Pursuit is a social impact organization that creates economic transformation for high-need, high-potential individuals through our technical training programs. We are not just another coding boot camp. We are a mission-driven organization that goes beyond technical instruction to offer coaching, career development, & employer partnerships that help our Fellows secure high-paying software engineering jobs & thrive in their new careers.

We are One Big Team

The passionate & collaborative team at Pursuit gives its all to achieve our mission. And its not just staff. We work with employer partners that love hiring our Fellows because they are so well prepared, ranging from big financial firms to scrappy startups, & everything in between. We also activate & engage hundreds of volunteers that come from all areas of the tech industry. These experts & professionals help keep our curriculum fresh & our standards for achievement high by participating in our admissions process, as well as program-specific activities such as interview training, DemoDays, Hackathons, & Capstone projects. 

About the Role

The VP, Employment is responsible for the success of Pursuits open market jobs strategy, one of the two organizational strategies to drive employment outcomes for Pursuit Fellows: 1) open market jobs 2) committed jobs (enterprise sales contracts with employer customers). Open market jobs represent ~70% of Pursuit jobs. 

The #1 priority for 2024 is Everyone Drives Jobs. The VP, Employment role will demand significant technology & business leadership capabilities to develop & implement a strategy that requires cross functional efforts within Pursuit, engaging the core fellowship, partnerships, communications & marketing teams. Additionally, this role requires the ability to engage with multiple stakeholder groups to mobilize Pursuits One Big Team to enable job attainment, including our network of partners, technology & business leaders, volunteers, board members, staff, Fellows & the broader alumni community. 

This function is a microcosm of the challenge of workforce development. The successful leader will:

1. Enable persistence & belief of fellows through an arduous first job process, as they face the inherent systemic obstacles & challenges facing our fellow audience.
2. Understand demand-side factors for employers & mobilize Pursuits broader network to address obstacles at every stage, from surfacing opportunities to enabling referrals, securing interviews, & progressing through the jobs pipeline to offer negotiation & job acceptance.
3. Lead product strategy & development for content & programming for new industries (such as cyber & crypto) to meet evolving labor market demands of open market jobs, as well as spurring continued learning & engagement of Fellows. 

Your leadership will be instrumental in empowering Fellows for success in their job searches & you will have the opportunity to see firsthand the impact of your work on the lives of our Fellows & their families.

As the VP, Employment, you will: 

• Design & execute on our open market job strategy ensuring job attainment. 
• Mobilize broader Pursuit network to remove obstacles & support Fellow progress throughout the job search, from initial connections through offer acceptance.
• Lead cross-functional efforts related to Fellow independent job search. 
• Drive persistence on the job search by developing programming to keep Fellows engaged & active on the job search towards ensuring successful outcomes through open market job searches 
• Monitor & analyze Fellow progress (outcomes & activities) across hiring process & pipeline & implement actions (both Fellow facing & network facing) to drive conversions
• Facilitate connections & job pathways & enable Fellow conversion across the hiring process by activating Pursuit's network, project managing Pursuits One Big Team (staff, volunteers, Board members, & alumni) 
• Increase Fellow competitiveness in the job market through programming (e.g. cybersecurity, cloud)
• Scope, structure & manage the Employment team, ensuring clarity of roles & goals to enable effective program delivery.
• Create a Center of Excellence for Job Search, covering areas such as resume review, cover letters, industry fluency, public speaking, & networking. 
• Gather feedback from internal & external stakeholders to drive continuous improvement in our readiness bar & approach to job search.

What you need to be considered for VP, Employment role: 

• 8+ years of professional experience with specific experience driving initiatives aligned with business outcomes at companies similar to those that hire Pursuit fellows. 
• A mix of strategy development & hands-on builder experience
• Entrepreneurial background, who's motivated by hitting targets
• Experience in managing teams with a clear emphasis on achieving outcomes, with ability to motivate & guide individuals towards success.
• Demonstrated ability to set & maintain a high standard for work quality, ensuring all team members adhere to these standards.
• Proven track record in overseeing programs from their initial stages through successful completion.
• Understanding of how social capital & networks can be leveraged for job attainment. 
• Systematically collects & reviews data on a regular basis, leveraging insights to make informed decisions & gauge the success of various endeavors.
• Adaptability & willingness to pivot in a dynamic environment.
• Exceptional communication skills.
• Strong alignment with Pursuits mission.
• Consulting background a plus

Where youll work: 

• This is a hybrid role with a minimum of 3 days/ week on site in our Long Island City HQ 

When youll work: 

• Pursuits hours are 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Attendance at evening & weekend events may be required for this role as needs arise

Pursuit offers: 

• Great culture where transparency, respect, teamwork, & kindness are valued
• Competitive compensation in base, plus bonus & a full benefits package
• Unlimited PTO & an all-Pursuit holiday last week of August before Labor Day & from Christmas through the New Year.

Pursuit values diversity: 

Our team has a wide range of backgrounds & experiences, & we value the richness that diversity brings to our organization. We welcome new perspectives & affirm that all employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, age, familial or marital status, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuit is an equal opportunity employer.