Career Coach, Program

The Organization: Merit America The American economy is broken. Today, 53 million working adults–nearly half of the U.S. workforce–do not earn a living wage. These talented workers have few options to advance: college is too long and expensive, full-time boot camp programs don’t offer enough flexibility, and online courses don’t have the structure or support to translate learning into a new career. The result? Talented workers, disproportionately people of color and women, get stuck in low-wage roles with no way to build a better life for themselves and their families. Merit America is a national nonprofit that creates pathways to family-sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low-wage work. Our fast, flexible solutions are built for working adults: We start by analyzing tens of millions of job postings to identify in-demand, high-paying tech careers and then work with industry-recognized partners to train for these roles with part-time programs that combine flexible online learning with best-in-class coaching. Finally, we support our learners in their job search, helping them connect with a broad constellation of local and national employers such as JPMorgan Chase and Infosys to land higher-earning, family-sustaining jobs. Merit America is on a mission to build a scalable pathway for workers to join the middle class through merit, not money. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve generated a projected $1 billion in near-term wage gains for our learners. Role Overview The primary mission of the Career Coach, Program is to focus on coaching and supporting Merit America’s learners so that they have what they need to succeed in our program and beyond. This role is ideal for those seeking to make a meaningful, direct impact on the careers and lives of people who have been historically marginalized and excluded. The Career Coach holds a variety of responsibilities related to cohort-based and individual learner management across various career tracks (e.g., IT Support, Data Analytics, UX Design, Project Management, Cybersecurity, Human Resources, Semiconductor, and Supply Chain Management). The Career Coach, Program also plans and delivers career coaching and facilitates professional skill development through personalized coaching sessions, in addition to large and small group programming, to ensure participants are prepared for a new career. The Career Coach, Program is an exempt role and will report directly to a Program Director or Associate Director, Coaching. This role requires flexibility in scheduling, as Career Coaches work a 4-day work week that includes evenings and weekends to best support learners across different time zones and work schedules.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Career Coach, Program will include, but are not limited to, the following: Learner Management

• Foster a positive and supportive environment for assigned learners
• Build strong, empathetic relationships with learners, offering regular 1:1 and group coaching to provide motivation, guidance, and accountability to completing coursework and/or certifications
• Leverage quantitative and qualitative data to monitor learner progress and identify program insights and lessons, making necessary adjustments to enhance both the program and learner experience
• Provide personalized feedback and motivation to learners throughout their experience in the program
• Adapt coaching approach to individual learner needs while aligning with program goals and structures
• Maintain active communication across coaching teams and with cross-functional staff to ensure learner outcomes and operational alignment

Career Counseling & Job Readiness

• Deliver live and asynchronous personalized career coaching by identifying areas for improvement, providing constructive feedback, and guiding learners toward career readiness
• Facilitate job sourcing and promote high-quality entry-level opportunities in learners' chosen fields
• Support learners in career readiness by providing feedback on resumes and directly editing them to meet program standards, preparing learners for interviews through coaching and practice, assisting with building strong LinkedIn profiles, and guiding learners in developing effective networking strategies
• Identify and assess opportunities and challenges faced by learners, serving as the central contact to gather and disseminate relevant information that could be helpful
• Deliver targeted 1:1 and group coaching on job search strategy, mindset, networking, and other professional skills topics
• Track job placement progress and verify job outcomes using internal reporting systems

Program Support & Learner Engagement

• Support learners from Foundations through the Job Success Phase
• Monitor learners' progress in online courses through an online portal and proactively intervene to offer support when learners are falling behind
• Coach learners on time management, goal setting, and course navigation to build momentum and