Program Manager, Workforce & Industry Initiatives

San Diego State University Research Foundation


Program Manager, Workforce & Industry Initiatives

US-CA-SD

Job ID: 2026-20598
# of Openings: 1
Category: Research/Project
Career Services

Overview

This position has been budgeted for $6,250.00 - $6,666.67 per month depending on qualifications and is non-negotiable. 

 

Established in 1943, the mission of the SDSU Research Foundation (SDSURF) is to support the research objectives of San Diego State University by helping faculty and staff find, obtain, and administer funding for their research and sponsored programs. SDSU achieved its strategic plan goal of becoming an R1, premier public research university in early 2025 furthering discoveries, interventions, and solutions that improve communities and change the world. SDSURF provides the full life cycle of grants services to faculty and staff to further their important work.

 

Our vision is to foster a culture of creativity and collaboration with integrity and respect for individuals that results in the delivery of superior service to support the university’s strategic aspirations.

 

Our core values:

Service: We are a service organization that strives to provide superior support to the university community to achieve SDSU’s goals; we are committed to being professionally competent by setting high standards and working hard to achieve results; and we continually seeking to improve our skills and capabilities by valuing education and professional development.

 

Collaboration: We seek to actively engage with our stakeholders and employees to identify issues and design solutions, build strong relationships grounded in trust, openness, and inclusion and achieve the best results by taking pride in the accomplishments of our colleagues.

 

Innovation: We work towards inspired solutions to improve and adapt to emerging opportunities and challenges, creative ways to streamline and enhance our delivery of services through resourceful and proactive problem solving and strategic use of technology and reduction of obstacles.

 

Respect: We promote a culture where every individual is valued and treated with dignity, we honor open-mindedness toward different viewpoints and ideas and have a genuine appreciation for varied backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking.

 

Integrity: We are committed to act with the highest ethical standards, with honesty, integrity, and transparency, provide consistent and accurate information and value and respect all individuals.

 

 

FUNCTION OF THE UNIT

San Diego State University Career Services is an award-winning, outcomes-focused career center known for innovation, strategic partnerships, and a forward-thinking approach to student success and workforce development. Likely the largest career center at a college or university in California, SDSU Career Services operates at a scale that reflects the size, complexity, and ambition of the university and the regions it serves.

As a federally affiliated career services provider leading programs funded by the California Employment Development Department (EDD) through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) resources authorized by the U.S. Department of Labor, SDSU Career Services operates at the intersection of higher education, workforce development, employer engagement, and economic mobility.

 

SDSU Career Services is recognized for doing things differently by expanding the role of the modern career center beyond traditional models of career exploration and personal growth. The department places a stronger emphasis on industry-driven strategies, workforce alignment, accountability, employment outcomes, and career pathways that lead to livable-wage careers. Through data-informed practices, scalable programs, and strong partnerships with employers and regional workforce stakeholders, SDSU Career Services measures its impact and treats employment outcomes as a key priority while building a modern career center model focused on access, opportunity, and meaningful career advancement for students, alumni, and emerging talent.

 

 

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The Program Manager is responsible for the planning, implementation, oversight, and continuous improvement of workforce development programs serving Youth and other designated populations. These programs primarily support students, including prospective students from feeder schools and partner organizations, as well as youth and students from K-12 school districts, community colleges, and community-based organizations throughout the Greater San Diego Metropolitan Region.

Programs are designed to support individuals facing barriers to education and employment, including low-income individuals, students with disabilities, justice-involved individuals, foster youth, pregnant or parenting youth, individuals experiencing homelessness, and other priority populations identified by funding partners.

 

This position supports participant success through career development, workforce readiness, work-based learning, education and employment pathways, supportive services, and industry engagement while ensuring compliance with program, funding, and performance requirements.

In addition to managing assigned programs, participants, sites, and partnerships, the Program Manager provides leadership and oversight for the overall project. This position serves as the primary representative and spokesperson for a new program called GenAI. The program manager is accountable for the overall performance, compliance, risk management, implementation, and successful execution of the project. The Program Manager oversees program implementation across multiple locations and teams, supports program staff in achieving performance and compliance goals, and ensures all project activities align with organizational, contractual, regulatory, and funding requirements.

Responsibilities

Program Management & Administration: 40%

• Serve as the primary representative, spokesperson, and lead point of contact for the grant, funding partners, stakeholders, and assigned programs.
• Provide leadership, oversight, and direction to the program team.
• Maintain accountability for the overall success of the project, including performance outcomes, contractual deliverables, compliance requirements, risk management, operational effectiveness, and participant success.
• Oversee program operations, service delivery, and workforce development activities across assigned locations, populations, and teams.
• Provide leadership, supervision, guidance, and workflow coordination for Program Managers and assigned staff.
• Assign, prioritize, adjust, and reallocate responsibilities, resources, and project activities to support program goals and operational needs.
• Ensure compliance with funding requirements, policies, regulations, reporting standards, documentation requirements, and quality assurance expectations.
• Identify, assess, mitigate, and resolve operational, programmatic, compliance, fiscal, and participant-related risks and challenges.
• Monitor project performance, participant outcomes, budgets, data integrity, and contractual requirements, implementing corrective actions and continuous improvement strategies as needed.
• Represent the project in meetings, presentations, audits, monitoring reviews, compliance reviews, and stakeholder engagements.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

 

 

Workforce Solutions: 25%

• Oversee and support participant-facing service delivery, including eligibility, enrollment, case management, career development, workforce readiness, training, work-based learning, employment, and supportive service activities.
• Ensure participant services are aligned with program goals, contractual outcomes, funding requirements, and individual participant needs.
• Monitor participant progress, service quality, engagement, retention, outcomes, and barriers to success, implementing corrective actions or service adjustments as needed.
• Coordinate workforce development activities across assigned locations, populations, and teams to support participant success and program performance.
• Build and maintain relationships with participants, educational institutions, community organizations, workforce development stakeholders, and other partners that support participant access, success, and outcomes.

 

Industry Relations: 25%

• Support employer engagement, job development, industry partnerships, and workforce learning opportunities aligned with participant and labor market needs.
• Build and maintain relationships with employers, industry partners, business associations, workforce boards, chambers, funders, and other workforce development stakeholders.
• Identify and cultivate employment, internship, work-based learning, training, and industry-aligned opportunities for participants.
• Represent the project in employer, industry, partner, and stakeholder engagements to promote program goals and expand opportunities for participants.
• Ensure industry relations activities are aligned with labor market needs, participant goals, employer expectations, and grant outcomes.

 

Other Duties as Assigned 10%

Qualifications

Knowledge and Abilities

• Workforce development program coordination
• Case management practices
• Job development, business services, and employer relations

 

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent training and administration work experience involving study, analysis, and/or evaluation leading to the development or improvement of administrative policies, procedures, practices, or programs.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience in office or administrative environment

 

Additional Applicant Information

• Candidate must reside in California and live within a commutable distance from SDSU at time of hire.
• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance based on background check results (including a criminal record check).
• San Diego State University Research Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, SDSU Research Foundation provides equal opportunity in employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin or any other categories protected by federal or state law.  
• Employment decisions are based on an individual’s qualifications as they relate to the job under consideration. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every employee has equal access to resources and support. 
• SDSU Research Foundation complies with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), and other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws including grant or contract terms and conditions related to funded program activities. Further the SDSU Research Foundation maintains a Nondiscrimination Policy that prohibits discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all programs, policies, and practices.  
• SDSU Research Foundation makes all employment decisions including, but not limited to, applicant screening, hiring, promotion, demotion, compensation, benefits, disciplinary actions, and terminations on the basis of merit.  

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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