Program Manager

Full-time based in Chicago, IL

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interviews will begin the week of August 1, 2025. Please send a resume and cover letter to Maggie.Shea@chicagoyachtclubfoundation.org with the subject line “Program Manager Application.”

Position Overview

The Chicago Yacht Club Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity focused on bringing the joys and benefits of boating to all, with particular focus on enabling our youth to access Chicago’s world class lakefront. Many Chicagoland youth have never even seen Lake Michigan. Our goal is to bring them to our lakefront, introduce them to boating, and support those interested in making boating and related sports part of their lives. In the past three years, the CYC Foundation has engineered a massive increase in the number of youth it serves, with more than 1,500 youth participating in our programs in 2024. In short, we are aiming to change our community and the sport of boating for the better.

To support our meteoric growth and impact, the Foundation is hiring a Program Manager to join our world-class team. The successful candidate will play a vital role in shaping and delivering the Foundation’s mission-driven programming. They will oversee seasonal educational initiatives, lead the coordination of marine assets, assist in planning and executing the operations of Foundation programs, and manage long-term strategic partnerships designed to support social development and mobility through sailing. The successful candidate will require strong leadership skills, a background in youth development, a passion for expanding equitable access to boating and postsecondary pathways, and a desire to join an innovative, highly collaborative, and driven team focused on making a difference in the lives of Chicagoland youth.

Key Responsibilities

Program Planning & Implementation:

• Lead development, planning, and implementation, including on-water instruction and onshore tutoring, of City Sailing League, an after-school recreational sailing and tutoring program, including the potential to design or teach an accredited course.

• Develop and manage a teen pipeline to further involvement in competitive or recreational boating, helping youth develop skills, create networks/connections, and see a path forward in the boating world.

• Support program execution for CYCF’s externally managed programs.

Marine Operations:

• Oversee the management of marine assets, such as J/100 keelboats and coach boat.

Education & Instruction:

• Collaboratively standardize and implement a consistent, developmentally appropriate sailing curriculum across programs.

• Assist with the hiring, training, and supervision of seasonal sailing instructors, ensuring alignment with CYCF’s values and learning goals.

• Lead instructor of the sailing instructor staff and on water operations.

Partnership Development:

• Cultivate and manage high school and college partnerships to support an academic component for City Sailing League, mentoring and/or tutoring network, and incorporate more teenage participants in other Foundation programs.

• Explore strategic collaborations with other yacht clubs and sailing organizations to further develop the Foundation's mobile “road show” program formats.

Administration & Evaluation:

• Provide administrative and strategic support for the Scholarship Committee, including wrap-around services for scholarship recipients, including award tracking, youth relationship building, and follow-up communication.

• Assist with the logistics and operations of all Foundation programs.

• Coordinate research projects to document outcomes on youth participants and evaluate the efficacy of Foundation programs for reporting.

Qualifications

Required:

• Experience working with youth aged 14–20, particularly in education, nonprofit, or youth development settings.

• Strong understanding of social-emotional learning and/or trauma-informed pedagogy.

• US Sailing Level 1 Certification; comfortable on keelboats and powerboats.

• CPR, First Aid, and SafeSport certified.

• Experience in program management or coordination, ideally in a nonprofit or community-based organization.

• Minimum education requirement: bachelor’s degree.

Preferred:

• Bilingual or conversational (Spanish/English) fluency.

• Classroom teaching, tutoring, or academic mentorship experience.

• Demonstrated success working in diverse, community-driven settings.