Description

About Lumity
Lumity's mission is to provide teens and young adults from under-resourced communities with transformational experiences that prepare them for lifelong STEM careers. Lumity connects young people with the skills, relationships, resources, and opportunities they need to build meaningful and sustainable careers.

Position Description
The Program Manager, Construction & Trades provides site-based leadership for the high-quality implementation of Lumity's construction, skilled trades, and workforce development programming. Reporting directly to the Program Director, this role is responsible for translating program goals, grant requirements, and organizational priorities into a safe, engaging, well-coordinated learning experience that prepares young adults for sustainable careers.

This is a hands-on program leadership role grounded in positive youth development, trauma-informed practice, accountability, and continuous improvement. The Program Manager leads day-to-day program implementation; coordinates instructors, trainers, contractors, partners, schedules, and learning activities; monitors program performance; and ensures that education, occupational skills training, leadership development, career preparation, and work-based learning operate as a cohesive model.

The Program Manager works in close partnership with the site-based Case Manager to create a coordinated participant experience. The Program Manager owns program implementation and the learning environment, while the Case Manager owns the individualized participant journey, including case planning, barrier reduction, wraparound services, career navigation, placement, and retention. Both positions report directly to the Program Director, and neither role supervises the other.

Primary Responsibilities
Program Leadership & Operations

Partner with the Program Director to implement high-quality construction, trades, and workforce programming aligned with Lumity's mission, YouthBuild program design, grant requirements, and funder expectations.

• Lead day-to-day implementation of assigned programming and ensure program components operate as one cohesive participant experience.
• Translate program goals, grant requirements, and organizational priorities into clear calendars, schedules, workflows, implementation plans, and program milestones.
• Coordinate training activities, work-based learning, credentialing, industry exposure, participant events, partner engagements, field experiences, and other program components.
• Coordinate instructors, construction trainers, contractors, employers, unions, training partners, guest facilitators, and other contributors involved in program delivery without serving as their direct supervisor unless specifically assigned by the Program Director.
• Maintain clear communication and coordination among program contributors and elevate staffing, performance, safety, compliance, or operational concerns to the Program Director when appropriate.
• Monitor program flow, participant engagement, instructional effectiveness, completion of benchmarks, and overall implementation quality; identify gaps and recommend or implement improvements within the scope of the role.
• Support planning and execution of recruitment activities, orientations, Mental Toughness, work-based learning, credentialing activities, graduations, and other major program milestones.
• Maintain organized program systems, calendars, documentation, procedures, supplies, and logistics necessary for consistent implementation.
• Exercise sound professional judgment, initiative, flexibility, and accountability while keeping the Program Director informed of significant developments.
• Support implementation of new initiatives and other duties or special projects as assigned in support of Lumity's workforce programs and organizational priorities.

Learning, Training & Participant Engagement

• Ensure learning and training experiences are structured, engaging, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and aligned with program objectives and participant needs.
• Support the development, review, sequencing, and implementation of curricula, lesson plans, workshops, industry experiences, and experiential learning activities.
• Facilitate workforce readiness, leadership development, orientation, community-building, or other participant sessions as needed.
• Observe program delivery and participant engagement to identify opportunities to strengthen instructional quality, pacing, classroom culture, and participant outcomes; share implementation concerns or recommendations with the Program Director and appropriate program contributors.
• Maintain high expectations for attendance, participation, professionalism, safety, teamwork, and skill development while creating a learning environment grounded in belonging, consistency, and respect.
• Use participant voice, feedback, attendance, engagement, and performance data to strengthen the learning experience.
• Model professionalism, collaboration, sound judgment, cultural responsiveness, and the workplace behaviors expected of participants.

YouthBuild Model & Leadership Development

• Support faithful implementation of the YouthBuild model by helping integrate education, occupational skills training, leadership development, community service, career preparation, and participant support into a holistic program experience.
• Support implementation of Mental Toughness and other YouthBuild-required or grant-aligned program phases and activities.
• Embed meaningful participant voice, choice, responsibility, and leadership opportunities throughout programming, including Youth Policy Committee structures or other participant leadership mechanisms as applicable.
• Create opportunities for participants to practice accountability, teamwork, conflict resolution, problem-solving, professional decision-making, and community leadership.
• Promote a mentorship-based youth development approach that balances clear expectations and accountability with coaching, restorative practice, psychological safety, and participant empowerment.
• Help participants connect technical training and program experiences to long-term career identity, purpose, and sustainable employment.

Construction, Trades & Career Pathway Coordination

• Develop and maintain working relationships with employers, labor unions, apprenticeship programs, contractors, community colleges, technical schools, credentialing partners, and other construction and skilled-trades stakeholders.
• Coordinate industry exposure, site visits, employer engagement, career panels, apprenticeship connections, work-based learning, and other opportunities that help participants understand and access construction and trades pathways.
• Ensure occupational skills training and career exposure reflect current industry expectations, workplace safety, professionalism, and realistic pathways into employment, apprenticeship, advanced training, or postsecondary education.
• Work with the Program Director and partners to identify opportunities that strengthen program quality, participant access, and alignment with regional workforce needs.
• Share relevant employer, training, apprenticeship, and pathway opportunities with the Case Manager so individualized career planning and placement efforts remain connected to the program experience.

Participant Support & Case Management Partnership

• Build authentic, professional relationships with participants that promote engagement, belonging, accountability, and growth within the learning environment.
• Observe changes in attendance, engagement, behavior, performance, peer dynamics, or other indicators that may affect participant success and communicate concerns promptly to the assigned Case Manager and, when appropriate, the Program Director.
• Partner with the Case Manager to coordinate program-level responses to participant needs while respecting the Case Manager's ownership of individualized case management, referrals, service planning, and follow-up.
• Participate in regular participant-support huddles and case coordination conversations to ensure learning and case management information inform one another appropriately.
• Escalate urgent safety, behavioral, or program concerns according to Lumity policies and established procedures.
• Maintain participant confidentiality and appropriate professional boundaries.

Data, Grant Compliance & Performance

• Maintain accurate and timely program documentation related to attendance, participation, program activities, benchmarks, credentials, work-based learning, and other required outcomes.
• Use CRM platforms, grant/funder portals, learning systems, and other approved data tools to support program implementation and reporting.
• Partner with the Program Director and Data team to monitor performance indicators, identify trends, address data-quality concerns, and support accurate grant and program reporting.
• Understand assigned grant requirements, statements of work, performance measures, timelines, and program deliverables and support consistent implementation against those expectations.
• Identify risks to program performance or compliance early and communicate them to the Program Director with recommended solutions.
• Use data, participant feedback, partner input, and program outcomes to support continuous quality improvement.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in education, nonprofit management, human services, business, social work, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant professional experience will be considered.
• Minimum 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in workforce development, youth development, education, career and technical education, apprenticeship, construction/trades programming, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating complex programs involving multiple partners, instructors, contractors, participants, schedules, and deliverables.
• Experience working with adolescents or young adults, particularly young people from historically under-resourced communities.
• Demonstrated understanding of trauma-informed practice, positive youth development, restorative approaches, social-emotional development, and culturally responsive programming.
• Strong project management, facilitation, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret program requirements, monitor performance indicators, maintain strong documentation, and use data to improve program quality.
• Experience using Illinois workNet, GPMS, workforce databases, CRM platforms, grant-reporting systems, learning management systems, or similar data tools preferred.
• Knowledge of YouthBuild or experience implementing federally or state-funded workforce development programming strongly preferred.
• Bilingual or multilingual proficiency preferred.

Preferred Industry Experience

• Professional experience or demonstrated knowledge in construction, manufacturing, welding, HVAC, electrical, carpentry, logistics, skilled trades, apprenticeship, career and technical education, or a related industry strongly preferred.
• Experience working with labor unions, apprenticeship programs, contractors, employers, community colleges, technical schools, workforce boards, or industry training providers preferred.
• Familiarity with construction and trades career pathways, industry-recognized credentials, workplace safety expectations, and apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship models is highly desirable.
• A background in education, training, facilitation, union environments, or industry-based workforce development is a plus.

Core Competencies

• Program Leadership & Ownership: Translates strategy, grant requirements, and organizational priorities into organized, consistent, high-quality program implementation.
• Youth-Centered & Trauma-Informed Practice: Creates structured environments that balance empathy, psychological safety, accountability, cultural responsiveness, and high expectations.
• Operational Excellence: Plans ahead, manages multiple moving parts, anticipates barriers, and follows through consistently.
• Construction & Trades Pathway Knowledge: Understands or can quickly learn construction, skilled trades, apprenticeship, credentialing, employer, union, and technical-training ecosystems.
• Data & Grant Stewardship: Uses program requirements, data, documentation, and performance indicators to protect compliance and strengthen outcomes.
• Communication, Collaboration & Judgment: Communicates effectively across roles and organizations, exercises sound professional judgment, and works collaboratively while respecting clear lines of accountability.

Work Schedule & Location
Full-time, 37.5 hours per week, Monday through Friday, with periodic evening and weekend responsibilities based on program needs. This position is primarily based at Lumity's Maywood location and requires regular in-person presence during active programming with occasional remote days. Reliable transportation is required to support travel to Lumity's Chicago/Wabash location and to employer, union, training, community partner, work-based learning, and participant event sites throughout Chicagoland as needed. 

Benefits
100% paid insurance: health, dental, life, AD&D and LTD. Paid time off: holidays, vacation sick time, and personal days. Optional benefits: 403(b) retirement account with match, medical flexible spending account and pre-tax transit deduction program.