Career Pathways Program Manager

Ridgeline is a Bay Area nonprofit education-to-employment intermediary launching in July 2026. 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.

We are the connective infrastructure between education and industry – building the pathway together so that what young people do in the classroom, at a clinical site, and on the waterfront adds up to a coherent path to a career. Our programs are organized into three phases.

• In Explore (Grades 11-12), students enter through short-form career intensives and multi-month paid cohort programs, designed to build career clarity, durable skills, and professional networks.
• In Build (Grades 12-13), young people complete paid work-based learning placements with employer partners, earn industry-recognized credentials, and gain early college credit.
• In Launch (post-secondary), young people step into employment, apprenticeship, or degree programs anchored by those same employers.

Every program is paid and at every phase, the goal is the same: a high-ROI next step for the young person. Demand for our programs has consistently outpaced capacity by 3x. We are hiring our first dedicated program team, scaling what's working and piloting what's next.

We are building a team of people who bring the talent and the heart needed to make an impact. Our team includes skilled achievers who care deeply about building relationships with the young people, employers, and communities we partner with.

We are seeking a part-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.

Because Ridgeline is an intermediary – coordinating across multiple school, employer, and college partners simultaneously rather than sitting inside any single institution – this role requires someone who thrives in multi-stakeholder environments as much as in the room with young people.

This role is part-time in the upcoming fiscal year with a plan for it to eventually become a full-time position on the team.

• 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.