Youth Development Specialist, Alpha - $120,000/year USD

On-site position at an Alpha campus in Malibu, CA; San Francisco, CA; Santa Barbara, CA; Boston, MA; New York City, NY; or Miami Beach, FL (relocation assistance available).

About the role

Traditional schools set expectations. You'll guide students to surpass what they think is possible. Every young person holds potential they haven't yet recognized. When students face difficulty, most adults reduce demands. Your approach is different. You understand that confidence doesn't emerge from empty praise—it grows when someone accomplishes what they previously considered beyond reach. If you've refused to allow a student, athlete, camper, or mentee to give up on themselves, this work will resonate with you.

Alpha has redesigned education around one core principle: AI excels at academic delivery, while exceptional people excel at transforming lives. Students handle core academics through adaptive, AI-driven learning platforms. Your responsibility is cultivating what technology cannot—discipline, resilience, communication, ownership, focus, and the conviction that challenging pursuits are worthwhile.

Your day won't involve delivering lectures or grading assignments. Instead, you'll coach students through obstacles, recognize meaningful progress, and support them in reaching goals they previously deemed impossible. Approximately 60% of your time goes toward facilitating energetic, one-hour life skills workshops covering subjects like public speaking, focus, leadership, and feedback exchange. Roughly 30% involves one-on-one or small group coaching, using Coachbot analytics to pinpoint students requiring encouragement, accountability, or modified strategies. The final 10% is dedicated to examining data, refining coaching methods, and preparing students for greater success in the week ahead.

You'll begin with established workshop frameworks, then enhance and expand them as you identify more effective ways to motivate students. Performance metrics are clear. A minimum of 90% of your students should reliably achieve their weekly academic targets, demonstrate proficiency in Alpha's life skills via Test2Pass assessments, and provide ratings of at least 4 out of 5 for their experience with you. Maintain this standard consistently and you'll have a defined path to Lead Guide, mentoring other Guides, and ultimately Campus Lead, where you'll influence the culture and outcomes of an entire school.

This position isn't designed for those who prefer lecturing, adhering to fixed curricula, or simply occupying students. It's built for coaches, mentors, youth leaders, performers, tutors, and educators who define success by student transformation. Every finalist completes a full day coaching actual Alpha students before an offer is extended. If that prospect excites you more than another standard interview, we want to hear from you.

Responsibilities

What You Will Be Doing

• Facilitating high-energy, one-hour life skills workshops for K-8 students, building communication, resilience, focus, leadership, and other enduring skills while continuously refining the workshop delivery.
• Providing individual and small group coaching using Coachbot analytics, customized accountability, and Alpha's motivational frameworks to support every student in reaching ambitious weekly objectives.
• Evaluating life skill proficiency through Test2Pass and delivering focused coaching until each student displays authentic competence, not merely attendance.
• Adjusting your coaching approach across elementary and middle school age groups, recognizing when a kindergartner requires movement and positive reinforcement and when an eighth grader benefits from direct accountability.
• Reviewing weekly student performance metrics to detect patterns, eliminate barriers, and consistently enhance results across your entire cohort.

What You Won’t Be Doing

• Providing traditional classroom instruction. AI manages academic content delivery so you can concentrate on student development.
• Evaluating homework, developing lesson plans, or preparing students for standardized testing.
• Supervising students while they work quietly on computers. Each day is dynamic, interactive, and coaching-focused.
• Seeking permission before assisting a student in need. You possess the autonomy to respond promptly and take necessary action.
• Handling parent communications or administrative documentation. Campus Leads maintain parent relationships so your attention stays on students.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop a cohort of students who reliably meet ambitious academic objectives, gain mastery of essential life skills, and cultivate the confidence, resilience, and ownership necessary to thrive long after their time at Alpha.

Requirements

Basic Requirements

• Willing to work in person at an Alpha campus in Malibu, CA; San Francisco, CA; Santa Barbara, CA; Boston, MA; New York City, NY; or Miami Beach, FL (relocation assistance provided).
• Bachelor's degree in any discipline.
• At least 3 years of direct experience with K-8 students through teaching, coaching, tutoring, mentoring, camp leadership, or youth programs.
• Capable of providing a specific example of inspiring a student to accomplish a challenging goal, including your methods and the result.
• Enthusiastic about allowing AI to manage academic instruction while you concentrate on coaching, motivation, and life skills cultivation.
• Authorized to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship.

Nice-to-have Requirements

• Background coaching youth sports, debate, theater, camps, after-school programs, or other performance-oriented activities.
• Personal history of exceptional achievement in academics, athletics, leadership, or another competitive domain.
• Compelling stage presence and narrative ability that maintains student engagement without depending on volume or strict discipline.
• Proven success transforming disengaged, resistant, or struggling students into motivated, self-assured learners.

About Alpha

Join the team building school around student growth. Alpha reimagines the school day around faster learning, stronger mentorship, and more time for students to build real-world skills. Roles with real student impact: Alpha hires teachers (guides), operators, admissions experts, school & curriculum leaders, and remote team members. Education work that pays like it matters: Alpha offers six-figure roles for people ready to help build a radically better school experience. A culture built for builders: Alpha is fast-moving, ambitious, and student focused. It’s for people who want to improve the system, not maintain it. Alpha is where you can do the most meaningful work of your career.

Pay

$120,000/year W2 salary paid weekly.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits starting on day one.

Schedule

This is a full-time, year-long position.