters, worlds, and values into tangible tools for play, comfort, and growth.
Purpose of the Role
The
Product Lead / Toy Program Manager
oversees the vision, development, and coordination of MAP’s toy and physical product initiatives. This role bridges storytelling, education, design, and production—ensuring that toys and products are safe, meaningful, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with MAP’s mission.
The Product Lead manages the full lifecycle of toy concepts, from idea to prototype to production readiness, while coordinating cross-functional teams and external partners.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the strategy and roadmap for MAP’s toy and physical product initiatives
- Translate stories, characters, and educational goals into toy concepts
- Manage product timelines, milestones, and deliverables
- Collaborate with writers, illustrators, educators, and SEL specialists
- Coordinate with designers, manufacturers, and vendors as needed
- Ensure toys align with developmental, safety, and educational standards
- Support prototyping, testing, and iteration processes
- Maintain documentation, spec sheets, and product requirements
- Support budgeting, sourcing, and cost-awareness in collaboration with leadership
- Ensure products reflect trauma-informed, culturally responsive design
- Participate in planning meetings, reviews, and feedback cycles
- Check and respond to emails daily, with responses within 48 hours
Qualifications
- Experience in product management, toy development, consumer products, or program management
- Strong ability to manage timelines, stakeholders, and creative workflows
- Understanding of child development, play-based learning, or educational products
- Ability to translate abstract ideas into concrete product requirements
- Strong communication, organization, and decision-making skills
- Commitment to ethical, inclusive, and mission-driven product design
Bonus (Not Required)
- Experience working with toy manufacturers or product vendors
- Familiarity with safety standards for children’s products
- Experience with prototyping, materials selection, or manufacturing processes
- Background in education, SEL, or children’s publishing
- Bilingual or multilingual abilities (Spanish or Haitian Creole preferred)
Commitment
- 5–10 hours per week
- Minimum 6-month commitment preferred
- Remote collaboration with optional NYC-based participation
What You’ll Gain
- Leadership experience in mission-driven product development
- Portfolio-relevant toy and product management work
- Collaboration with creative, education, and operations teams
- Professional references and letters of recommendation
- The opportunity to help transform stories into tools for play, learning, and comfort
How to Apply
Interested candidates should apply directly through Idealist, please include your resume and cover letter.
For any additional questions or concerns, please email us directly at
hr@mentorapromise.org
*Build with care. Turn stories into objects that children can hold, play with, and grow alongside.*
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with our organization. At this time, our volunteer opportunities are limited to individuals who are based in the United States. This limitation is due to legal, safeguarding, data-privacy, and programmatic requirements associated with our work. We appreciate your interest in our mission and your understanding of these constraints.