Community Craft Works

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. Teaches Fabrication I/II (5th period); co-teaches the 8th Grade Intro to Design & Fabrication course (7th period); 6th period free.

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 – Fabrication delivers CCW's year-long Fabrication I/II curriculum to a 16-student cohort, guiding students from foundational hand-tool literacy through power tools, CNC routing, and 3D laser fabrication, culminating in a capstone build and public Community Showcase. This role also co-teaches CCW's 8th Grade pipeline course alongside the Lead Instructor – Design. 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 Fabrication I/II sequence: shop safety, measurement and joinery, progressive power-tool introduction, and CNC/laser capstone fabrication
• Administer and enforce all tool safety protocols, including mandatory safety demonstrations and signed acknowledgments before each new tool is introduced
• Complete Woodwork Career Alliance (WCA) Accredited Skill Evaluator (ASE) training and administer the WCA Sawblade Certificate assessment to eligible students
• Coordinate OSHA-10 Construction Safety and First Aid/CPR training logistics for the Fabrication cohort
• Identify and supervise the three students selected for CCW's paid apprenticeship program
• Co-teach the 8th Grade Intro to Design & Fabrication course alongside the Design Instructor
• Collaborate with the Lead Instructor – Design on scheduled cross-pathway touchpoints (Week 5 storage box handoff, Week 8 capstone research, capstone build coordination)
• Maintain tool inventory, safety documentation, and shop supervision records

Required Qualifications

• Background in carpentry, cabinetmaking, fabrication, or a related trade
• 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
• OSHA-10 certification, or willingness to obtain prior to start

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience teaching or instructing youth, particularly in a shop or trade setting
• Prior experience in a school-based or credit-bearing program
• Familiarity with the WCA credentialing framework or similar industry-recognized trade credentials
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus

Application Instructions

In addition to applying through LinkedIn, please email your resume and a brief cover letter to info@communitycraftworks.org.