Full-Time Career Pathways Program Manager

Ridgeline is hiring for a full-time Career Pathways Program Manager. Note: this listing has been updated as of July 22, 2026 to reflect the full-time nature of this role.

About Ridgeline

Ridgeline is a Bay Area nonprofit education-to-employment intermediary. 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.

Read more about the Ridgeline team culture here

‍About the Career Pathways Program Manager Role

We are seeking a full-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.

Responsibilities

Includes but are not limited to:

Program Design & Facilitation

• 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.

Operations & Coordination

• 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.

Partnership & External Engagement

• Co-design authentic, industry-informed learning sessions with experts.
• Support guest speakers, mentors, and industry reviewers to deepen the real-world impact of programs.

Qualifications

Experience

• 3+ years designing and facilitating project-based, experiential, or career-connected learning programs for young adults, especially in diverse or underserved communities.
• Strong track record of program operations and coordination (e.g., scheduling, logistics, communication).
• Demonstrated ability to balance big-picture program design with detail-oriented execution.

Skills

• Exceptional facilitation and communication skills, with the ability to inspire, connect with, and support young adults (ages 16–22).
• Highly organized and proactive project manager; comfortable juggling multiple moving pieces and stakeholders.
• Strong collaborator and communicator who builds trust and alignment across teams, schools, and industry partners.
• Creative problem-solver who adapts in real time to challenges while keeping program goals at the center.

Knowledge

• Familiarity with healthcare and/or maritime/blue economy sectors is a plus.
• Familiarity with CTE, dual enrollment, and work-based learning structures in California is a plus.
• Clear understanding of durable skills and how to embed them into learning experiences.
• Awareness of systemic barriers to education-to-career pathways and a commitment to equity in design and facilitation.

Preferred Backgrounds

• Educators, facilitators, or instructional designers with experience in project-based or experiential learning.
• Nonprofit program managers with expertise in career readiness or workforce development.
• Coaches or trainers with background in apprenticeship, internship, or early-career pathways – bonus if you have direct experience working with young people (ages 16-22).

Role Details & Compensation

• Salary: The hiring range for this role is $92,000-$113,000. We use a consistent compensation framework across all roles. We will give our best offer and will not negotiate.
• Benefits: We are proud to offer a competitive benefits package including:
  
  • Health, Vision, and Dental: Ridgeline covers 100% of your premium for medical, dental, and vision on our sponsored plan. We cover 75% for dependents. If you elect a high deductible medical plan, we contribute to your HSA to help you cover out-of-pockets costs. ‍
  • Retirement: We match your 401(k) contributions dollar for dollar up to 5% of your salary. That match is fully vested from day one.‍
  • Time Away: Ridgeline hires exceptional people and treats them like it. We don't track vacation days or set a cap on time away because we don't think that's how great work happens.We trust you to make smart decisions about when to be present and when to step away. ‍
  • Sick and Wellness Time: Ridgeline provides up to 10 days (80 hours) of paid sick time per fiscal year. ‍
  • Holidays: Ridgeline observes all federal holidays plus two full company breaks: the last week of the calendar year and the first week of July. These are protected weeks to rest and recharge.
• ‍Classification & Schedule: This is a full-time, exempt position. This role can expect to work standard working hours Monday through Friday with out-of-school time (evening, weekend, holiday) work as needed to deliver programming. ‍
• Location: San Francisco Bay Area (Hybrid). Ridgeline operates on a hybrid schedule with Wednesday as a common in-person day. Staff are also expected to be present in person for student-facing programming, partner meetings, and team meetings as needed.

Application Process

Application Window: We are collecting and reviewing applications on a rolling basis so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. To submit the online application you will need to login to a Google account.

Full-Time Career Pathways Program Manager Application