Lead Coach and Program Manager, Scales to Success

Equity Arc is a national nonprofit working to expand equitable opportunities for the next generation of classical musicians. Through rigorous, identity-affirming mentorship, educational programs, and partnerships with leading artists and institutions, Equity Arc supports young musicians as they develop their skills, pursue opportunities, and chart their own paths toward professional careers in classical music.

Scales to Success is Equity Arc’s new multi-year, identity-affirming coaching program in which young classical musicians build resilience, self-awareness, adaptability, strategic thinking, and personal agency through sustained, process-oriented goal setting and achievement. The program pairs musicians with professionally trained coaches and draws on a rigorously designed framework, structured tools, and ongoing assessment to support musicians as they direct their own growth toward professional careers.

The Lead Coach and Program Manager, Scales to Success (Lead Coach), will play a central role in launching and strengthening the program. Building on the program’s existing foundation and ongoing development, the Lead Coach will develop expertise in the Scales to Success coaching methodology, help implement and strengthen coaching practices, support the recruitment and development of the coaching team, and contribute to the program’s continued evolution through implementation and evaluation.

Central to this work is a commitment to student ownership of the developmental process. Rather than prescribing a path forward, coaches support participants in assessing their strengths and needs, setting their own goals, and navigating opportunities and challenges. The Lead Coach will bring firsthand experience in classical music performance and a strong understanding of youth development to this work, supporting participants and their families as they navigate the demands of pursuing a professional musical career.

The program is organized around six pillars:
Wellbeing;
Personal & Professional Networks;
Habits of Self-Development;
Audition Readiness;
Financial Stability & Resource Navigation; and Career & Educational Strategy. Just as a musician returns to scales at the start of every practice, coaches return to these six pillars throughout the coaching relationship, providing a consistent foundation for each young musician’s development alongside their artistic training.

This is a remote, national role, with participants and fellow staff located across the country, with a preferred start date in mid-January 2027.

• Develop resource plans in collaboration with senior leadership to ensure pilots are appropriately scoped and financially sustainable.
• Partner with the Program Director to ensure a smooth transition of new initiatives from design and pilot phases into full program implementation, maintaining alignment with existing programs and organizational goals.
• Develops a thorough understanding of the established Scales to Success coaching methodology and works with organizational leadership and external advisors to implement it consistently, maintaining fidelity to its student-centered principles.
• Plays a central role in the iterative development of Scales to Success, assessing the effectiveness of coaching tools and practices and drawing on participant experiences, coaching observations, and program data to strengthen the model over time.
• Establishes and maintains coaching protocols, assessment practices, and documentation standards that support consistent implementation, participant-directed goal setting, and program evaluation.
• Partners with program staff on recruitment, selection, and onboarding of participants,…