Who Are We:

Emerge Career is a gov-tech company designing hybrid job training programs for justice-involved individuals. In addition to the training, our program includes several wrap-around services, such as individualized customer support, data analytics, and a job placement platform.

In less than a year since rolling out its first contract, Emerge Career has become a training provider in five states and signed direct contracts with two counties to provide training services to their justice-involved populations.

Prior to Emerge Career, Gabe and Zo co-founded Ameelio in 2020, an award-winning tech nonprofit dedicated to developing educational and communication tools for the incarcerated. While scaling Ameelio, they stumbled upon the issue of post-incarceration unemployment which Emerge Career seeks to address.

Our students are also a part of who we are. Read up on our student stories and hear from them firsthand on Youtube .

Why We Do This:

Emerge Career was designed to tackle two systemic issues: recidivism, fueled by post-incarceration unemployment and poverty, and labor shortages in vital industries. Over 60% of formerly incarcerated people remain job remain unemployed a year after incarceration, seeking work but not finding it. The reality is shocking, workforce development programs are severely limited inside prison, with only one-third of incarcerated people ever participating. To worsen, the available prison jobs offer meager wages, often less than $1 per hour, and often do not equip individuals with the skills for long-term stable employment.

Emerge Career breaks this cycle with scalable vocational training and job support during incarceration, equipping individuals for roles in high-demand industries. This comprehensive pre-release approach, continued throughout post-incarceration, can combat the cycle of poverty, promoting real second chances.

Who You Are:

You believe everyone deserves dignity. Respect, recognition, and the opportunity to achieve one's full potential are the bedrock of your spirit. You know how to meet people exactly where they are and approach them with empathy and compassion, helping to create a space where everyone feels seen and valued regardless of their background.
You have experience building redemptive pathways. Life doesn't always give everyone the same chances, but you believe in rewriting the script and empowering others to hold onto and live out that script.
You are entrepreneurial. You are scrappy, resourceful, autonomous, and low-maintenance. We have little to no processes in place. While you understand that processes are important, at this stage, we need to build quickly and iterate on procedures multiple times to reach the right solution. You have a proven track record of succeeding and enacting change in rapidly changing environments.
You take ownership. You approach tasks with an unwavering sense of integrity, eschewing fluff and ego in favor of direct, accountable action. With an entrepreneurial mindset, you are a self-starter capable of steering through ambiguous challenges and tread new grounds every day.
You have grit. You don’t hesitate to roll up your sleeves and tackle something hands-on, you persevere when others might give up. You understand that startups are hard, but can be super fun with the right mindset. You are a partner in resilience. Being of service to others is not just an act but an ongoing commitment. You’re ready and willing to empower, not patronize, no matter how arduous the journey.
You have a strong work ethic. You don’t hesitate to roll up your sleeves and tackle hands-on tasks, persevering where others might give up. No job is too big or too small for you. You understand that working at a pre-product market fit requires hard work and long hours, far beyond the typical 9-to-5 job. To be fair, people on our team are working at least 10 hours a day. However, with the right mindset, this environment can be incredibly rewarding and fun.
You are tech-savvy. You understand that recent advancements in AI have fundamentally shifted the way we work. You've likely been working extensively with chatbots and other LLM-powered tools since their launch, exploring different ways to boost your productivity. You enjoy being an early adopter, knowing that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. You also recognize the importance of continuously rethinking and optimizing your approach to stay at the top of your contribution game.
You want to scale your impact. You understand that certain program management elements, such as individual coaching at critical junctures in a student’s experience, will never be fully automated. However, you believe that with the right builder mindset, we can comfortably reach a point where one coach can serve hundreds of individuals.
You lead by example. You aim to set the standard for what the Program Manager role should look like. You want to come in and be the top performer, setting the bar high.

What we’re looking for: (minimally)

Three or more years of professional work experience
Demonstrated experience working with diverse, at-risk youth, including but not limited to justice-involved youth, unemployed, and underemployed
Demonstrated experience in workforce development, recruiting, business development, marketing, or any combination of training and experience which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties as described
Eager to lead by example, treat partners with respect, and seek constructive feedback
Comfortable switching between self-directed work and teamwork
Deeply curious and highly attuned to human behavior and emotion
Skilled in cohort management, able to switch between individual direct-facing coaching and high-level cohort management. You are likely the person who uses spreadsheets to circumvent limitations in existing CRM platforms, and identify where you want to spend your efforts.

What we’re looking for: (preferred)

Involved with or impacted by the criminal justice system
Experience with early-stage startups
Experience leveraging software to create communication workflows (e.g Hubspot, Customer.io, Monday.com, etc)

Your Mission

You will be responsible for driving the success of our students enrolled in the CDL training program. In three to four months, you will help individuals transition from unemployment or underemployment to a career with an average entry-level salary of $75k. The task at hand will require you to flex your creative muscles in various ways to meet the unique needs of each student.

Our program manager role may feel similar to case management or success coaching, yet it is distinct from these more traditional roles. It is a unique blend of responsibilities and skills. You will find yourself wearing numerous hats throughout a single day—acting as a social worker, counselor, sales rep, life coach, and operations lead.

That’s why we're looking for someone with a solid track record across various functions and industries. The success of our vocational village hinges on our ability to adapt to an environment with ever-changing needs and demands: you must understand the current state of affairs, identify its shortcomings, and work within these parameters while consistently driving innovation. Successful innovation here demands great relationship-building and management. To thrive, we need someone who not only understands people and can develop processes but also knows when to lead and when to listen.

This person is also expected to understand what it takes to be successful in an early start-up environment and recognize that the way things are done in other industries isn’t necessarily the way we will work because we’re focused on inspiring innovation across the country. We have a bias for action and results, and expect you to as well.

What You’ll Do:

Student Support & Admin

Perform foundational student support by outreaching to and following up with students regarding deadlines and meeting attendance
Call, text, and email students to be proactive and support them in their job search
Document student performance and progress in our proprietary LMS
Create and facilitate interactive 1:1 and group coaching sessions centered around a full spectrum job search for individuals pursuing CDL Class A positions
Foster a spirit of community and collaboration

Retention Coaching

Implement and iterate on our current study plan model
Record videos to answer frequently asked questions students have during their training journey
Analyzing the cohort data, identify who need to be prioritized
Follow up with students regarding deadlines and attendance
Document and troubleshoot bugs and usability issues
Call, text, and email students to be proactive and support them in their job search
Document student performance and progress in our proprietary LMS
Draft and quickly iterate on SOPs that other program managers should follow based on learnings of what’s working and what's not

Partnership

Outreach and communicate with government agencies, vocational training providers, correctional facilities, recruiting partners, and employers
Review and analyze reports from partners and prepare reports, agendas, and slide decks for partner meetings
Work collaboratively and creatively with team members to strategize and maximize for meetings and other partnership opportunities
Enroll students into vocational training programs

General

Participate in general and functional team weekly meetings
Respond promptly to internal and external communications via email, slack, and text message

Hours: Flexible

Start Date: ASAP

Emerge Career

Program Manager

About the role