Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last Spring, more than 60 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits. Today’s challenge is about more than getting Americans back to work: it is about creating pathways to higher-paying, more resilient careers in order to build a more equitable future as the economy recovers.

Now, more than ever, we must rally behind the tens of millions of American adults who are unemployed or stuck in low-wage jobs in pursuit of family-sustaining, recession-resilient careers.

Merit America Overview

Merit America is a national nonprofit that has been named by the New York Times as “a glimpse of the hybrid future of training programs for the disadvantaged.” Our fast and flexible programs are designed to work for underemployed and unemployed adults - who can learn while they balance work, family, and in current times, social distancing. We combine on-demand online learning with coaching and peer support (delivered virtually) to create the most effective, scalable model in the field. Our goal is to build the most effective, large-scale education-to-employment program in the country, and we have the ambitious goal of reaching 10,000 learners annually and driving $1B in aggregate wage gains by 2024.

Role Overview

The Program Success Manager & Career Coach (PSM & CC) holds a variety of responsibilities related to cohort-based program management within a career track (e.g., IT Support, Java Development, Client Success). The role is primarily focused on coaching learners - a major driver of our program success. The PSM & CC plans and delivers career coaching and facilitates professional skill development through personalized coaching sessions in addition to cohort-wide and small group programming to ensure participants are job-ready post-graduation.

Reporting to the Program Director, the PSM & CC will also identify and analyze opportunities and challenges affecting learners and will serve as the point person to curate and share information on learners’ behalf.

This is an ideal role for those seeking to make a meaningful direct impact on the careers and lives of underserved members of our country. Here’s what one of our learners said about their coach:

“My coach has helped me to learn so much more about myself. I feel that my coach is helping me grow and showing me through their success that I can succeed. They always have an answer to my questions or a resource to help me figure it out. If my coach doesn't, they'll go the extra mile to find one.”

Key Responsibilities

• Key responsibilities align with the core goal of meeting or exceeding learner success metrics including program enrollment, retention, satisfaction, and post-program job placement.
• This role offers opportunities to contribute to building and refining our programs.

Learner Coaching & Support (75%):

• Meet regularly with each learner in your cohort to provide personalized support: understand their post-program job and career goals, stay on track in the program and graduate job-ready
• Facilitate peer learning through small groups (squads) to develop and hone professional skills aligned to the field
• Monitor learners’ progress in online courses through an online portal and proactively reaching out to offer support when learners are struggling
• Maintain wide knowledge of community resources available to learners and refer learners to appropriate resources

Program Management (25%):

• Build a positive and supportive cohort culture through ongoing communication via Slack, e-mail, and events
• Capture program insight and learnings and implement adjustments to improve the program and learner experience
• Design and implement workshops, training programs, activities, and guest speakers complementing core program events (e.g., mock interviews) for learners to support their career development

Building Merit America:

As a rapidly scaling start-up (founded in 2018), we are looking for team members to be invested, courageous, and driven to help generate impact at scale. We want to build the best education-to-employment program in the country. As such, your responsibilities will also include:

• Document and share insights regarding learners’ progress and challenges
• Participate in focus groups and brainstorming sessions
• Identify specific opportunities to strengthen the program and organization overall
• Create actionable plans that enhance the learner experience

Preferred Qualifications

At Merit America, we believe that if you can excel in the job, you are qualified for the job. Thus, we hire for demonstrated skills and mindsets versus specific job experiences or formal educational attainment.

• Relationship-Building: Strong interpersonal and communication skills, and ability to form trust-based relationships with learners and other stakeholders
• Content Expertise: Strong knowledge of professional skills such as resume & cover letter writing, interviewing, communicating professionally, etc., including interest and previous experience with career coaching, tutoring, education, counseling, youth development, non-profits, or other mission-driven work
• Deep Empathy: Outstanding ability to understand and empathize with others, including people with diverse backgrounds and interests, and a commitment to improving the lives of underserved Americans
• Operational Excellence: Exceptional operational and organizational skills, and ability to manage your own schedule and balance multiple demands, with demonstrated success working in fast-paced environments and solving problems creatively
• Lifelong Learning: Commitment to lifelong learning and ongoing personal and professional development
• Entrepreneurial Drive: Able to step up and run autonomously in ambiguous, quickly changing environments, including eagerness to help shape our organization's future

Role Logistics

• Targeted Start Date: June 6, 2022
• Compensation: $65,000 w/ competitive benefits
• Location: Our model is designed to be flexible to accommodate the needs of program participants who are working adults. Candidates should be comfortable working remotely within the US, and traveling for in-person events and professional development when safe again to do so.
• Schedule: This is not your typical full-time 9-5 role, as PSM & CCs maintain flexible schedules that include some time during the traditional workday and a few evenings per week to accommodate learner schedules.

Building an inclusive, high-performing team that is diverse across lines of identity is integral to our success and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

This means we do not discriminate against any job applicant or employee because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

Authorization to work in the United States is a precondition of employment. Merit America does not sponsor employment visas.

We actively strive and evolve to develop and maintain workspaces that are fully inclusive. We encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.