Manager, Education Programs (Baseball Operations)

Chicago Cubs•Mesa, AZ

1d•$60,000 - $115,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, Education Programs plays a critical role in shaping the educational experience of our minor league players and strengthening the long-term success of our player development system. By establishing a consistent, high-quality education program across the Dominican Republic, Arizona, and our affiliates, this role helps ensure every player has the language skills, resources, and support needed to maximize their development both on and off the field. This position will be based full-time either at the Dominican Republic Academy or at the Nike Performance Center in Mesa, Arizona, depending on the selected candidate. Regular travel between both locations is essential to foster alignment, continuity, and a unified player experience across baseball operations. Through the design and stewardship of our English language education program, the Manager, Education Programs will help international players build the communication skills and confidence necessary to thrive throughout their professional baseball journey. By creating consistent learning standards, measuring player progress, and cultivating strong instructional partnerships, this role serves as a key driver of our holistic player development model—supporting players as athletes, teammates, and individuals while strengthening the overall health and sustainability of our farm system. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who combines a passion for learning and development with strong emotional intelligence and a collaborative mindset. They build trust with players, coaches, and staff, proactively identify opportunities to enhance the player experience, and bring people together around a shared commitment to development. By pairing strategic thinking with authentic relationship-building, this individual maximizes their impact on our players and helps strengthen the culture and effectiveness of our player development system.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Education, Curriculum & Instruction, TESOL, Educational Leadership, Student Development, Psychology, Organizational Development, or a related field.
Professional fluency in both English and Spanish, with the ability to communicate effectively across diverse cultural and educational settings.
Minimum of five (5) years of progressive experience in education, curriculum development, instructional leadership, student development, or educational program management.
Demonstrated experience designing curriculum, establishing instructional standards, and evaluating program effectiveness to drive continuous improvement.
Experience leading education programs, coaching educators, managing vendors, or overseeing cross-functional initiatives in a dynamic environment.
Experience supporting multilingual learners, English language development, or culturally diverse populations.
Strong emotional intelligence and relationship-building skills, with the ability to establish trust and collaborate effectively with players, coaches, educators, staff, and external partners.
Self-starter with an ownership mindset who proactively identifies opportunities, solves problems, and drives initiatives from concept through execution.
Strong organizational, analytical, and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain accurate records, and leverage data to inform decision-making.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly to a variety of audiences.
Ability and willingness to be based full-time in either the Dominican Republic or Mesa, Arizona, with regular domestic and international travel between baseball complexes.
Must be eligible to obtain and maintain all required travel documentation and work authorization necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the role.
Comfortable working in a collaborative, fast-paced, high-performance environment with a passion for supporting the holistic development of professional athletes.

Nice To Haves

Experience in professional sports, player development, or another high-performance environment.
Master's degree in Education, TESOL, Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Leadership, Applied Linguistics, Student Development, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or a related field.
Experience supporting international or multilingual populations within professional sports, athletics, residential academies, workforce development, or other high-performance environments.
Experience leading multi-site education programs, managing instructional teams, or coordinating external educators, vendors, and learning partners.
Knowledge of English language acquisition frameworks and assessment tools such as CEFR, ACTFL, WIDA, CASAS, BEST Plus, or similar methodologies.
Experience with formal education pathways, learning management systems, and educational technology platforms such as Dawere, Google Classroom, Burlington English, Babbel, or comparable tools.
Experience developing and implementing curriculum, assessment strategies, and individualized learning or development plans.
Understanding of professional baseball, player development, or elite athlete development environments.
A passion for creating innovative learning experiences that positively impact athletes on and off the field.

Responsibilities

Lead one integrated education program across the Dominican Republic, Arizona, and affiliates, establishing consistent curriculum, instructional standards, and player learning experiences that support the Cubs' player development philosophy.
Serve as the education leader both at your primary baseball complex while also maintaining regular partnership with the alternate location (Dominican or Arizona). Clear educational alignment across complexes is required to ensure continuity and collaboration in program implementation.
Responsible for entirety of the Cubs' education curriculum, including English language development, baseball English, and formal education support. Continuously evaluate and evolve curriculum to meet the changing needs of players throughout the farm system.
Establish and uphold standards for classroom operations, instructional quality, scheduling, learning resources, assessments, and program logistics while ensuring a consistent, high-quality educational experience across all learning environments.
Lead and support internal and external Cubs education partners and team members by establishing clear expectations, providing coaching and feedback, and ensuring all programming aligns with Cubs curriculum and standards.
Develop systems to assess English proficiency and educational progress while maintaining individualized learning plans and providing leadership with meaningful insights into player growth and program effectiveness.
Oversee education records, learning management systems, attendance, reporting, vendor documentation, and program data to ensure operational excellence, accountability, and informed decision-making.
Partner closely with Player Development, Minor League Operations, Life Skills, and other internal stakeholders to integrate education into the holistic player development model and create both a seamless and engaging player experience.
Partner with the Director, Minor League Operations and Player Services to develop and steward the Education budget, ensuring strategic investment in staffing, technology, travel, curriculum, assessments, and learning resources.
Travel regularly between Cubs facilities to strengthen relationships, observe programming, support staff and players, ensure alignment, and share best practices across the organization. Additional travel may include league meetings and professional development opportunities. Travel as assigned by supervisor.