Program Lead: Coding for Gaming, Tufts Pre-College Programs

Tufts University; Medford (MA); On-site; USD 36,368 - 51,797; Full time

Job summary

Tufts University College Pre-College is seeking a Program Lead for a 1-week gaming program: Coding for Gaming, for rising high school students. The role encompasses planning, logistics, and coordination of admissions, staffing, and outreach.

The ideal candidate brings strong communication, project management, and experience with high school students. The Program Lead will guide sessions from concept to code, collaborating with designers, developers, and storytellers in a fast-paced setting.

Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills.
• Adept critical thinking, process development, and operationalization; strong attention to detail.
• Excellent project management skills, prioritization abilities, and navigating tight deadlines.
• Proficiency and previous experience with Microsoft Office Suite preferred.
• Experience in research and/or program management preferred.
• Experience working with high school-aged students preferred.
• Applicants with coding or game design experience will receive priority consideration.

Responsibilities

• Program Planning and Preparation: review applications, post admissions decisions, correspond with applicants; marketing tasks and outreach; hiring payroll for staff; prepare program materials and logistics; plan sessions and schedule with the Pre-College team.
• Operations: main point of contact for the program; schedule trainings and activities; oversee sessions and coordinate with staff and guest speakers; manage attendance and opening/closing activities.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Communication

Attention to detail

Customer service

Microsoft Office

Coding or game design

High school student experience

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Tufts University: University College

Location

Medford, Massachusetts

Open Date

Jan 21, 2026

Salary Range or Pay Grade

$32/hour

Description

The Tufts University College Pre-College team is seeking a Program Lead for our 1-week gaming program: Coding for Gaming, offered by Tufts' University College to rising high school sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduating seniors. "Coding for Gaming" is a fast-paced, immersive summer program that introduces high school students to the core principles of game development, interactive storytelling, and coding through the lens of professional game design. Students will gain hands‑on experience designing, prototyping, and coding their own playable games. In just one week, students will explore the full game development pipeline—from concept to code—while learning about the collaborative roles of designers, developers, and storytellers in the gaming industry. The goal is for students to learn not just technical skills, but also creative problem‑solving, playtesting, and game design. The Program Lead will be responsible for overall program coordination, including schedule creation, program planning, and logistical operations.

Responsibilities

• Program Planning and Preparation:
  • Admissions: review and manage assigned program staff to review student applications; post admission decisions in the application review portal; correspond with applicants as needed
  • Marketing: support the Pre‑College Program Administrators with reviewing marketing materials, suggesting website updates, engaging in email and phone outreach to applicants/parents before and during the program, participating in social media campaigns
  • Hiring/Payroll: engage in recruiting, payment, and related logistics for program staff, including program instructors, guest speakers, course assistants, and instructional support staff in collaboration with the Pre‑College team. Supervise course assistants and instructional support staff or support instructor‑related supervision.
  • Program Materials Prep: support course instructor with program logistics such as Canvas, Zoom, resource planning, and other preparation.
  • Program Planning: support course instructor with planning sessions, workshops, course schedule, curriculum, field trips, and opening/closing activities. Coordinate with the Pre‑College team.
• Operations:
  • Communications: act as the main point of contact for the program
  • Scheduling: schedule all necessary trainings and activities
  • Program Implementation: implement and oversee sessions, liaise with participating staff, faculty, and guest speakers; coordinate and attend opening/closing activities; coordinate with applicable parties to manage student attendance

Time Commitment Estimation

• Phase 1: Program Planning: The Program Lead can expect to work an average of 8–10 hours per month between February and June for pre‑program planning.
• Phase 2: Program Implementation: June 22‑26, 2026; Estimated 40 hours on campus.

Compensation

The Program Lead will be paid $32/hour for all hours worked during program planning and implementation (estimated ~85–90 hours).

Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills (written and verbal)
• Adept critical thinking, process development, and operationalization; strong attention to detail
• Excellent project management skills, prioritization abilities, and navigation of tight deadlines
• Proficiency and previous experience with Microsoft Office Suite strongly preferred
• Previous experience in research and/or program management preferred
• Previous experience working with high school‑aged students preferred
• Applicants with experience in coding or game design will receive priority consideration

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Tufts University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. See the University’s Non‑Discrimination statement and policy here https://oeo.tufts.edu/policies-procedures/non-discrimination/. If you are an applicant with a disability who is unable to use our online tools to search and apply for jobs, please contact us by calling the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) at 617‑627‑3298 or at [e-mail]. Applicants can learn more about requesting reasonable accommodations at https://oeo.tufts.edu/.