Program Manager - Internships

New York City schools are filled with students who have potential and ambition to go far and we envision a city filled with students whose opportunities match their ambitions. Since 1995, PENCIL has played a critical role in bringing together business professionals, educators, and students to open minds, open eyes, and open doors. PENCIL makes it easy for business professionals, educators and students to work together—in schools and the workplace. Our hands-on programs, including in-school partnerships, mentoring, internships, and immersive experiences like Principal for a Day®, create targeted opportunities to make a real difference in the classroom and beyond.

PENCIL is committed to creating a workplace that respects and values diversity, and to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We strongly encourage candidates who represent the communities we serve to apply. PENCIL is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will make employment decisions without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

The primary responsibility of the Program Manager’s (PM) is to drive the ongoing improvement and growth of the PENCIL Internship Program. This full-time position serves as a project manager to develop, facilitate and ensure the quality implementation of the program. The individual has a background in public education and/or workforce development with strong communication, relationship management, and project management skills. The PM plays a leadership role in PENCIL’s existing internship programs and is responsible for implementation of additional projects as PENCIL’s internship model is replicated and scaled through additional partnerships. The PM reports to the Associate Director of Internships.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The PM is an integral part of the Programs team and will work to effectively manage the Internship program as well as contribute to the program portfolio’s growth and development. Specific responsibilities include:

Program Design

• Collaborate with senior leadership and the Associate Director of Internships to execute all requirements of grants and contracts related to the Internship Program.
• Create developmentally and/or industry appropriate program changes and enhancements for specific cohorts of interns.
• Organize and execute supplemental internship programs, industry specific site visits, and additional training or enrichment programs.
• Collaborate with the Program Associate and Program Managers in the implementation of the Internship Program.
• Contribute to conversations with leadership to identify innovative ways to scale program growth and execute toward existing goals more effectively.

IMPLEMENTATIONS

Recruitment

• Design and implement information sessions for schools or community partners to recruit intern applicants.
• Manage relationships with community partners to recruit and track student participation from targeted populations.
• Track application submissions to ensure yearly goals are met and student representation is aligned to specific commitments or goals.

Training

• Provide oversight and support in the planning and delivery of pre-internship training and required meetings.
• Coordinate content, communication strategy, staffing plan, and logistics for pre-internship training with other members of the Programs team, senior leadership and development team.
• Serve as the lead staff member at training events including oversight and delegation of session execution.

Applicant and Placement Management

• Organize and support program staff in their review of applications and use of the rubric.
• Create and manage ongoing support for students between training and placement include resume completion, interview preparation and overcoming any barriers to participation.
• Identify and match students to internship placements based on alignment of their skills and interests.
• Lead communications between interns and employers regarding resume review, interviews and finalizing placement.
• Support payroll logistics for interns.
• Organize and conduct site visits to assess the success of individual placements.

Program Improvement

• Troubleshoot and address intern and/or site-specific issues which can impact the success of the program. Elevate any major concerns to organization leadership.
• Identify opportunities for improvements to internship training to align with competencies, leverage corporate partners’ skills and resources, and meet workforce needs.
• Identify opportunities to improve the systems and procedures for all program elements (applications, trainings, matching and evaluations)
• Identify and propose program enhancements and innovations to increase outcomes and overall program satisfaction.

Other

• Collaborate with colleagues to cultivate and steward business mentors and funders of the Internship Program.
• Ensure effective and ongoing communication with the development team to respond to employer requests and questions.
• Communicate with staff from the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development about the status of program implementation.
• Collaborate with the Associate Director of Evaluation and Organizational Learning to effectively evaluate the impact of the program.
• Support consistent and accurate data collection and reporting efforts across PENCIL and DYCD databases

Qualifications and Experience:

• 4-6 years of experience in a non-profit or public sector work environment, with an emphasis on education or youth programs.
• Exceptional operations skills with a track record of managing highly detailed and nuanced programs.
• Proven project management skills: event management skills preferred.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience with data management; Salesforce experience preferred.
• Strong youth development skills and experience working with students from diverse backgrounds.
• Strong facilitation skills.
• Proven organization and time management skills to complete a high volume of varied responsibilities in a fast-paced setting.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and in a collaborative environment and to influence others to ensure successful relationships.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong sense of adaptability needed to thrive in a growing and evolving organization.
• High standards of excellence and a willingness to do what it takes to get the job done.
• Experience with NYC public schools or the NYC DOE preferred.
• Occasional weekend and evening work is required.

This role is hybrid and in-person presence at PENCIL’s office or on site at training locations is required based on the work and organizational need. PENCIL currently requires all staff to be in the office one day per week.

PENCIL provides a generous benefit package which includes:

• Medical, prescription, dental and vision insurance for you, your spouse or domestic partner and dependents.
• A retirement plan with employer matching.
• Commuter benefit and flexible spending plans.
• Professional development stipend.
• Annual paid time off for holidays, vacation, and sick time.
• Short and long-term disability and paid family leave.