Career Pathways Program Manager

About Ridgeline

Ridgeline is a Bay Area nonprofit education-to-employment intermediary. We connect young people ages 16–22 from underserved communities to high-wage careers, backwards mapped from employer demand. This Career Pathways Program Manager role is focused on healthcare and maritime, two of the region's highest-demand sectors, both offering strong wages and clear career ladders with or without a four-year degree.

About the Career Pathways Program Manager Role

We are seeking a full-time Career Pathways Program Manager to partner with the Co-Founder and Head of Program as the primary program design, operations, and facilitation lead. This role is equal parts designer, organizer, and facilitator: you will translate big-picture ideas into dynamic career-connected learning experiences while also ensuring smooth operations and serving as a consistent, trusted adult presence for youth participants.

Responsibilities

• Co-design pilot programming with the Head of Program, with emphasis on career exploration, durable skills, work-based learning, and social capital building.
• Develop activities and challenges that align with industry trends and program goals while centering participant voice and engagement.
• Facilitate interactive sessions that blend hands-on learning, durable skill practice (e.g., communication, collaboration, AI fluency), and career exploration.
• Build genuine relationships with participants — showing up as a consistent adult presence who encourages reflection, fosters community, and ensures every student is actively engaged.
• Provide direct 1:1 support to enrolled participants, including e.g. coaching, career preparation support, and problem-solving as needs arise.
• Support student recruitment across partner schools and community organizations, and manage the application and selection processes to build cohorts that reflect the communities Ridgeline serves.
• Support program logistics for pilots, including scheduling, communications, materials, and day-of execution.
• Track program timelines and ensure details run smoothly so that program design and facilitation can shine.
• Track and analyze participant outcomes within and across programs; maintain shared data systems and contribute to regular progress reports.
• Co-design authentic, industry-informed learning sessions with experts.
• Support guest speakers, mentors, and industry reviewers to deepen the real-world impact of programs.

Qualifications

• Experience: 3+ years designing and facilitating project-based, experiential, or career-connected learning programs for young adults, especially in diverse or underserved communities.
• Operations & Coordination: Strong track record of program operations and coordination (e.g., scheduling, logistics, communication).
• Skills: Exceptional facilitation and communication skills, with the ability to inspire, connect with, and support young adults (ages 16–22). Highly organized and proactive project manager; comfortable juggling multiple moving pieces and stakeholders. Creative problem-solver who adapts in real time to challenges while keeping program goals at the center.
• Knowledge: Familiarity with healthcare and/or maritime/blue economy sectors is a plus. Familiarity with CTE, dual enrollment, and work-based learning structures in California is a plus. Clear understanding of durable skills and how to embed them into learning experiences. Awareness of systemic barriers to education-to-career pathways and a commitment to equity in design and facilitation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Educators, facilitators, or instructional designers with experience in project-based or experiential learning.
• Nonprofit program managers with expertise in career readiness or workforce development.
• Coaches or trainers with background in apprenticeship, internship, or early-career pathways – bonus if you have direct experience working with young people (ages 16-22).

Role Details & Compensation

Salary: The hiring range for this role is $92,000-$113,000. We use a consistent compensation framework across all roles. We will give our best offer and will not negotiate.

Benefits: We are proud to offer a competitive benefits package including:

• Health, Vision, and Dental: Ridgeline covers 100% of your premium for medical, dental, and vision on our sponsored plan. We cover 75% for dependents. If you elect a high deductible medical plan, we contribute to your HSA to help you cover out-of-pocket costs.
• Retirement: We match your 401(k) contributions dollar for dollar up to 5% of your salary. That match is fully vested from day one.
• Time Away: Ridgeline hires exceptional people and treats them like it. We don't track vacation days or set a cap on time away because we don't think that's how great work happens. We trust you to make smart decisions about when to be present and when to step away.
• Sick and Wellness Time: Ridgeline provides up to 10 days (80 hours) of paid sick time per fiscal year.
• Holidays: Ridgeline observes all federal holidays plus two full company breaks: the last week of the calendar year and the first week of July. These are protected weeks to rest and recharge.
• Classification & Schedule: This is a full-time, exempt position. This role can expect to work standard working hours Monday through Friday with out-of-school time (evening, weekend, holiday) work as needed to deliver programming.
• Location: San Francisco Bay Area (Hybrid). Ridgeline operates on a hybrid schedule with Wednesday as a common in-person day. Staff are also expected to be present in person for student-facing programming, partner meetings, and team meetings as needed.