Program Manager, Bridgeport Title: Program Manager, Bridgeport Location: Bridgeport, Connecticut Schedule: Tuesday-Saturday; Monday-Friday outside the academic year Reports To: Executive Director Type: Full Time/ Exempt Salary: Starting at $60,000- $63,000 Time Off: 39 paid days off! 10 days of vacation + 2 company shut down weeks (10 days) + 7 personal days + 5 sick days + 7 holidays (including Juneteenth) Who We Are buildOn breaks the cycle of poverty through service (buildon.org). Communities in low-income countries build schools through service. American youth transform their own communities through service and change the world by helping build these schools. In the U.S., our Service Learning Programs provide students from under-resourced high schools the tools they need to transform their communities through service. Globally, we partner with people in countries with high rates of poverty and illiteracy to build schools, enroll previously out-of-school children, and support adult learners through our Adult Literacy Program. To date, our U.S. students have contributed more than 2.5 million hours of service to their communities, and we’ve built more than 3000 schools in eight countries––breaking ground on a new school every 36 hours. If you’re passionate about educational justice like we are, we welcome you to apply! Who We Want buildOn seeks an experienced, passionate, and mission-driven Program Manager (PM) to manage and directly lead buildOn’s Service Learning Program at assigned partner high schools in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Reporting to the Executive Director of the region, the PM will serve as the primary buildOn leader in Bridgeport, while coaching and supporting three Student Engagement Specialists who contribute to the delivery of buildOn programming. This is a hands-on, field-based leadership role that combines program management, staff supervision, school partnership development, and student engagement. The Program Manager will ensure that buildOn’s service-learning program is implemented with quality and consistency while creating a strong culture of Constructive Leadership among students and staff. This role combines direct student engagement in programming with supervision of multiple staff members. The ideal candidate is a strong relationship-builder, organized people manager, and committed youth development professional who can balance day-to-day program execution with staff development and long-term program growth. The PM partners closely with Engagement Specialists, school administrators and faculty, and community partners to develop excellent service opportunities with buildOn students. Additionally, the PM works closely with colleagues to plan and execute regional program events, and oversees and leads recruitment and support of students for Immersions (Trek, 36 Hours, and Partnership program) as well as special events. The PM is expected to be highly visible and actively engaged at the assigned Bridgeport high schools, in the community, and alongside the Engagement Specialist team. The role requires strong organization, communication, relationship-building, follow-through, and the ability to balance people management with hands-on program leadership. This is a great opportunity for a mission-driven leader who enjoys working with people and overseeing programs. If you have a history of leading successful teams with measurable results, then join buildOn as we continue to grow and change the world! What You’ll Do Lead a team of Student Engagement Specialists to engage students in buildOn’s service-learning program. This is not a remote position. Instead, it requires full-time activity in schools and in the community, coaching your team and serving alongside students and partners.
Team Leadership and Coaching of Engagement Specialists Direct Management
- Directly supervise three Student Engagement Specialists responsible for supporting buildOn programming at the partner high schools.
- Provide clear expectations, priorities, and accountability for program delivery, student engagement, school relationships, data management, and service-learning planning.
- Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and team check-ins to monitor progress, identify challenges, and support staff success.
- Build realistic work plans and schedules that enable Engagement Specialists to effectively balance student engagement, school responsibilities, service planning, administrative tasks, and community partnerships.
Coaching, Development & Accountability
- Serve as a coach, role model, and accountability partner for Engagement Specialists, helping them strengthen their professional and program-management skills.
- Conduct regular observations of Engagement Specialists using buildOn’s program quality standards and provide specific, actionable feedback.
- Model strong professional habits, including proactive communication, timely follow-through, thoughtful planning, effective school partnership management, and accurate data entry.
- Identify performance gaps early, establish clear expectations for improvement, and provide appropriate coaching and support.
- Invest in the professional development and long-term growth of Engagement Specialists.
Program Quality & Methodology
- Monitor the quality of programming delivered by Engagement Specialists and ensure alignment with buildOn’s service-learning methodology and Constructive Leadership framework.
- Use student engagement data, observations, and staff feedback to identify program strengths, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
- Support Engagement Specialists in developing high-quality service-learning experiences that center student voice, leadership, reflection, and community impact.
Relationship Building, Data Management & Cross-departmental Collaboration
Relationship Building
- Maintain relationships with school partners in your portfolio (teaching advisors, principals, and administration) to ensure strong partnerships.
- Meet and communicate regularly with school partners to highlight the success of the program and also troubleshoot any issues that arise in a timely manner.
- Work with the Program Director, the Community Partnerships team, and Student Engagement Specialists to cultivate partnerships with local community-based organizations to increase meaningful opportunities for students to serve.
Data & Reporting
- Use Salesforce to accurately track student engagement, service hours, and program participation.
- Review engagement data regularly to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for program improvement.
- Ensure timely completion of monthly engagement logs, surveys, and other MERL reporting requirements.
- Use data to support staff accountability and inform program planning.
Cross-Departmental Collaboration
Work across departments to support organizational goals as one buildOn, including:
- Marketing: Share student stories, service highlights, and program successes.
- Events: Support student recruitment and participation in buildOn events and special opportunities.
- Development: Provide program and community partnership information to support grants and reporting.
How We Will Know We Are Successful
- Student Engagement & Impact: Student recruitment and participation targets are met, with an increased number of students achieving meaningful service-hour milestones.
- Program Quality: High-quality buildOn service-learning programming is consistently delivered at the assigned Bridgeport high school and reflects buildOn’s methodology and Constructive Leadership principles.
- Staff Development: Both Engagement Specialists demonstrate growth in program facilitation, student engagement, professional habits, school partnership management, planning, and data management.
- Effective Team Management: Engagement Specialists receive consistent coaching, feedback, and accountability and are able to independently manage their program responsibilities with increasing confidence and effectiveness.
- School Partnership: The relationship with the partner high school is strong, collaborative, and positioned for continued growth.
- Data & Reporting: Salesforce records, engagement data, monthly reports, and other required deliverables are accurate and submitted on time.
- Student Leadership: Students demonstrate increased ownership, confidence, and leadership through service-learning experiences and opportunities to practice buildOn’s Constructive Leadership principles.
What You Bring
- Personal commitment to buildOn's mission - the power of service to change lives, communities, and the world. A demonstrated commitment to service in your own life.
- Extensive experience living and/or working in underserved communities.
- Commitment to creating programs for youth that are empowering and antiracist.
- Demonstrated ability to use student engagement data (Key Performance Indicators) to increase engagement.
- Flexible and able to manage the ambiguity and multiple priorities inherent in an entrepreneurial environment.
- 3+ years engaging youth in service learning.
- 1+ years managing high-performing teams (preferred).
- Experience mentoring and/coaching a team.
- Invested in continual growth and learning through ongoing discovery, planning and execution, and reflection.
- Strong communicator with a track record of mentoring and coaching others to achieve results.
- Relevant educational background.
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What We Offer When you join us in this movement, you’ll enjoy a rewarding career that provides you with the benefits and flexibility you need; while ensuring that you have the opportunity to learn and grow through annual performance reviews, opportunities for advancement and professional development opportunities. Our Benefits
- Opportunity to connect and network with leaders of Fortune 500 organizations
- A generous time off policy that includes paid vacation (10), personal and sick(12) days, along with a summer and end-of-year shutdown week (10 days).
- 100% insurance premium paid for medical, dental and vision along with subsidized deductibles.
- Opportunities for advancement.
- Opportunity to go on Trek - a service immersion to work and live in solidarity with rural community members from Guatemala, Nicaragua, Malawi, Senegal, or Nepal to build a school.
- Annual performance reviews with merit increases.
- 403 (b) retirement plan.
- Pre-tax benefits (Commuter, FSA).
- Professional development opportunities.
Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion buildOn is committed to building and maintaining an inclusive environment that drives innovation, strengthens ONE buildOn and bolsters a culture where people truly feel valued, heard and respected. buildOn provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, or veteran status. To learn more about buildOn, please visit our website at www.buildOn.org.
