Associate Director, Coaching

The Organization: Merit America

The American economy is broken. Today, 53 million working adults–nearly half of the U.S. workforce–do not earn a living wage. These talented workers have few options to advance: college is too long and expensive, full-time boot camp programs don’t offer enough flexibility, and online courses don’t have the structure or support to translate learning into a new career. The result? Talented workers, disproportionately people of color and women, get stuck in low-wage roles with no way to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Merit America is a national nonprofit that creates pathways to family-sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low-wage work. Our fast, flexible solutions are built for working adults: We start by analyzing tens of millions of job postings to identify in-demand, high-paying tech careers and then work with industry-recognized partners to train for these roles with part-time programs that combine flexible online learning with best-in-class coaching. Finally, we support our learners in their job search, helping them connect with a broad constellation of local and national employers such as JPMorgan Chase and Infosys to land higher-earning, family-sustaining jobs. Merit America is on a mission to build a scalable pathway for workers to join the middle class through merit, not money. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve generated a projected $1 billion in near-term wage gains for our learners.

Role Overview

The primary mission of the Associate Director, Coaching is to ensure a high-quality, consistent, and data-informed learner experience by developing and leading a team of Coaches while driving operational excellence across assigned cohorts.

The Associate Director, Coaching will report directly to the Managing Director of Coaching and works primarily with the Program, Data, Design, Growth/Admissions, and Employer Partnerships teams across Merit America.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Associate Director will include, but are not limited to, the following:

People Leadership & Team Development (50%):

• Supervise, coach, and develop a team of 10+ Coaches, fostering belonging, performance, and alignment with Merit America's mission.
• Lead hiring, onboarding, and ongoing professional development for Coaches.
• Conduct regular 1:1s and performance conversations, setting clear expectations and supporting growth.
• Monitor Coach and learner data to identify training needs and guide targeted coaching.
• Foster a team culture rooted in accountability, inclusivity, and continuous improvement through regular team meetings, recognition of experimentation, and transparent communication
• Identify and amplify coaching best practices across teams and cohorts.

Operational Execution & Learner Experience (35%)

• Oversee assigned cohorts to ensure operational consistency and high-quality execution of the Merit America model.
• Use program dashboards/data to monitor learner progress, engagement, and milestones, intervening proactively.
• Develop and implement engagement strategies, manage learner communications, and lead escalation resolution for at-risk learners
• Standardize coaching practices and ensure alignment to curriculum expectations and coaching protocols.
• Partner with Program Design to surface insights, pilot improvements, and refine curriculum.
• Ensure Coaches effectively track outcomes, document learner stories, and verify achievements through regular quality checks
• Ensure smooth coordination across scheduling, staffing, and learner communication workflows.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Continuous Improvement (15%)

• Collaborate in cross-departmental workstreams to strengthen program quality and accelerate learner outcomes
• Share insights with the MD of Coaching and Program Directors to inform strategic decisions.
• Provide feedback to Engineering, Data, and Design teams to enhance tools and workflows.
• Contribute to organizational experiments by testing new coaching models, engagement approaches, or interventions.
• Support rollout of organizational changes, including staffing shifts and new program structures.

Skills and Competencies

We recognize that some individuals from underrepresented backgrounds may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet 100% of the listed qualifications. Please don’t let that discourage you from applying! We value the unique skills, experiences, and perspectives that each applicant brings, and we encourage you to apply if you believe your background demonstrates the required skills and competencies:

Must Haves for all roles at Merit America:

• Committed to Merit America’s mission to pave pathways to family-sustaining careers, break the poverty cycle, and create upward mobility for low-wage workers
• Demonstrated history of embodying our values, which inform our work and drive our organization's culture
• Shared sense of responsibility and ownership for our collective work in making a positive impact on the community we support, true to our value of Win & Lose Together
• Committed to continuous learning and growth in advancing inclusive excellence and closing gaps across lines of difference
• Passionate about fostering a workplace culture that embraces and values individual differences, aligned with our core value of inclusivity

Must Haves for this role:

Leadership & People Development

• Demonstrated experience managing full-time staff, ideally teams of 5+
• Strong ability to develop people, give effective feedback, and support performance improvement

Data-Driven Decision Making & Operations

• Ability to leverage data (quantitative + qualitative) to diagnose problems and guide decisions
• High operational and organizational skills; able to manage multiple cohorts and timelines

Adaptability & Change Management

• Comfort navigating ambiguity and guiding others through change

Communication & Collaboration

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Technical Proficiency

• Proficiency with Google Workspace

Nice to Haves for this role:

• Experience with CRM or learner management systems.
• Experience in coaching, workforce development, edtech, higher education, or career services.
• Skilled facilitator in virtual environments.
• Familiarity with caseload management and job search best practices.

Other Logistics

• This position is full-time: 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
• Location: Remote
• Salary: $112,000.00

Our goal is to have competitive and equitable compensation. We have a market-based compensation approach, which means we benchmark each role from reputable data sources. We compare our benchmarks against similarly sized non-profit organizations with comparable annual budgets and geographical areas. We pay the same rate for the same roles and adjust to comply with statutory mandates.

We take care of our employees by providing the following perks and benefits*:

• 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (100% Paid Employee Only Coverage)
• Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account
• Dependent care Flexible Spending Account
• Health Reimbursement Account fully funded by Merit America
• Education & personal development reimbursement
• Catalog of course for professional learning and development
• Short and long-term disability
• Unlimited vacation (after a 90-day introductory period)
• Paid Parental Leave and Adoption benefits (after one year of employment)
• 11 federally recognized holidays
• 2-week holiday office closure in December/January
• 401(k) retirement plan with automatic Merit America contribution
• Wellness Benefits/Wellness Resources
• Discount perks at work program
• Phone/technology stipend
• Home office setup stipend
• Affinity groups and community building via virtual, in-person, and/or regional meetups
• Eligibility for some benefits may vary based on employment states, full-time or part-time, and eligibility will be outlined during the hiring process or upon hire.

Remote Work & Sponsorship

Candidates must be residents of one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia and authorized to work in the same location. We do not sponsor employment visas, and positions are not located in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Building a high-performing team that fosters a fully inclusive environment where all qualified individuals can thrive is integral to our success, and we are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer.

This means we do not discriminate against any job applicant or employee because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This commitment applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

We actively strive to evolve, develop, and maintain fully inclusive workspaces. We encourage candidates from all groups to apply.

Still excited about our work? You can learn more about our work in our video with our founding partner, Google.

Fair Chance Ordinance

Applicants who have arrest or conviction records and are in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County will be considered in accordance with the state’s fair chance ordinance law. Employment under the ordinance includes part-time work, seasonal work, contract work, contingent work, work on commission, and work through the services of a temporary or employment agency.

E-Verify Statement

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the I-9 Form.