Location: National (remote)
Our country's education and workforce systems are inequitable, failing to meet the needs of our most marginalized citizens. Historically, workforce education has led to low-wage jobs disconnected from ongoing higher education, which has created significant barriers for career advancement. At the same time, traditional higher education has increasingly become unaffordable for Americans from lower-income backgrounds while also lacking direct connection to the labor market. The consequences of these systemic failures are dire.
At Propel America, we believe a better system should and can exist. We believe high school graduates shouldn't have to choose between forestalling income and accruing significant debt while pursuing a traditional college degree, or forestalling education and mobility for low-wage, entry-level work with few opportunities for advancement. Propel is building that better system: a Jobs-First Higher Education allowing young adults from low-income backgrounds to access an affordable and efficient pathway to a good job, propelling them into a choice-filled life.
By privileging both the needs of young adults and those of our employer partners, Propel America:
- Partners with employers to assess talent needs, create relevant training programs, and hire diverse, local talent for their in-demand roles.
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Recruits, guides, and supports opportunity youth (18-24 years old), particularly those from low-income backgrounds, through a blended, technology-enabled career accelerator inclusive of a suite of products and supports (e.g., career exploration, cohort learning, one-on-one coaching, etc) to ensure Fellows have what they need to be successful in their job interview, persist in the workforce, and a plan for ongoing education and career advancement.
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Partners with training and higher education organizations to offer in-demand credentials that allow young adults to earn college credits
To learn more about Propel America, please visit https://www.propelamerica.org.
Propel's Senior Director, Program Delivery is responsible for leading the implementation and delivery of Propel fellow-facing programs. The Senior Director (SD) will manage a team of ~6 individuals who each support Fellows to successfully achieve “hire ready status” across our pathways in healthcare. We currently work with 5 training partners across 4 regions and two pathways - Medical Assistant and Sterile Processing Technician with more to be added. The SD, Program Delivery will report to the Chief Program Officer and be a key member of the Program management team.
The core responsibilities include:
- Project Management: Effectively plan, and manage, execution and daily operations of existing pathways programs in Asana, Salesforce, Excel and other Propel technologies
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Program Leadership: With the Senior Director, Program Innovation , SD, Admissions and Chief Program Officer, regularly make programmatic improvements that position Propel America to achieve impact at scale
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People Management: Effectively manage a team of high performing professionals who provide direct service to Fellows, and who engage training and employer partners on reviews of student-level progress through the programs
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Cross-Team Collaboration: Serve as a partner to Client Services and Operations teams to ensure strong training and employer partner relationships and strong communication between the Program team and cross-functional teams
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Partnership Management: Serve as the key point of contact in managing relationships with our training partners and ensuring Propel's program delivery is aligned with the training program expectations and needs.
The SD, Program Delivery will support a team delivering Fellow supports across five regions: Baton Rouge, LA; Newark, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Camden, NJ; and Los Angeles, CA.
The Senior Director, Program Delivery's responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Project Management (25%)
- Supervise the day-to-day execution of Propel's fellowship program, including:
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Monitoring the completion of key milestones in Asana across multiple cohorts and training partners.
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Providing support to team members to ensure timely completion of tasks and activities crucial for fellows' program success.
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Holding the team accountable for achieving key results and individual scorecards.
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Lead a team utilizing technology to scale Propel's model and assist young adults in securing upwardly mobile employment (e.g., leveraging DialPad for fellow communications).
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Maintain updated internal systems that accurately reflect program outcomes in real-time, enabling leadership to evaluate overall progress towards organizational goals and objectives.
Project Leadership (25%)
- Serve as a thought partner to the Chief Program Officer and as a key member of the Program Leadership, distilling key learnings to inform the overall direction of the Program team's short- and long-term strategies
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Manage a budget that ensures Propel's resources are appropriately and effectively allocated in support of Fellows' successful completion of training programs in allied health professions
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Collaborate closely with the SD, Program Innovation to identify key levers and establish high-impact initiatives aimed at enhancing outcomes and streamlining operations throughout the program continuum.
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Employ rapid cycle experimentation, data-driven innovation, and continuous improvement methodologies to drive real-time enhancements in both impact and efficiency across the program model and its delivery.
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Utilize analytics and program insights to pinpoint areas requiring design refinement.
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Establish a standardized process for how Propel coaches its students and provides support throughout the program completion journey.
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Identify opportunities to leverage technology to drive scale
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Manage the relationships with training partners at the leadership level to ensure we are delivering on our commitments to the partnerships
People Management (25%)
- Build and foster a program team culture rooted in Propel's core values.
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Provide effective management and coaching to team members, fostering their development as valuable thought partners and leaders within the organization.
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Cultivate a culture within the program team that values rapid testing cycles and agility, enabling us to address challenges hindering Propel from achieving its intended levels of impact, efficiency, and scale.
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Support Portfolio Mangers to serve as key Propel representatives during training and employer partner check-ins
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Collaborate closely with Portfolio Managers to address any challenges they encounter with training or employer partners, ensuring smooth progress towards Fellow completion.
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Maintain active communication with key stakeholders to ensure a clear understanding of the status of training and employer partner relationships.
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When necessary, directly engage with training and employer partners to support Portfolio Managers and, ultimately, Fellows.
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Ensure the program team is adequately resourced, meeting staffing and other needs to deliver ambitious outcomes.
Cross-Team Collaboration (25%)
- Collaborate closely with the sourcing and admissions teams to integrate real-time insights into program strategy and execution.
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Engage in cross-functional collaboration to ensure clear communication of program delivery goals and objectives, and their successful attainment.
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Given the collaborative nature of our program work, the SD, Program Delivery will prioritize effective collaboration across teams to support the achievement of program and organizational goals.
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Provide necessary information to the Coordinator to facilitate logistics and communication with Fellows, enabling seamless support for the Program team.
The SD, Program Delivery is a meticulous leader adept at handling numerous priorities, guiding their team towards ambitious objectives, and shaping programmatic strategy to propel Propel towards greater impact and scale in the years ahead. The ideal SD, Program Delivery will have a robust background in project management, exhibiting a keen eye for detail. They will have a proven track record of effectively leading teams to excellence, collaborating across teams to drive results, and innovating program strategies for enhanced efficacy.
Core Competencies:
- Mission & Core Values Alignment: Demonstrated commitment to our mission and values, particularly in promoting equity and advancing a Job-First Higher Education approach for our fellows, with in-depth knowledge of the population we serve.
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Equity Focus: Dedicated to fostering inclusivity, actively addressing bias and building strategies to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) within our organization and programs.
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Project Management with Attention to Detail: Exhibits meticulous project management skills by efficiently planning tasks, maintaining high standards of accuracy and thoroughness, persistently pursuing goals, and aligning plans with organizational values to drive projects towards successful outcomes.
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Problem-Solving, Strategy & Decision-Making: Innovative problem-solver adept at developing clear strategies and solutions, aligning decisions with long-term goals and organizational vision. Experience navigating complex environments and facilitating the achievement of enterprise-wide priorities and goals.
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Leadership & Effective People Management: Empowering leader fostering a positive work environment, inspiring teamwork, and aligning staff across teams with organizational objectives. Proven track record in effectively managing teams directly and cross-functionally, steering them through periods of rapid growth and change, and spearheading enterprise-wide initiatives.
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Continuous Learning and Improvement: Committed to continuous growth, adapting to change, seeking feedback, and embracing new approaches to enhance program performance and drive organizational success. Proficient in leading rapid cycle testing or lean impact methodologies.
Preferred Qualifications:
- 8+ years of experience as a senior leader of a rapidly growing and evolving program delivery or operations team
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Extensive experience and knowledge in college and workforce access and success space
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Experience or knowledge of healthcare career pathways
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Proven track record of optimizing operational efficiency and utilizing data and technology to drive improvements in program and product development.
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Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal.
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Willingness to travel up to 40% of the time.
The salary for this position is between $116,000 - 135,000 annually. We consider candidate experience and location when determining where a candidate may fall within that range. Propel America offers a competitive total rewards package including coverage of 90% of health insurance premiums, unlimited PTO, 401k contribution up to 5% of base salary, and a flexible work environment.