About Community Craft Works
Community Craft Works (CCW) is a Harlem-based youth workforce development nonprofit dedicated to empowering teens ages 13–18 through hands-on fabrication, digital design, and mentorship. Co-founded by Lian Valera and Stefano Biaggioni, CCW was built on the belief that craftsmanship and creativity open real pathways to confidence, opportunity, and economic mobility for Harlem's young people.
CCW delivers a design-to-build model that pairs two parallel, credit-bearing high school pathways — Fabrication and Design — with a pipeline course for Eagle Academy's 8th grade. Students move from concept to CAD to the shop floor, developing hand-tool craftsmanship, power-tool and CNC/laser fabrication skills, and digital design proficiency in Autodesk Fusion 360, culminating in a shared capstone build and public Community Showcase. Every student earns OSHA-10 Construction Safety and First Aid/CPR certification, and students work toward pathway-specific, industry-recognized credentials including the WCA Sawblade Certificate (Fabrication) and Autodesk Fusion 360 Certified User (Design). A subset of Fabrication students also complete a paid apprenticeship, gaining real workforce experience alongside their certifications.
CCW's programming is grounded in the belief that fabrication and design are durable, automation-resistant career paths — skills that combine dexterity, spatial judgment, and real-time problem-solving in ways that remain in demand even as routine office work is increasingly automated. The program is delivered in partnership with Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem, removing every financial barrier to participation so that talent, not family income, determines who can attend.
CCW is entering its Year 1 pilot, launching in September 2026, with active fundraising underway to fully fund the program.
Reports to: Director of Program & Operation
Location: Harlem, New York (on-site at Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem, 6 Edgecombe Avenue)
Compensation: $70,000/year (Years 1–2; $65,000 in Year 3), plus a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (QSEHRA) of $150/month, which allows CCW to reimburse eligible employees tax-free for individual health insurance premiums and qualifying medical expenses.
Schedule: On-site 10:47 AM – 2:40 PM, Monday–Friday. 5th period free; teaches Design I/II (6th period); co-teaches the 8th Grade Intro to Design & Fabrication course (7th period).
Funding Status: This position is contingent on CCW securing full Year 1 program funding. Offers are subject to confirmed funding commitments.
About the Role
The Lead Instructor – Design delivers CCW's year-long Design I/II curriculum to a 16-student cohort, introducing students to digital design and fabrication technology, with Autodesk Fusion 360 as the pathway's primary technical credential target. This role also co-teaches CCW's 8th Grade pipeline course alongside the Lead Instructor – Fabrication. As CCW is a Year 1 pilot organization, this role requires comfort working in a startup, early-stage nonprofit environment — systems, schedules, and processes are still being built, priorities can shift as the organization grows, and the right candidate is energized by helping shape a new program rather than stepping into a fully established one.
Key Responsibilities
- Deliver daily instruction across the full Design I/II sequence: a brief SketchUp on-ramp, followed by CAD modeling and CAM toolpath generation in Autodesk Fusion 360
- Prepare students for the Autodesk Fusion 360 Certified User exam and the SketchUp User Certification exam
- Produce, review, and deliver CAD/CAM production files supporting the Fabrication capstone build
- Provide on-site design support during the Capstone Build alongside the Fabrication Instructor
- Co-teach the 8th Grade Intro to Design & Fabrication course
- Collaborate with the Lead Instructor – Fabrication on scheduled cross-pathway touchpoints
- Guide students in building a professional digital portfolio (design briefs, CAD/CAM files, iteration documentation) from concept through fabrication
Required Qualifications
- Background in CAD/CAM, digital design, industrial design, or a related field
- Proficiency in Autodesk Fusion 360
- Comfortable working with both high school (ages 14–18) and 8th grade (ages 13–14) students
- Comfortable operating in a startup, early-stage nonprofit environment with evolving systems and responsibilities
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience teaching or instructing youth
- Familiarity with SketchUp
- Experience with certification exam prep or proctoring (e.g., Certiport)
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus
Application Instructions
To apply, please submit your application through LinkedIn, and email your resume and a brief cover letter to info@communitycraftworks.org.