Program Manager

The Program Manager leads Old Skool Cafe's youth development program. The Program The manager is responsible for ensuring youth move successfully through program levels, meet benchmarks, and receive high-quality coaching while contributing meaningfully to a high-stakes hospitality environment. The Program Manager operates as the organizational integrator across coaching, restaurant operations, and community partnerships, balancing youth crises, restaurant service demands, staff supervision, and partner communication in real time. The youth development program has real foundations: passionate staff, established practices, and institutional knowledge built over time. But those pieces have not been fully implemented or unified into a coherent, metric-driven system. This role is being hired to build that infrastructure: layering what exists into what can still be built, and driving the implementation needed to make it operational. This position provides the leadership, coordination, and operational discipline that keep the youth development program aligned, accountable, and moving forward. The Program Manager is responsible for ensuring that commitments become actions, plans become outcomes, and that no youth or staff member falls through the cracks of organizational complexity. Key Responsibilities 1. Cross-Departmental Coordination & Accountability Serve as the central point of contact across coaching, restaurant operations, and external Track commitments and deadlines across the coaching team, GM, Chef, and Director of Communications, driving them to resolution or escalating as needed. Review cross-departmental priorities and unresolved issues during weekly leadership meetings, driving decisions to resolution or escalating barriers as needed. Track youth enrollment, program readiness, and capacity indicators, and bring data-backed analysis and recommendations to the Head of Operations on cohort size, intake timing, and program capacity. 2. Coaching Supervision & Program Quality Provide direct supervision to the coaching team, including responsibility for staff development, workload management, coaching quality, benchmark progress, documentation, performance accountability, and maintaining a healthy, productive work Hold weekly one-on-one supervision meetings with each coach to provide feedback, remove barriers, align priorities, support professional development, and address performance concerns promptly, escalating unresolved issues in accordance with OSC Support coaches by removing operational obstacles and providing professional development, recognizing that coaches do their best work when they are supported, developed, and held to clear expectations Build upon the program structures, practices, and institutional knowledge already in place, while developing and implementing the systems, benchmarks, and progression frameworks still needed - layering what exists into what can still be built Develop and implement a program roadmap for each level, building on existing practices to create clear, defined, metric-oriented progression across all program levels Implement and maintain the OSC Playbook workbook across youth, coaches, and staff, establishing sustainable documentation systems and accountability practices that endure despite individual staff turnover Lead quarterly Individual Plans of Success (IPS) reviews with youth and adult teams Identify systemic coaching gaps, including inconsistent documentation, benchmark tracking, coaching practices, or youth engagement, and implement corrective actions Lead implementation of new program processes and operational improvements, guiding staff through change while maintaining consistency in youth experience and organizational standards Organize and oversee the quality of youth recruitment interviews and screening conducted with coaching staff, ensuring consistent eligibility standards across the team Monitor youth progress across key milestones, addressing gaps and holding staff accountable in follow-through directly with youth and staff Partner with GM and Chef to integrate youth workforce training into daily restaurant operations Maintain an active presence during restaurant service to observe, coach, and reinforce workplace behaviors, helping youth and staff translate life skills into real-time hospitality practice May carry a small direct caseload as capacity allows, using experience as a firsthand source for identifying systemic gaps in coaching quality, documentation, or program design 4. Crisis Response & Staff Training Develop, plan, and facilitate ongoing staff development in Trauma-Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, Restorative Communication, Mandated Reporting, and related topics based on program needs and emerging trends Lead incident response for youth crises, disclosures, or safety concerns, and identify early indicators of youth safety or wellbeing risk to intervene proactively rather than only Serve as mandated reporter; ensure staff understand reporting obligations Make referrals and facilitate connections to therapists and community support Coordinate with probation officers, foster care workers, and mental health providers as needed Maintain strict confidentiality in accordance with policies and applicable laws 5. Partnerships & Community Resources Develop, strengthen, and steward relationships with education, workforce development, life skills, and community partners that expand opportunities for youth Ensure externship placements support youth development and meet host organization Cultivate existing partnerships and proactively develop new community relationships that support youth development, workforce opportunities, and organizational impact Success Metrics 100% of youth receive weekly coaching, with documented outreach and follow-up for OSC Playbook used consistently by youth, coaches, and staff; quarterly IPS reviews completed on time Life Coaches demonstrate >=95% adherence to coaching and documentation standards Partners consistently refer candidates and report positive program outcomes Program data is accurate, current, and readily available for reporting and continuous improvement Program and operational gaps are identified within two weeks of discovery and either resolved or escalated with documented action plans Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Education, Nonprofit Management, or related field; or 8+ years relevant experience with at-risk youth Demonstrated success leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives requiring coordination across multiple teams Demonstrated experience supervising, coaching, and developing professional staff while fostering accountability and continuous improvement Experience designing, improving, or implementing organizational systems, workflows, or program processes in a dynamic environment Comfortable navigating between existing structure and open space - able to build upon what's already in place without dismissing it, while developing the systems and frameworks still needed to make the program fully operational Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret program data, identify trends, and drive operational improvements Demonstrated ability to influence outcomes and drive accountability without relying solely on formal authority Independent, self-directed problem solver who builds systems and structure without needing to be handed direction, exercising sound judgment even when doing so requires Valid CA Driver's License; pass background check aligned with youth safety policies Emotional maturity, empathy, and strong professional boundaries Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to facilitate difficult conversations and build trust across diverse populations OSC's compensation program is designed to deliver Total Direct Compensation (based on role, level, and experience) that is at or above market. The range of annual base salary for full-time employees for this position is below. Please note that base pay offered may vary depending on factors including, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. #J-18808-Ljbffr