Program Manager

The People's Music School; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental insurance

EAP

Paid time off — 5 days first year

11 holidays

Hybrid work model

Phoenix, AZ-based role

Job summary

SOUNDS Academy, based in Phoenix, AZ, seeks a Program Manager to lead and expand its community-facing music education programs. The role emphasizes relationship-building with families, schools, and partners, plus overseeing program operations and development.

The position is full-time, exempt, with a hybrid work model and competitive benefits. The Program Manager will coordinate recruitment, calendars, and community engagement while guiding program strategy and impact growth.

Qualifications

• Systems thinker who can see the big picture and each detail of program goals.
• Continuous learner who grows with the organization and adapts strategies.
• Organizational stewardship balancing program outcomes with fundraising.
• Drive to achieve results with proactive communication and course correction.
• Creative problem solving with big-picture progress tracking across programs.
• Team player who builds relationships with the team, board, and community.

Responsibilities

• Set and achieve annual program impact goals across four programs.
• Recruit and develop our teachers.
• Run the program operation efficiently with scheduling best practices (lessons, concerts, Parent Committee Meetings).
• Directly manage a database of students, teachers, sites, and community partners.
• Track program impact and demographics of SOUNDS Academy students.
• Manage up to the CEO to ensure efficient program impact and growth.

Skills

Systems Thinker

Continuous Learner

Organizational Stewardship

Drive to Achieve Results

Creative Problem Solving

Team Player & Proactive Communicator

Job description

Program Manager

SOUNDS Academy is a non-profit music education organization that transforms lives by empowering youth through teaching music and character values, with a commitment to reaching underserved communities. Students receive individual lessons and group classes on all instruments and voice. Instruments are provided to those who cannot afford one. SOUNDS Academy students learn the character values of creativity, leadership, perseverance, resilience, and teamwork through music education. We teach these values in our Musical Access Program, which connects students to live music and instruments through our Instrument Petting Zoos, our School Programs for lower income schools and community centers, our SOLO Program, which provides one-on-one instruction, and The Collective Ensembles that teach music theory and ensemble playing techniques.

Mission

We transform lives by empowering youth through teaching music and character values, with a commitment to reaching underserved communities.

Vision

One day, every child, regardless of their zip code, will have access to the transformative impact of music education and character development, in order to foster personal growth and strengthen communities.

Values

We value and teach the character values of creativity, leadership, perseverance, resilience, and teamwork through music education.

Culture Statement

The SOUNDS Academy Family is a collective of inclusive, personable, and progressive individuals who are committed to passionately creating and building relationships to support and inspire our young leaders.

Program Manager

The Program Manager is responsible for developing relationships with families, teachers, schools, and other community partners to meet our impact goals now while preparing for future growth.

This role is an excellent opportunity for candidates who are skilled and have a strong track record in setting and achieving goals in a fast-paced environment. If you love creating and developing relationships, pursuing strategy and goals, details, deadlines, and tracking progress along the way, this may be the role for you!

The Program Manager will work hand in hand with the CEO. The Program Manager is responsible for managing our programs, running the Parent Committee and Teacher Professional Development meetings, the back-office work of programs, including building recruitment strategies, operations, and managing calendars as well as connecting to the community. The Program Manager also plays an external role, particularly with our community partners. The Program Manager will manage and grow a database of students, teachers, sites, and community partners, with the help of the Program Team, which they will manage directly.

What You'll Do

• Set and Achieve Program Goals
  • Set and achieve annual program impact goal overall in our four programs
  • Recruit and develop our teachers
• Run the overall program operation using best practices and be efficient in scheduling
  • Lessons
  • Concerts
  • Parent Committee Meetings
• Directly manage a database of students, teachers, sites, and community partners
• Track program impact and demographics of SOUNDS Academy students
• Manage up to the CEO to ensure efficient program impact and growth.

Must-Have Skills and Talents

• Systems Thinker and Visionary: You think and operate in systems that allow you to see the big picture and every detail of the program goals as well as how they fit together. While you’re grounded in the current reality, you don’t accept it as a limitation for the future.
• Continuous Learner: You’re committed to identifying what you need to learn and growing quickly. In this dynamic and growing organization, our recruiting, marketing, and program development strategies will evolve quickly to capture new opportunities.
• Organizational Stewardship: You center the mission and goals of the organization in all of the decisions that you make. You proactively identify and solve areas where program and fundraising are in tension with one another, and find solutions that work for all stakeholders.
• Drive to Achieve Results: You do what you need to do to achieve your goals, including being open with your manager about where you need help, anticipating problems, brainstorming solutions, driving work forward, and course correcting where needed.
• Creative Problem Solving: Proactively develop solutions to challenges and roadblocks, including by constantly looking at big picture progress across programs and flagging potential upcoming challenges.
• Team Player and Proactive Communicator: You value relationships, both with the team and board at SOUNDS and also in the community. You demonstrate respect for colleagues and partners through proactive communication.You commit to no surprises.

The full-time, exempt salary for this position is $52,000-$60,000. SOUNDS offers health benefits, dental, EAP, progressive paid time off starting at 5 days in year 1, paid sick leave, and 11 week-day holidays throughout the year. This is a hybrid (work remote and in-person) position, based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Program Manager will also need to plan to attend in-person meetings with potential community partners throughout the city of Phoenix.

SOUNDS Academy provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees. We do not discriminate against our employees or applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender (including pregnancy and childbirth), national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by federal, Arizona, or local laws and ordinances. SOUNDS Academy will ensure the fulfillment of this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, transfer, compensation and benefits, social and recreational programs, discipline, termination and all other conditions and privileges of employment in accordance with all applicable federal, Arizona, and local laws and ordinances.

Finally, thank you for taking the time to read this job description. We’re looking forward to getting to know you.