Youth Programs Manager

Youth Programs Manager
 
Status: Full-time and exempt
Reports to: Executive Director
Salary: $52,000 to $62,000 annually, depending on experience
Location: Portland, Oregon with regular travel to local program and partner sites

About Saturday Academy
Saturday Academy is a Portland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has been sparking curiosity and a love of learning in young people since 1983. We develop thinkers, dreamers, and doers who are creative, confident, and curious by engaging students in meaningful and culturally relevant experiences across Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM).

Serving approximately 1,000 K-12 students annually in the Portland metro area and surrounding communities, Saturday Academy offers a portfolio of hands-on programs led by expert educators and industry professionals:

Summer Camps for grades K-8, featuring project-based STEAM learning
School Residencies (during and after school) for grades K-8, hands-on learning activities
Days Off programs for grades 9-12, providing enrichment on school non-attendance days
Apprenticeships in STEAM Exploration for grades 10-12, matching students with professional mentors through paid internships
Saturday Academy occupies a distinctive place in the regional education ecosystem. We work alongside schools, community partners, STEAM businesses, and post-secondary institutions to inspire and prepare conscientious and confident youth. Our work is grounded in equitable access, joyful learning, engaging student experiences, and productive community partnerships.

The Opportunity
Saturday Academy is seeking an experienced and collaborative Youth Programs Manager to lead its year-round portfolio of summer camps, school residencies, and classes. The Manager is accountable for ensuring that these programs are well staffed, educationally strong, safely operated, financially responsible, and consistently welcoming to students, families, instructors, and school partners.

The ideal candidate combines strong program-management skills with experience designing or supporting hands-on, project-based STEAM learning. The position reports to the Executive Director and works closely with the operations and communications staff, seasonal instructors, and other organizational partners.

Key Responsibilities
Program Leadership and Management

Provide overall leadership for K-8 Summer Camps and School Residencies/Classes programs, ensuring alignment with our mission, equity commitments, and quality standards.
Develop and manage annual program plans, calendars, staffing plans, budgets, enrollment targets, and implementation timelines.
Monitor enrollment, revenue, personnel costs, supplies, and other program expenses; identify variances and recommend timely operational adjustments.
Develop, document, and improve practical systems, procedures, checklists, and communication practices that support consistent program delivery.
Collaborate with the Executive Director and colleagues to evaluate program impact and to develop responsive, mission-aligned programming based on student, family, and school needs.
Instructor Recruitment Supervision and Development

Assess program needs and maintain an active roster of qualified instructors with the content expertise, teaching ability, and availability needed for seasonal and year-round programs.
Recruit, vet, select, onboard, contract, schedule, directly supervise, coach, evaluate, and retain instructors and other seasonal program staff.
Build relationships with schools, colleges and universities, STEAM employers, and other community-based STEAM organizations.
Match instructors with programs based on subject expertise, teaching skills, student age, location, availability, and program needs.
Plan and lead instructor orientation, youth-safety training, program-specific preparation, and professional-development opportunities.
Observe programs and provide instructors with timely, constructive feedback and practical support for instructional quality, classroom management, and student engagement.
Strengthen instructor retention and community through clear communication, appreciation, professional learning, and opportunities for repeat teaching.
Summer Camp Operations

Oversee summer camp operations across multiple locations, anticipated to include an east-side site and a west-side site.
Maintain a substantial and visible on-site presence throughout the summer to support instructors, monitor quality and safety, and respond to student, family, staffing, or facility concerns.
Develop and maintain clear systems for staff deployment, daily communication, supply readiness, substitute coverage, emergency response, student release, and incident reporting.
Designate experienced instructors to serve as site leads who coordinate day-to-day communication, identify emerging needs, and serve as conduits for camp staff.
Work with operations staff and site partners on facilities, classroom assignments, supplies, technology, program setup and breakdown, transportation, and other logistical needs.
Provide necessary copy for marketing materials and website related to specific Youth Programs.
Resolve escalated student and family concerns with empathy, sound judgment, consistency, and timely communication, informing the Executive Director when warranted.
School Residencies and Partnerships

Own and strengthen relationships with K-12 schools and educators across the Portland metro area.
Support revenue growth, balancing grant-supported programming with earned income.
Identify and cultivate new school partnerships, respond to inquiries, understand their needs, develop appropriate programs, and help grow participation and earned revenue.
Coordinate residency planning and implementation, including instructor matching, contracting, scheduling, lesson planning, supplies, school communication, and follow-up.
Serve as a knowledgeable and responsive partner to teachers, school administrators, and district contacts, representing Saturday Academy’s educational approach and capabilities.
Learning Design Quality and Evaluation

Design, adapt, and support engaging, age-appropriate, hands-on, and project-based STEAM learning experiences for K-8 students.
Coach instructors and subject-matter experts in translating their expertise into inclusive, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate learning experiences.
Establish and apply clear standards for instructional quality, student experience, and program readiness across all Youth Programs.
Maintain accurate program, participation, staffing, and outcome data using Salesforce, spreadsheets, and other systems; provide timely reports and use findings to improve programs.
Stay current with effective practices and emerging opportunities in K-8 STEAM education, experiential learning, youth development, and out-of-school-time programming.
Safety and Organizational Collaboration

Ensure Youth Programs operate in accordance with Saturday Academy’s youth-protection, mandatory-reporting, safety, risk-management, and emergency-response policies.
Ensure instructors and seasonal staff complete required screening and training, and consistently follow established program and safety procedures.
Collaborate with communications and development colleagues on accurate program information, outreach, evaluation data, grant reporting, and organizational events.
Represent Saturday Academy at school, community, recruitment, and outreach events.
Contribute actively to a positive, inclusive, accountable, and collaborative staff culture and perform other related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Required

At least three years of progressively responsible experience managing K-12 education, youth-development, out-of-school-time, camp, or related community programs.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex programs involving multiple workstreams, deadlines, locations, partners, and seasonal staffing needs.
Experience developing or supporting hands-on, project-based STEAM learning experiences for children or young people.
Strong relationship-management and customer-service skills, including the ability to work effectively with students, families, instructors, school partners, and community stakeholders.
Experience developing and monitoring program budgets and using enrollment, revenue, expense, and participation information to guide decisions.
Excellent organizational, project-management, written-communication, and verbal-communication skills, with a record of meeting deadlines and following through on commitments.
Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive practices, including an understanding of how identity, access, and lived experience shape students’ relationships with STEAM learning.
Comfortable using databases, spreadsheets, shared calendars, and common office and program-management technology.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, work independently, remain calm in changing circumstances, and respond effectively to student, family, personnel, safety, and operational concerns.
Preferred

Experience as a K-12 educator or in a role working closely with schools, teachers, administrators, or school districts.
Experience managing multi-site camps, seasonal instructors/contractors, or other concurrent youth programs. 
Knowledge of the Portland metro K-12 education and STEAM learning landscape.
Experience coaching industry or subject-matter experts in lesson and curriculum design.
Experience with Salesforce or a comparable customer-relationship or program-data system.
Experienced with Apple, Chromebooks, and Microsoft operating systems as well as Vernier or other science instruments.
Current CPR and First Aid certification, or the ability to obtain certification promptly after hire.
Work Schedule and Physical Requirements
This is a full-time, exempt position nominally based on a 40-hour workweek. Program needs fluctuate throughout the year, and the position requires occasional evening and weekend work as well as additional availability during peak periods, particularly before and during summer camps. Saturday Academy supports reasonable schedule flexibility and recovery time following unusually intensive program periods, coordinated with the Executive Director and the needs of the organization.
The position requires regular travel among Saturday Academy’s office, program sites, schools, and community locations in the Portland metro area. The employee must be able to move program supplies weighing up to 30 pounds and transport materials between vehicles, storage spaces, and classrooms. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $52,000 to $62,000 annually, depending on experience. Saturday Academy generally hires within the lower to middle portion of the range, with placement based on relevant program leadership, K-12 partnership, instructional design, and personnel management experience.

Employer-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and long-term disability insurance
401(k) retirement plan with pre-tax or post-tax contribution options and a 3% employer match
Paid vacation, holidays, sick leave, and personal leave
How to Apply
To apply, please submit a cover letter and resumé to [email protected]. This position is open until filled. Priority will be given to applicants who submit materials before October 26, 2026.

Equal Opportunity
Saturday Academy is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and the students and communities we serve. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, religion, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. Saturday Academy provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities.