Senior Manager, Employment and Partnerships

About Pursuit

Pursuit is a social impact organization building the future of economic mobility in the age of AI. For over a decade, we’ve transformed lives through immersive training programs that propel adults from low-income backgrounds - often without college degrees - into high-growth tech careers. Our graduates have already generated nearly $1 billion in lifetime wage gains.

Now, as AI reshapes every industry, Pursuit is evolving into an AI-native organization. We’re training AI-native talent, embedding AI into our operations, and building scalable software to extend our impact. From grassroots partnerships to national policy (like our Good Jobs Guarantee), we’re not just filling jobs- we’re rethinking how economic opportunity works at scale.

About the Role

Pursuit is hiring a Senior Manager of Employment & Partnerships to ensure every Pursuit Builder successfully transitions into full-time employment. This role sits at the intersection of relationship-building, business development, and workforce innovation, and is the first hire for what we envision will be a growing employment team.

We’re looking for a scrappy, high-ownership operator who loves building partnerships and thrives in the ambiguity of early-stage, mission-driven work. You’ll work directly with employers - from Fortune 500s to startups and small businesses - to open doors, create opportunities, and connect Builders to meaningful roles. 

What You’ll Do

• Get Builders Hired: Own the end-to-end process of connecting Pursuit Builders to full-time jobs—building relationships, opening doors, and ensuring successful placements.
• Build & Manage Employer Relationships: Cultivate and sustain relationships with employers and employment organizations from Fortune 500s to fast-growing startups, small business partners, nonprofits, and government partners.
• Set the AI Hiring Bar: Help define what excellence looks like for AI-native roles, guiding employers on what to look for and ensuring Builders meet and exceed those standards.
• Coach Builders Through Hiring Process: Mentor Builders on workplace readiness, professional norms, and how to navigate tricky situations during interviews and early employment.
• Manage Cross-Functional Projects: Build and maintain shared trackers, systems, and tools used by multiple teams to coordinate placements, partnerships, and outcomes.
• Activate Leadership Networks: Manage up and across, partnering with Pursuit’s CEO, CDO, and senior staff to leverage networks, make introductions, and open doors for Builders.
• Pilot Innovative Partnerships: Design and manage new partnership pilots that lead to Builder hiring, scoping projects, managing hiring process, and tracking outcomes to measure impact.
• Track & Report Outcomes: Create clear systems for employer engagement, placement tracking, and retention; surface insights to drive continuous improvement.
• Work Directly with Builders: Act as a bridge between Builders, employers, and Pursuit’s internal teams to ensure seamless communication and success across the employment journey.

About You

• 6–10 years of experience working in B2B partnerships, business development, or talent placement roles who have owned a relationship pipeline end-to-end, from lead generation through closing or placement. We’re open to candidates that have: 
• Sold or managed partnerships in a B2B or mission-driven context (e.g. tech, startups, workforce programs, higher ed).
• Managed employer relationships in a recruiting, placement, or university career services role through closing or placement..
• Built and maintained a pipeline of opportunities and delivered measurable results (hires, placements, or deals closed).
• Doer: You’re outcome-oriented and resourceful, willing to experiment, iterate, and project-manage hard to make things happen. You don’t let process get in the way of results.
• Builder: You’re curious, adaptable, and AI-fluent. You’ve explored AI tools and understand (or are eager to learn) how they’re reshaping jobs and industries.
• Operator: You bring strong project management skills—able to design and maintain shared trackers, coordinate cross-functional work, and build scalable systems from scratch.
• Critical Thinker: You can quickly learn new domains, think structurally, and design clear, scalable solutions even without prior subject-matter expertise.
• Mission-Driven: You care deeply about equity, tech access, and expanding opportunity for underrepresented communities.
• Collaborator & Connector: Skilled at managing up, across, and out—able to activate leadership networks (including CEO/CDO/board) and build trust with diverse stakeholders.
• Fast-Paced & Flexible: Thrive in dynamic, startup-like environments; bring a proactive, can-do attitude and comfort with ambiguity.
• Excellent Communicator: Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills; able to engage everyone from Builders to C-suite executives.

Pursuit offers: 

• An opportunity to work at the intersection of tech and social impact, and make a direct impact on the communities of those we serve.
• Competitive compensation in base, plus bonus and a full benefits package
• 401k Match
• Unlimited PTO and an all-Pursuit summer break the last week of August and a week-long holiday the last week of December
• Monday and Friday work from anywhere policy (Tu - Th we work in our HQ in Long Island City)
• Catered lunches once a week and delicious snacks
• Dedicated time to build in AI and hone your AI skills

Salary & Benefits:

The expected salary range for this role is $110,000 - 140,000 base + incentive compensation.

The compensation above is for the expectations as laid out in the job description, however, we are often open to a wide variety of profiles and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this job description as posted.  If that ends up being the case, the updated salary range will be communicated to you as a candidate.

Pursuit values diversity: 

Our team has a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, and we value the richness that diversity brings to our organization. We welcome new perspectives and 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.