By the conclusion of year one, you will understand each of your students intimately: their capabilities, development opportunities, drivers, and aspirations. The school will possess a culture, a cadence, and a benchmark for excellence. Much of that foundation will reflect your influence.
As Founders School grows from New York into new cities, your opportunities grow alongside it. That could mean managing future program managers, helping establish new campuses, or ultimately operating a campus as Head of School. These opportunities are earned through demonstrated impact, not time served. You will also cultivate relationships with founders, investors, operators, and entrepreneurial families who join the Founders School ecosystem. These connections frequently extend well beyond the school environment.
Startup Program Manager $200,000 USD/year Pay is set based on global value, not the local market.
Most roles = hourly rate x 40 hrs x 50 weeks
Not accepting applications on crossover.com at this time.
Description
Traditional high schools evaluate students based on grades and standardized test scores. Founders School evaluates students based on companies they launch, real problems they solve, and outcomes most adults would view as unattainable.
We're seeking someone capable of motivating, challenging, and developing ambitious teenage entrepreneurs as they build functioning companies, become proficient in AI, and chase goals most people postpone until adulthood.
If high standards, high ownership, and guiding exceptional young individuals toward extraordinary results energize you, continue reading.
What you will be doing
- Push daily execution and momentum forward across your assigned student portfolio using standups, coaching conversations, and accountability frameworks.
- Lead weekly one-on-one coaching meetings and daily touchpoints that enable students to navigate obstacles and sustain forward motion.
- Track student performance within FounderOS, catch stalled momentum before it becomes a pattern, and arrange support resources as necessary.
- Link students with mentors, founders, operators, and growth opportunities that speed their development.
- Design and deliver workshops, events, and community programming that deepens culture and elevates performance expectations.
- Demonstrate practical AI application and guide students in embedding AI into their companies, systems, and decision frameworks.
- Accompany students on 3-4 school trips annually.
What you will NOT be doing
- Offering in-depth strategic business consulting while students develop their ventures. FounderOS, Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and external mentors handle that function.
- Tolerating performance beneath a student's proven capability.
- Delivering academic instruction. The academic platform and teaching staff manage that domain.
- Facilitating workshops beyond your demonstrated expertise.
- Offering generic resources or connections that fail to meet Founders School quality standards.
Key responsibilities
Build the culture, accountability structures, and support infrastructure that allow ambitious student founders to execute consistently, apply AI with confidence, and reach outcomes that exceed the limits of traditional education.
Candidate requirements
- 3+ years in leadership positions or high-impact individual contributor roles at startups, growth-stage companies, or comparably rigorous environments.
- The capacity to participate confidently in entrepreneurial discussions and recognize when specialized expertise is required.
- A unique strength beyond coaching: workshop design, event orchestration, content development, community cultivation, relationship architecture, or another equally impactful skill.
- The capacity to capture the attention of ambitious teenagers and build an environment they are drawn to.
- The capacity to offer constructive criticism in a manner that strengthens motivation and output.
- Daily application of AI tools with concrete examples demonstrating how AI enhances your productivity.
- Readiness to work on-site in New York City (relocation assistance available).
- Legal authorization to work in the United States.
Nice to have
- Founded or co-founded a company.
- Background coaching, mentoring, or managing programs for teenagers or young adults.
- An established network of founders, operators, investors, or mentors.
- Early-stage startup background where you managed multiple functions and created systems from the ground up.
Applying for a role? Here’s what to expect.
Crossover's skill assessment process combines innovative AI power with decades of human research, to take the guesswork, human bias, and pointless filters out of recruiting high-performing teams.
Chat-style
screening interview.
Cognitive 
aptitude test.
Prove real-world 
job skills.
Interview with the hiring manager.
Pass
proctored test.
Accept job offer.
Frequently asked questions
What you will learn
Work examples
- A student begins underperforming after an initial success. You spot the trend early, recalibrate expectations, and guide them back to steady execution.
- A student hesitates before their first sales conversation. You support their preparation, practice with them, and help them enter confidently.
- A student requires a particular resource or mentor. You understand who to engage, the rationale behind it, and how to structure a valuable introduction.
- A cohort loses drive during a challenging development phase. You facilitate a targeted session that rebuilds momentum and elevates standards.
Reviews
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The Olympics of work
It’s super hard to qualify—extreme quality standards ensure every single team member is at the top of their game.
Premium pay for premium talent
Over 50% of new hires double or triple their previous pay. Why? Because that’s what the best person in the world is worth.
Shortlist by skills, not bias
We don’t care where you went to school, what color your hair is, or whether we can pronounce your name. Just prove you’ve got the skills.
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