San Diego Squared (SD2) connects underserved students to the power of STEM by providing education, mentorship, and workforce development, ensuring that exceptional talent—regardless of background—has the resources needed to lead within the STEM community.

We are seeking a full-time Program Manager to lead SD2’s paid internship, early career placement, and workforce pipeline efforts. This role is responsible for end-to-end management of internship programs—from student recruitment and preparation to employer engagement, placement, and outcomes tracking. This is a highly visible, impact-driven role that directly contributes to students securing paid internships, part-time roles, and full-time employment.

The ideal candidate is relationship-driven, highly organized, and execution-oriented, with experience bridging students and employers. They are passionate about workforce development, comfortable owning outcomes, and energized by building scalable systems that lead to real career opportunities.

Candidates from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds are highly encouraged to apply. This is a hybrid position with local travel periodically expected throughout San Diego County. This role requires availability on weekday evenings and select Saturdays for program events and activities.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead the end-to-end design, execution, evaluation, and continuous improvement of SD2’s paid internship and early-career placement programs, ensuring alignment with student development outcomes and employer workforce needs.

• Own the full internship lifecycle, including student recruitment, screening, preparation, matching, placement, monitoring, and completion, while providing individualized guidance through applications, interviews, onboarding, and internships.

• Develop and deliver workforce readiness programming such as resume and LinkedIn reviews, mock interviews, and professional skills training.

• Build, manage, and strengthen relationships with industry partners to source paid internships, project-based roles, and entry-level jobs, serving as the primary point of contact and collaborating on role scope, timelines, compensation, and expectations.

• Track and analyze program outcomes and workforce metrics (e.g., placements, wages, completion rates, return offers, and post-program employment), collecting student and employer feedback to inform continuous improvement.

• Prepare reports, dashboards, and summaries for internal leadership, funders, partners, and board audiences, using data to strengthen program models.

• Coordinate with SD2 program, development, and leadership teams to align workforce initiatives with organizational goals, and support related events, site visits, budgets, stipends, agreements, and special projects.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple timelines and stakeholders simultaneously.

• Experience working with employers, recruiters, or workforce partners strongly preferred.

• Excellent relationship-building, communication, and follow-through skills.

• Student-centered, equity-driven mindset

• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to build repeatable systems and processes.

• Comfortable using data, outcomes tracking, and feedback to inform decision-making.

• Positive, solutions-oriented approach and ability to operate independently in a fast-paced environment.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred.

• 2–4 years of experience in workforce development, internship programs, talent pipelines, higher education, human resources, talent acquisition, or related fields preferred.

• Experience with CRM tools or Google Suite a plus.

Physical Requirements:

This role requires the ability to lift and move items weighing up to 25 pounds as part of event and program setup. The physical demands listed are representative of those required to perform essential job functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made.

Salary:

This position offers a salary of $60,000–$70,000 per year, commensurate with experience, and includes a comprehensive benefits package.

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