Senior Manager of Pathways

Careerwise Colorado•Denver, CO

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

CareerWise is a non-profit organization focused on creating youth workforce opportunities through modern apprenticeships. This role supports the growth of both Adult Registered Apprenticeships (TDAP) and multi-industry Youth Apprenticeships. The Senior Manager of Pathways will act as a program operator for adult pathways and a regional manager for youth district ecosystems. The position requires a balance of administrative, account management, and compliance work for the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program (TDAP) and partnership work with K-12 school districts to connect students with existing youth apprenticeship opportunities. Familiarity with education systems and the ability to manage both detailed compliance and relationship-driven partnerships are essential.

Requirements

5-10+ years of experience in workforce development, education administration, complex project management, or career and technical education (CTE) pathways.
Experience navigating highly specialized tracking databases.
Exceptional project management skills with the ability to ruthlessly prioritize an intensive, calendar-driven seasonal recruitment cycle alongside daily administrative compliance deadlines.
Ability to move comfortably between detail-heavy compliance work and relationship-driven partnership work.
Resourcefulness and an investigative mindset to address ambiguous challenges.
Ability to navigate bureaucratic systems, multi-tiered compliance rules, and multi-stakeholder landscapes.
Strategic approach to recruitment and matching, leveraging CRM systems.
Ability to maintain system data integrity, analyze pipeline health, and use database-driven insights.
Ability to build toolkits, training structures, and networks that empower others.
Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in program building, candidate screening, and pathway design.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with RAPIDS and Salesforce.
Familiarity with the Colorado K-12 landscape, school district structures (including Education Associations/unions), and Higher Education pathways.

Responsibilities

Serve as the operational backbone for the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program (TDAP), managing state compliance, Higher Education (IHE) partnerships, and district/union dynamics.
Lead readiness conversations with school districts to launch new programs, navigating the process of establishing district-specific agreements and ensuring partners meet program standards.
Partner with CDE, CDLE, and the SAA to guide districts through State Board of Education (SBE) approval processes.
Manage end-to-end data systems, inputting wage schedules, mentor trackers, and apprentice registrations into the federal RAPIDS database.
Collaborate with Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) to align coursework, manage Sponsor portfolios, and facilitate professional development and check-ins.
Serve as the primary point of contact for active district partners and adult apprentices, addressing inquiries, monitoring milestones, and managing localized compliance tracking.
Own a regional territory (managing 3-4 major school districts) to build systemic capacity and orchestrate a recruitment-to-hire funnel.
Deliver 'Train-the-Trainer' modules, toolkits, and office hours to equip high school staff to run self-sustaining apprenticeship recruitment ecosystems.
Design and support work-based learning opportunities, job shadows, and pre-apprenticeship programs.
Drive regional activities for recruitment, deploying solutions like Apprenticeship 101 sessions, profile creation workshops, screening calls, and mock interviews.
Monitor student progression and tracking systems during the Peak Recruitment Window (January–April) and execute targeted interventions.
Partner with the Business Development team to align student talent supply with employer demand, facilitating student-business integration and orientations.