OVERVIEW:
The Career Connect Growth and Impact Leader will serve as the executive leader responsible for building, launching, and scaling Year Up United's Career Connect business. Reporting directly to the CEO for an anticipated two-year incubation period, this leader will have full accountability for creating a sustainable workforce solution that expands Year Up United's impact into new high-growth industries and employment pathways.
Career Connect is a strategic growth priority designed to deliver lower-cost, scalable workforce solutions that leverage Year Up United's core strengths while expanding access to employers of all sizes and emerging industries. This leader will have oversight of a dedicated, entrepreneurial sales, design, and delivery organization responsible for generating employer demand, launching employer pilots, creating learner experiences aligned to workforce needs, and delivering successful placement outcomes and earned revenue.
This role requires a builder mindset. This innovative leader will operate with significant autonomy and accountability, rapidly testing and refining new models, documenting learnings, and creating repeatable solutions that can scale across markets. Success will be measured through employer acquisition, pilot launches, earned revenue growth, placement outcomes, employer satisfaction, and the development of a sustainable operating model that can ultimately be integrated into Year Up United's broader commercial and delivery organizations.
Following the incubation period, it is anticipated that employer sales functions will transition into the broader enterprise sales organization and delivery functions into the broader delivery organization.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Business Leadership & Growth Strategy
Serve as the executive leader of Career Connect with full accountability for strategy, execution, revenue generation, and operational outcomes.
Build and scale Career Connect as a distinct business unit focused on delivering employer-funded workforce solutions.
Develop and execute a multi-year growth strategy that expands Year Up United's reach into healthcare, manufacturing, skilled trades, and other high-demand employment sectors.
Establish and continuously refine the Career Connect operating model, service offerings, pricing strategies, and delivery approach.
Drive achievement of employer partnership, pilot launch, placement, revenue, and learner outcome goals.
Create an agile culture that prioritizes speed, experimentation, accountability, and continuous improvement over traditional committee-driven decision making.
Revenue Growth & Employer Partnerships
Lead all employer growth and revenue generation efforts for Career Connect.
Build and manage a dedicated employer sales organization responsible for identifying, securing, and growing employer partnerships.
Hire, develop, and coach a team of dedicated sales professionals with clear goals tied to employer acquisition, pilot launches, placements, and earned revenue.
Establish sales processes, pipeline management disciplines, forecasting capabilities, and performance management systems.
Identify strategic employer opportunities that can create scalable and repeatable workforce solutions.
Serve as the executive relationship owner for key employer partners and strategic industry stakeholders.
Represent Year Up United externally with employers, workforce organizations, industry associations, conferences, and other stakeholders.
Career Connect Delivery & Solution Design
Lead dedicated teams focused on solution design and delivery. These teams will translate employer workforce needs into learner experiences and talent pipelines.
Ensure the design and delivery of participant experiences that meet Year Up United's standards for career readiness while aligning to employer expectations.
Oversee the creation, launch, evaluation, and refinement of employer pilots.
Establish repeatable models that connect employer demand, participant recruitment, training, placement, and ongoing support.
Ensure all pilots generate actionable learnings that inform future offerings and growth strategies.
Balance employer requirements, learner success, placement outcomes, and operational sustainability.
Cross-Functional Delivery Leadership
Partner closely with Learning Experience (LEX) leaders to design and test student experiences, skill development pathways, assessments, and career readiness models.
Align participant sourcing strategies through community colleges, training providers, and other talent pipelines to meet employer hiring demand.
Partner with Enrollment, Placement Success, Revenue Operations, Central Program Delivery, and other teams to leverage organizational capabilities while maintaining clear accountability for Career Connect outcomes.
Ensure employer onboarding, compliance requirements, coaching support, workforce readiness, and participant success mechanisms are effectively implemented.
Build strong feedback loops that continually improve learner experiences, placement outcomes, and employer satisfaction.
Team Leadership & Organizational Design
Build, lead, and manage a dedicated Career Connect organization consisting of sales, solutions design, and implementation (delivery) talent.
Directly manage the leaders of the Sales, Solutions Design and Delivery teams within the function.
Develop organizational capabilities needed to successfully scale Career Connect while maintaining a lean and entrepreneurial structure.
Establish clear goals, accountability measures, and performance expectations across all functions.
Create a culture of innovation, customer focus, urgency, collaboration, and measurable impact.
QUALIFICATIONS:
15+ years of progressive leadership experience in business development, workforce development, talent solutions, staffing, consulting, operations, or related fields.
Proven success building and scaling new business lines, products, workforce solutions, or venture-stage initiatives.
Demonstrated experience leading teams responsible for revenue generation and customer delivery.
Strong employer partnership development and consultative sales experience.
Experience designing and implementing innovative workforce, talent, education, or employment solutions.
Demonstrated ability to operate successfully in ambiguous, fast-changing environments requiring rapid iteration and learning.
Strong financial and operational management capabilities.
Exceptional strategic thinking coupled with strong execution skills.
Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives through influence and collaboration.
Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
A passion for working with young adults and a deep commitment to Year Up United's mission.
Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers. We define the Opportunity Divide as the gap between companies seeking skilled talent, and young adults who lack access to the skills, experiences, and support to break through barriers and achieve their full potential in their careers.
Salary Range: $270,000 - $300,000
WORKING AT YEAR UP UNITED:
Starting January 5, 2026, employees are expected to work on-site at least two days per week (Monday through Thursday dependent on job requirements). To be eligible for employment, candidates must live and work in a state (or an approved proximate state*) where Year Up United operates. For a list of eligible locations, please visit: https://www.yearup.org/job-training/locations
*Approved proximate states where Year Up United operates are: Connecticut, Indiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina and Virginia.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:Year Up United has established salary ranges for each of our sites, which allows us to pay employees competitively, equitably and consistently in different geographic markets. For roles in which the location is listed as flexible, the range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Salary offers take into account a candidate’s skills, experience, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.
Benefits: Comprehensive healthcare options and dental coverage; 401(k) match for eligible participants.
Vacation: Earn three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year.
ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:
Year Up United is a national 501(c)3 workforce development organization committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults—no matter their background, income, or zip code. Employers face a growing need for talent while millions of talented young adults lack access to meaningful careers. These inequities only further perpetuate the opportunity gap that exists in our country—a gap that Year Up United is determined and positioned to close through three interconnected strategies: providing targeted skills training and connections to livable-wage employment for students and alumni; empowering others to serve and support young adults, and changing systems that perpetuate the opportunity gap. Year Up United’s intensive training program utilizes a high expectations, high support model where students learn in-demand technical and professional skills and apply them during a corporate internship. Year Up United has directly served more than 40,000 young adults since its founding in 2000. Year Up United's nationwide presence includes Arizona, Austin, Bay Area, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, the National Capital Region, New York City/Jersey City, Pittsburgh, Puget Sound, Rhode Island, South Florida, Tampa Bay, and Wilmington.
Voted one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For in the country by The NonProfit Times, Year Up United is a rewarding and impactful place to work. Our staff is passionate, supportive, mission-driven, and committed to positive change and continuous learning. We set high standards for both ourselves and our students and live by a set of core values that reflect an unshakable belief in the talent and potential of our young people. The work we do is life-changing, and we know that our team is the greatest asset in achieving our mission.
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY:Year Up United embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. All aspects of employment, including the decision to hire, promote, discharge, or discipline, are based on meritocracy. We do not permit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local laws. Learn more about our commitment to diversity: http://www.yearup.org/about-us/careers/commitment-to-diversity/
Year Up United is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Your recruiter can provide details regarding the expected work environment and any physical requirements. Please let our hiring team know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process. Information received relating to accommodation will be addressed confidentially.
Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume through our website.
We respectfully request no phone calls.
Skills Required
- 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in business development, workforce development, talent solutions, staffing, consulting, operations, or related fields
- Proven success building and scaling new business lines, products, workforce solutions, or venture-stage initiatives
- Experience leading teams responsible for revenue generation and customer delivery
- Strong employer partnership development and consultative sales experience
- Experience designing and implementing innovative workforce, talent, education, or employment solutions
- Ability to operate successfully in ambiguous, fast-changing environments requiring rapid iteration and learning
- Strong financial and operational management capabilities
- Exceptional strategic thinking coupled with strong execution skills
- Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives through influence and collaboration
- Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
- Passion for working with young adults and deep commitment to Year Up United's mission
- Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers
What We Do
Year Up is a one-year intensive training program, featuring six months of skills training and a six month internship at more than 250 top companies. At Year Up, students specialize in one of five tracks: Financial Operations, Information Technology, Business Operations, Software Development, and Sales & Customer Support.
