Manager of Career Programs
Location: Bronx, NY
Employment Type: Full-Time, In-Person, 11-Month Position
Reports To: Director of Career Programs & Partnerships
Organization Overview
Vertex Academies is a public charter International Baccalaureate World High School with a classical core in the heart of the Bronx.
Our mission is to provide students with pathways for upward mobility while preparing them for the responsibilities of self-governance in a democratic republic. Everything we do is rooted in the four cardinal virtues: courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom.
Our Lower Academy curriculum is designed to teach timeless truths in pursuit of the good, the true, and the beautiful. All students train in the seven classical liberal arts of the Trivium and Quadrivium, with explicit instruction and practice of logic, grammar, and rhetoric, choose between Spanish and Latin, and trace the development of the Western Tradition.
Our Upper Academy provides students with rich options equal in rigor and stature: a Humanities-focused pathway with AP courses, or three different International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme pathways: Biomedical Science, Computer Science and Cybersecurity, and Montessori Early Childhood Education, all of which have real-world partners and result in an industry credential.
At Vertex, our students have agency. Each day, they make choices about the kind of people they want to become, the lives they want to lead, and the society they want to build. It is our sacred duty to equip them with the knowledge most worth having, to sharpen their critical thinking, and to create a space where they grapple with diverse viewpoints, express cogent arguments, and engage in democratic discourse.
Position Overview
Vertex is building a broader, more sustainable model of career readiness that pairs the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme with employer partnerships, internships, industry exposure, credential attainment, and workforce readiness. The Director of Career Programs & Partnerships leads that work and holds Vertex’s partner relationships. The Manager of Career Programs supports the Director and runs the program day to day.
The Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operation of Vertex’s career programming. Working under the direction of the Director, the Manager turns partnerships and program design into well-organized experiences for students: placing and preparing students, coordinating logistics with partners and staff, maintaining accurate program records, and keeping students, families, and colleagues informed.
The Manager also supports Vertex’s IB Career-related Programme, ensuring that students enrolled in the IBCP complete all programme requirements and that Vertex maintains the documentation the IB requires.
The successful candidate is highly organized, follows through on details, communicates clearly with students and adults, and takes ownership of execution.
Responsibilities
Program Operations
- Implement career programming in line with the goals, priorities, and quality standards set by the Director.
- Manage the calendar, logistics, and communications for career days, site visits, guest speakers, industry panels, and networking events.
- Coordinate transportation, permission slips, schedules, and supervision for all off-site experiences in every career pathway.
- Support classes taught with outside providers, including teaching predetermined material, grading, creating and maintaining gradebooks, and supervising and managing classes when needed.
- Manage teacher access to partner training and curriculum, such as Project Lead the Way.
- Evaluate program implementation and recommend improvements to the Director.
Student Placement & Support
- Recruit, screen, and prepare students for internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, mentorships, and other work-based learning opportunities.
- Match students to opportunities based on their interests, readiness, and program requirements.
- Monitor student attendance, conduct, and progress at placements, and address concerns promptly with students, families, and partners.
- Lead student preparation in professional skills and workplace expectations before and during placements.
- Guide students through structured reflection on their experiences.
- Facilitate student inquiry and research into careers and industries.
Partner Coordination
- Support the Director in managing partner relationships; the Director remains the primary contact for partner organizations and leads all partnership decisions.
- Coordinate the logistics of partner experiences, including schedules, placement details, site requirements, and student paperwork.
- Work with site supervisors on day-to-day student matters, and keep the Director informed of any concerns.
- Collect feedback from partners and site supervisors on student performance and program quality, and share it with the Director.
- Support the Director in identifying prospective partners and preparing partnership materials.
- Track vendor and partner deliverables, and flag issues to the Director.
IB Career-related Programme
- Monitor the progress of students enrolled in the IBCP toward completion of all programme requirements, including the Reflective Project, Service Learning, language development, and Personal and Professional Skills.
- Maintain the system for documenting student IBCP requirements (e.g., language portfolios, Reflective Project essays) that the IB requires for evaluation.
- Support the DP Coordinator with the administration of IB-mandated assessments for CP students.
- Coordinate with the teachers and staff responsible for each component of the programme.
Data & Records
- Maintain accurate records of student participation, placements, credential attainment, and completion across all career experiences.
- Collect and organize the data the Director needs to report on program outcomes to school leadership, the Board of Trustees, and external stakeholders.
- Maintain required documentation, including placement agreements, permission forms, and site records.
- Support the tracking of postsecondary outcomes for graduates.
Communication
- Communicate information about career programming and upcoming opportunities to students, families, and staff.
- Provide information, guidance, and administrative support to students, colleagues, and other stakeholders.
- Collaborate with counselors, academy leaders, and teachers to connect career programming with students’ academic and postsecondary plans.
Qualifications
Required
- A bachelor’s degree
- Two or more years of professional experience in education, career readiness, workforce development, youth development, or program coordination
- Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with a record of managing many moving parts at once
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with students, families, colleagues, and external partners
- Proficiency with spreadsheets and data tracking systems
- A deep, abiding belief in the infinite potential of our students
- An expansive sense of your own agency
- A hunger for feedback from all stakeholders and a commitment to continuous improvement
Nice to Have
- Teaching or advising experience with high school students
- Experience coordinating internships, work-based learning, or career readiness programs
- Familiarity with the IB Career-related Programme
- Experience working in urban or charter school settings
- Familiarity with New York City employers, workforce organizations, and higher education institutions
This role is a full-time, in-person, 11-month position.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $67,000–$105,000, based on the Vertex teacher salary scale; the offer will be commensurate with the candidate’s years of experience and credentials.
As an employee, you are eligible for a benefits package, inclusive of paid time off, paid holidays, and a retirement plan.
Physical Requirements
This role may require lifting and carrying items weighing up to 20 pounds unassisted, including assisting coworkers when needed. Requires frequent bending, reaching, repetitive hand movements, standing, walking, squatting, sitting, and looking at a computer screen for long periods at a time.