Tech Program Coordinator

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. We 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, driving an average wage gain of $24k three months or more after completing the program. Merit America is on a mission to build a scalable pathway for workers to join the middle class through merit, not money. We’re on track to generate $1B in wage gains by 2025.

Role Overview

As a Tech Program Coordinator, you will be central to developing and launching technical certificate and degree programs from initial design through continuous improvement, leveraging deep expertise in IT, cybersecurity, and related technical fields to create industry-aligned curricula that drive learner success and scalability.

This role will be highly collaborative, working primarily with leadership and the Merit America Program team to design, test, and refine curriculum resources and coaching strategies, directly supporting learners through customized programs while continuously analyzing data to ensure the content aligns with industry needs and learner success.

The Tech Program Coordinator is an exempt role reporting directly to the Interim Director of Curriculum and Instruction. You will bring a strong commitment to our mission and values and the ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution to continuously improve our offerings through data-driven insights.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Tech Program Coordinator will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Curriculum Design & Development (50%)

• Design, curate, and customize high-quality, end-to-end learning solutions and resources for multiple technical courses in IT, cybersecurity, and software development
• Leverage deep expertise in technical fields to develop instructional content, hands-on labs, and assessments that build practical, job-ready skills aligned with industry certifications and workforce demands
• Partner with stakeholders, instructional design support, and subject matter experts to ensure content relevance, scalability, and alignment with learner academic and industry needs
• Regularly update and refine curriculum based on learner feedback, performance data, labor market insights, and industry trends, providing regular reports to leadership
• Design and integrate best practices and innovative strategies into curricula and program models, ensuring effective and engaging learning experiences
• Apply human-centered design approaches to enhance learning resources and methods
• Manage subject matter experts and content development tasks as needed

Program Instruction & Faculty Support (25%)

• Instruct an assigned course load per term, facilitating learning and academic success through effective classroom management, regular evaluation of student performance, and timely, constructive feedback
• Advise on the hiring, evaluation, and professional development for all full-time and adjunct online instructors
• Collaborate cross-functionally with other departments to support a learner-centric culture and enhance the learner experience

Project Management & Continuous Improvement (25%)

• Support and/or oversee all project plans related to technical course development, ensuring accurate and thorough documentation to build institutional efficiency and scalability
• Lead iterative development cycles for course improvement, ensuring alignment with scaffolding guidelines and instructional design best practices
• Collaborate with leadership and the institutional effectiveness team to develop and execute strategies for evaluating program effectiveness through data analysis
• Engage with industry partners and internal data to iterate on and improve courses continuously
• Work with strategic partners internally and externally to ensure program/curriculum designs are scalable and cost-effective while aligned with organizational goals

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:

• Committed to our 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:

Technical Expertise:

• Demonstrate deep knowledge in IT, cybersecurity, and/or software development, with a bachelor’s degree or appropriate credentials in a computer science or technology-related discipline.
• Experience teaching technical courses in an online, asynchronous environment
• Proven ability to relate to faculty, staff, students, alumni, and clientele/general public is essential along with demonstrated strong leadership and administrative capabilities and communication skills.

Instructional Design & Educational Technology:

• Proficiency in instructional design models (e.g., ADDIE) and adult learning theories (e.g., UDL), with the ability to conduct needs analysis and design effective, equity-minded learning outcomes and assessments.
• Advanced skill in managing Learning Management Systems (LMS), utilizing eLearning authoring tools (e.g., Articulate), creating multimedia content, and ensuring all materials comply with web accessibility standards (WCAG).

Program and Project Management:

• Strong abilities in planning, coordinating, and managing complex educational technology projects
• Experience providing faculty consultation and training, and ensuring compliance with relevant policies

Communication and Collaboration:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for bridging technical and academic departments
• Proven ability to relate to faculty, staff, students, alumni, and general public
• Effective mentoring and support capabilities with demonstrated leadership and administrative skills

Learner-Centered & Inclusive Mindset:

• Commitment to creating learning materials accessible to a broad range of learners
• Demonstrated commitment to equity-minded instruction and inclusive excellence

Nice to Haves for this role:

• Prior work with competency-based education or workplace-integrated learning models
• Familiarity with industry certification pathways (CompTIA, AWS, Cisco, etc.)
• Experience with stackable credentials and credit articulation
• Background in community college or adult education settings
• Knowledge of WCAG compliance and accessible design beyond basics

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: $102,485
• Priority Application Deadline: Sunday, February 1st

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 (please note that some of the benefits do not apply to temporary employees):

• 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
• Education & personal development reimbursement
• Catalog of courses 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 1 year of employment)
• 11 federally recognized holidays
• 2 week holiday office closure in December/January
• 401(k) retirement plan with automatic Merit 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 status, full-time or part-time. Eligibility will be outlined during the hiring process.

Remote Work & Sponsorship

Candidates must reside within the 50 states or District of Columbia and have full authorization to work in the 50 U.S. states & the District of Columbia (international work abroad, including the U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and other islands are excluded). In addition, Merit America doesn't offer employment visa sponsorship.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Building an inclusive, high-performing team that is diverse across lines of personal identity 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 applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

We actively strive and evolve to develop and maintain workspaces that are fully inclusive. We encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.

Still excited about our work? You can learn more about our work in this video we made 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.