Director of Technical Instruction

About Pursuit

Our mission is to create economic transformation. By training low-income adults to launch and advance careers as software engineers, we help our Fellows go from earning $18,000 to over $90,000 starting salary on average, adding an estimated $2M in lifetime earnings. Pursuit partners with leading companies like Blackstone, USV, Citi, Peloton, and Uber to employ Fellows in career-defining engineering roles and supports them with on-the-job training to ensure potential translates to performance. Since 2013, Pursuit has created ~$1B in total lifetime wage gains, creating lasting economic mobility that spans generations. 

Pursuit’s proven solution is built on two interconnected components: training (which includes community development,  pre-job training, and Commit on-the-job training) and a financial product (known as Bond). However, growing training alone will not meet the magnitude of need nor solve new societal challenges ahead. The typical expectation is to expand our training to other cities, but this will not come anywhere close to creating good jobs for millions of low-income Americans. Instead, our strategy for scaled impact is to evolve our financial product and create tools for other organizations, jobs, and places. We believe that this will not only create good jobs for millions of low-income Americans but will also generate a new trillion-dollar market directly tied to results in the long term.

Director of Technical Instruction & Engineering Excellence

The Pursuit Fellowship is a 4 year leadership training program focused on economic transformation that selects and trains high need New Yorkers to become software developers, at over 300 best-in-class companies, including Peloton, Blackstone, Uber, and Citi. On average, Pursuit Fellows go from making $18,000 pre-program to $90,000+ upon starting their first job, resulting in an estimated lifetime earnings increase of over $2,000,000. With a decade of proven success and a demonstrated proof of concept, Pursuit is expanding its leadership team to lead the organization into the next phase of growth and enable its vision for national scale.

We are seeking an exceptional technical leader to drive software engineering excellence across Pursuit's pre-job programming and serve as a key partner in developing our technical curriculum and assessment strategies. This role combines hands-on technical leadership, educational expertise, and strategic input to prepare our Fellows for successful careers in technology.

This role presents an unparalleled opportunity to directly impact the trajectories of Pursuit Fellows, their families, and their communities. In this role, you will directly influence the technical readiness of hundreds of Fellows entering the technology industry. Your work will shape how we prepare the next generation of software engineers and help create more inclusive pathways into tech careers.

As the Director of Technical Instruction you will: 

Technical Leadership & Education 

• Serve as the technical authority for pre-job programming, working closely with the product and delivery team to define and maintain professional standards
• Lead technical training for coaches, ensuring consistent high-quality instruction across all programs
• Design and deliver specialized technical preparation for strategic hiring partnerships
• Provide technical mentorship to Fellows through both group and 1:1 sessions
• Guide curriculum development and technical assessments in partnership with the product team

Technical Interview Excellence

• Own and evolve our technical interview preparation strategy across all formats (algorithms, system design, take-homes, etc.)
• Maintain deep expertise in technical interview platforms and trends (LeetCode, HackerRank, CodeSignal, etc.)
• Design and deliver training programs to improve interview performance
• Assess and provide feedback on Fellow technical readiness
• Support technical evaluation of potential hires for Pursuit's technical roles

Strategic Technical Initiatives

• Partner with product leadership to develop technical components of Fellowship 2.0
• Drive technical assessment strategy for admissions and Fellow progression
• Evaluate and implement technical tools and platforms to support Fellow development
• Contribute to technical curriculum development and evolution
• Provide strategic input on industry trends and their implications for Fellow preparation

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering experience with a track record of technical excellence
• Demonstrated ability to teach and mentor developers at various skill levels
• Deep understanding of technical interview formats and preparation strategies
• Strong communication skills and ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly
• Experience with curriculum development or structured technical training programs
• Track record of successful technical hiring or interviewing

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in technical assessment design
• Experience with AI/ML technologies and their applications
• History of contributing to open source or educational content
• Experience working with non-traditional engineering candidates

Success Metrics

• Improvement in Fellow technical interview pass rates
• Quality and consistency of technical instruction across programs
• Effectiveness of technical assessment strategies
• Coach satisfaction with technical training and support
• Fellow satisfaction with technical preparation

About You

• You are passionate about technical education and creating pathways into tech
• You maintain active technical skills while excelling at teaching others
• You believe in the power of structured, systematic approaches to learning
• You can balance immediate tactical needs with long-term strategic goals
• You are energized by the challenge of preparing non-traditional candidates for technical roles

Where you’ll work: 

• On site in our Long Island City Office 4-5 days/week

Salary & Benefits:

The salary range for this role is $180k-$215k base + incentive compensation.

The compensation range above is for the expectations as laid out in the job description, however, we are often open to a wide variety of profiles and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this job description as posted.  If that ends up being the case, the updated salary range will be communicated to you as a candidate.

Pursuit offers: 

• Great culture where transparency, respect, teamwork, and kindness are valued
• Competitive compensation in base, plus bonus and a full benefits package
• 401k Match
• Unlimited PTO and an all-Pursuit summer break the last week of August and a week-long holiday the last week of December
• Catered lunches once a week and delicious snacks
• An opportunity to work at the intersection of tech and social impact, and make a direct impact on the communities of those we serve.

Pursuit values diversity: 

Our team has a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, and we value the richness that diversity brings to our organization. We welcome new perspectives and affirm that all employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, age, familial or marital status, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuit is an equal opportunity employer.