Deputy Director, Career Pathways

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior program leader for the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest Region, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and consistent execution across markets.
• Partner closely with Market Leaders and functional teams to strengthen student outcomes, operational performance, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Understand the interconnectedness among enrollment, program operations, student services, academics, internships, career services, alumni, and corporate engagement, and facilitate alignment and resolve conflicts when needed.
• Maintain a deep understanding of the End-to-End Student Journey and leverage data insights to proactively identify challenges, improve operational effectiveness, and enhance the student experience.
• Steward and execute annual strategy plans and priorities, including enrollment growth, program delivery evolution, operational optimization, and outcomes improvement.
• Create and sustain a team culture of high expectations and support rooted in Year Up United’s core values and leadership behaviors.

Customer Experience Pathway Academic Leadership

• Oversee the academic strategy, instructional quality, and continuous improvement of the Customer Experience (CX) Career Pathway nationally.
• Partner with Academic Operations, Learning Excellence, instructors, and pathway leaders to ensure curriculum remains aligned with labor market trends and employer expectations.
• Support consistent instructional standards, learner experience, and pathway execution across markets.
• Collaborate with Corporate Engagement, Alumni, and Career Services teams to strengthen alignment between curriculum, internship opportunities, and full-time employment outcomes.
• Monitor pathway-specific performance indicators, including student retention, internship conversion, employment outcomes, satisfaction, and pathway effectiveness.
• Help shape future pathway innovation and evolution informed by workforce trends, technology, AI, and changing employer skill needs.
• Promote national best practices and continuous learning across CX pathway teams and instructional staff.

Program Excellence and Delivery

• Drive the execution and evaluation of all programmatic activities and student services across the region.
• Support alignment of training programs with labor market needs, ensuring students are equipped for successful transitions to internships and long-term careers.
• Maintain a strong understanding of employer partner needs, hiring trends, and workforce demand across the region and the Customer Experience pathway.
• Partner with functional leaders to create structured feedback loops that integrate employer insights into program and curriculum enhancements.
• Monitor program outcomes, including enrollment, retention, internship attrition, satisfaction, graduation, internship conversion, and Full-Time Year Up employment success, implementing strategies to address areas for improvement.
• Leverage Career Pathway expertise and national best practices to promote collective learning and operational consistency across markets.

Operational Excellence and Financial Management

• Oversee operational efficiency by implementing best practices and leveraging technology to enhance program delivery and decision-making.
• Utilize Salesforce, Tableau, matching systems, analytics, and other reporting tools to reinforce data-driven decision-making and operational consistency.
• Lead change management efforts by guiding teams through new practices, operational standards, technologies, and organizational initiatives while preserving Year Up United’s mission-driven culture.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, reduce cost-to-serve, and streamline processes while maintaining high-quality student experiences and outcomes.
• Support regional budget management by reviewing financial performance, understanding variance drivers, and identifying cost efficiencies without compromising program quality.
• Support the execution of in-person learning and engagement standards across all regional markets.
• Understand the capabilities and economics of enrollment, program delivery, matching, placement success, alumni engagement, and career services, and actively identify opportunities to improve scalability and operational effectiveness.

Market Leadership and External Engagement

• Strengthen relationships with academic institutions, community colleges, corporate partners, workforce organizations, civic leaders, and donors across the region.
• Represent Year Up United externally at workforce development convenings, employer meetings, and community engagements.
• Enhance Year Up United’s brand and market presence by positioning the organization as a leader in workforce development and talent strategy.
• Serve as a visible leader across the region and Customer Experience pathway, inspiring confidence and trust through collaborative, mission-driven leadership.
• Identify and pursue regional growth, partnership, and innovation opportunities aligned with organizational priorities.

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate is an experienced, strategic, and collaborative leader with a strong track record of managing complex multi-site operations, leading academic or workforce programs, and driving organizational performance and growth.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, multi-site, growth-oriented organizations or programs.
• Experience in workforce development, education, nonprofit leadership, or related fields.
• Experience overseeing academic programs, instructional delivery, curriculum implementation, or career pathway strategy strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of labor market trends, employer engagement, and workforce readiness.
• Proven ability to develop and execute strategic plans, manage change, and align resources to organizational goals.
• Expertise in program delivery, operational excellence, data analysis, and continuous improvement.
• Familiarity with Salesforce, Tableau, and analytics platforms to support data-driven decision-making.
• Strong budget management and financial acumen with a focus on operational efficiency and quality outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead with empathy, accountability, transparency, and collaboration.
• Experience working in a cross-cultural organization diverse in race, gender, and ethnicity.
• Willingness to travel approximately 20–30% across Year Up United locations.
• Passion for Year Up United’s mission, a deep understanding of the Opportunity Divide, and a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Salary Range

SALARY RANGE: $160,000 - $190,000

Starting Date

To be eligible for employment, candidates must live and work in a state (or an approved proximate state*) where Year Up United operates. For a list of eligible locations, please visit: Year Up United Locations

Approved Proximate States

For roles in which the location is listed as flexible, the range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Approved proximate states where Year Up United operates are: Connecticut, Indiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Virginia.