Senior Manager, Adult Education & Career Development

Contact information

• Base Pay $65,000.00 - $75,000.00 / Year
• Employee Type Full Time Exempt
• Required Degree 4 Year Degree
• Manage Others Yes

• Email careers

Description

Full Time, Salaried, Exempt Position

Founded in 2003, GiGi's Playhouse Inc.’s mission is to change the way the world views Down syndrome and send a global message of acceptance for all. We profoundly change lives through national campaigns, educational programs, and by empowering individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and the community. All programs are free and are therapeutic or educational in nature. Each one of our programs is designed to work on specific skill development, including speech and language, literacy, socialization, and fine and gross motor skills.

GiGi’s Playhouse has opened over 60 locations across North America and growing by several locations annually.

The Senior Manager of Adult Education & Career Development provides strategic and operational leadership for adult education and career programming at GiGi's Playhouse Hoffman Estates and McHenry. This position owns the participant experience and adult program continuum, from recruitment, enrollment, and delivery through GiGi University, career and Ambassador development, internships, employment, and meaningful community engagement.

This leader is responsible for growing participation, strengthening program quality and measurable outcomes, developing community and employer partnerships, and ensuring adults with Down syndrome have opportunities to build skills, increase independence, contribute to their communities, and pursue meaningful employment and volunteer opportunities.

The position leads the GiGi Professional internship and career-development program and oversees GiGiWORKS as a work-based learning environment where participants develop and demonstrate transferable workplace skills.

Beyond the local Playhouses, this position serves as a national leader and spokesperson for GiGi's adult education and career-development model. Working closely with the National Program Team, the role will pilot innovative approaches, identify and share best practices, support the development of scalable career pathways, and represent GiGi's Playhouse with employers, universities, funders, community organizations, and other external partners.

• Increase adult participant enrollment, engagement, retention, and program hours across Hoffman and McHenry.
• Develop an annual community outreach and participant recruitment strategy with measurable enrollment goals.
• Build and maintain an active pipeline of transition programs, schools, colleges, employers, community organizations, and referral partners.
• Increase the number of participants progressing from adult education into internships, competitive integrated employment, Ambassador leadership, or meaningful volunteer placements.
• Establish measurable skill-development outcomes for participants working within Hugs + Mugs and the internship program.
• Develop employer partnerships that create internships, job-shadowing, workplace tours, employment opportunities, and volunteer placements.
• Track participant outcomes beyond program completion, including placement, retention, advancement, and continued skill development.
• Establish Hoffman and McHenry as demonstration sites for excellence in adult education and career development that can inform programming across GiGi’s network.
• Represent GiGi's Playhouse nationally through presentations, employer engagement, conferences, funder conversations, media opportunities, training, and storytelling.
• Partner with the National Program Team to pilot, evaluate, document, and scale successful adult education and career-development practices across the network.

Executive Director

Role is 100% in person in Hoffman Estates, IL

• Provide overall leadership and ownership of adult education programming at the Hoffman Estates and McHenry Playhouses, ensuring consistent, high-quality participant experience across both locations.
• Develop and execute the annual adult education strategy for both Playhouses, including program schedules, enrollment…