Program Coordinator

Who We Are

Spark the Journey is a nonprofit organization that provides mentorship and a community of support for young adults to chart their own paths to achieving college and career success. Formerly known as Capital Partners for Education (CPE), Spark has been working with talented young adults in the Washington, DC metro region for over 30 years. Today Spark the Journey is continuing Capital Partners for Education’s legacy and supports more than 500 mentees annually as they enter young adulthood. Spark the Journey’s unique mentorship approach fosters long-lasting relationships between mentors and mentees as young adults choose and pursue the education, career path, or personal goals they want to achieve—with a community of support behind them.

About the Role

Spark the Journey is currently hiring for two Program Coordinator (PC) roles; one for our High School team and one for our YearUp United partnership serving 18-30 year olds. The Program Coordinator (PC) is a member of the Programs team. The PC helps Spark achieve its organizational goals of student college enrollment, persistence, and completion by coordinating support for a caseload of student-mentor pairs. Additionally, the Program Coordinator supports program events and training sessions. The position reports to the Program Manager.

• The Program Coordinator, High School, tentative start date of 1/19/2026
• The Program Coordinator, YearUp United, tentative started date of 3/02/2026

Responsibilities

• Connect and collaborate with participants and volunteer mentors through program completion to promote the development, participation, and retention of each mentor-mentee relationship
• Adapt and share Spark’s curriculum during individual and group touchpoints to ensure that participants and volunteer mentors are well informed and equipped to achieve milestones related to college readiness, career readiness, and program completion
• Research and promote resources that create opportunities and remove barriers that enhance the participants ability to access and achieve academic, professional, and personal success
• Proactively manage and enhance relationships with existing and potential partners from which participants and resourced are sourced
• Document efforts and maintain current and accurate records in Salesforce, analyze recorded data and actively engage in informed and meaningful touchpoints with participants and volunteer mentors
• Identify trends and share findings that contribute to programmatic process improvements and systems updates
• Plan, promote, execute, and attend participant and volunteer mentor events focused on college preparation, career exploration, and community building that occur during and outside of regular business hours
• Support the Recruitment and Admissions team throughout the year with recruitment and volunteer mentor events
• Develop and deliver clear, concise, and tailored communications across various platforms to participants, volunteer mentors, guardians, and external points of contact
• Interact with and expand Spark’s network by conveying the importance of Spark’s mission and supporting participants as they share their stories on various platform
• Demonstrate fiscal and financial responsibility by following Spark policies and ensuring that expenses do not exceed annual budget
• Support efforts to define and cultivate a culture that reflects Spark values, fosters innovation, and promotes collaboration and inclusivity
• Other duties as assigned to promote case management, program execution, and professional development

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree highly preferred
• Coursework in psychology, sociology, social work, education, or other social sciences/human services fields, or 2+ years of related experience
• Must reside in the Washington, DC metropolitan area at the time of hire and maintain residency throughout their tenure.
• At least 1 year working with low-income youth or youth facing barriers to college completion. Experience may include:
• College and career transition, persistence, and/or counseling
• Mentoring or coaching (including athletics)
• Relationship facilitation, ideally between people from diverse backgrounds
• Program or workshop design; curriculum development
• Experience navigating college bursar’s office, financial aid, federal work-study, FAFSA completion, private scholarships
• Classroom teaching
• Organizational and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and team-building skills
• Ability to manage relationships and consistently apply strengths-based and youth-focused interventions
• Ability to engage in creative problem-solving and take initiative, both individually and as part of a high-performing team
• Must be flexible and available evenings and weekends as needed for events
• Ability to adapt to the needs of an evolving program
• Passion for serving Spark’s target population and improving their life trajectories
• Experience with data management systems is a plus (e.g. Salesforce)
• Spanish language proficiency is a plus

We are not able to sponsor employment visas for this position. Applicants for this position should be legally able to work full time in the United States for 12 months.

Spark provides a comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with Flexible Spending Account options, effective the first day of the month following employment
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching of 3% after 6 months of employment
• Life and disability insurance with premiums fully funded by Spark
• 15 days of paid vacation in each of the first two years; 20 days in subsequent years
• Office closed on national and state holidays and between December 24-January 1
• Flexible teleworking policies in response to employee needs