Traditional high schools define success by grades and standardized test scores. At Founders School, success is defined by businesses launched, real problems solved, and students accomplishing what most adults would consider unattainable.

We need someone capable of motivating, challenging, and developing ambitious teenage entrepreneurs as they launch real companies, master AI tools, and pursue objectives most people delay until adulthood.

If high standards, high ownership, and guiding exceptional young people toward extraordinary results energizes you, continue reading.

What You Will Be Doing

• Push daily execution and forward momentum across your student cohort through standups, coaching conversations, and accountability frameworks.
• Lead weekly 1:1 coaching meetings and daily check-ins that support students in clearing obstacles and sustaining progress.
• Track student performance within FounderOS, catch stalled momentum early, and activate support resources as needed.
• Link students to mentors, founders, operators, and opportunities that fuel accelerated growth.
• Facilitate workshops, events, and community activities that deepen culture and elevate performance standards.
• Demonstrate practical AI application and guide students in integrating AI into their businesses, workflows, and decision-making.
• Accompany students on 3-4 school trips annually.
  
  

What You Won’t Be Doing

• Delivering in-depth strategic business consulting as students develop their companies. That responsibility belongs to FounderOS, Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and visiting mentors.
• Tolerating performance that sits below a student's proven capability.
• Teaching traditional academic subjects. The academic platform and academic team manage that experience.
• Leading workshops in areas outside your expertise.
• Offering generic resources or introductions that fail to meet Founders School standards.
  
  

Startup Program Manager Key Responsibilities

Build the culture, accountability structures, and support systems that empower ambitious student founders to execute consistently, apply AI effectively, and deliver outcomes that go beyond what traditional education enables.

Basic Requirements

• 3+ years in leadership or high-impact individual contributor positions at startups, growth-stage companies, or similarly rigorous environments.
• The capacity to participate meaningfully in entrepreneurial discussions and recognize when to involve deeper expertise.
• A standout skill beyond coaching: workshop facilitation, event design, content creation, community building, relationship development, or another equally valuable capability.
• The capacity to hold the attention of ambitious teenagers and foster an environment they are eager to join.
• The capacity to provide tough feedback in ways that boost motivation and performance.
• Daily usage of AI tools with concrete examples of how AI enhances your output.
• Willingness to work on-site in New York City (relocation assistance available).
• Authorization to work in the United States.
  
  

Nice-to-have Requirements

• Founded or co-founded a business.
• Experience coaching, mentoring, or managing programs for teenagers or young adults.
• An established network of founders, operators, investors, or mentors.
• Early-stage startup experience where you handled multiple roles and created systems from the ground up.
  
  

About Founders School

Founders School is a four-year high school built for ambitious students who want to create, build, and solve meaningful problems. The program combines Alpha School's elite academics, real-world experience, and mentorship from world-class entrepreneurs around three commitments to every student: Build a million-dollar business. Identify problems in the world worth solving. Master AI before adults do.

This is a place for people who'd rather build the thing than manage the thing. We're hiring the founding team that builds the dream high school for the most entrepreneurial and ambitious students in the country. Launching in NYC Fall 2026.

There is so much to cover for this exciting role, and space here is limited. Hit the Apply button if you found this interesting and want to learn more. We look forward to meeting you!

Working with us

This is a full-time (40 hours per week), long-term position. The position is immediately available and requires entering into an independent contractor agreement with Crossover as a Contractor of Record. The compensation level for this role is $100 USD/hour, which equates to $200,000 USD/year assuming 40 hours per week and 50 weeks per year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.

Crossover Job Code: LJ-5816-US-Philadel-StartupProgram