VP, Operations (Degreed Programs)

Stepful, Inc.; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stake

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

401(k)

FSA/HSA and commuter benefits

Learning stipend

Open vacation policy

15 PTO days annually

Job summary

Stepful, Inc. is seeking a VP, Operations (Degree Programs) to lead Strategy and Operations for Nursing, Imaging, and Respiratory programs under Stepful College. You will own the operating model, drive scale without compromising outcomes, and manage budgets and cross-functional teams.

You will guide layered Ops Directors and Clinical Leaders, set direction and standards, and oversee enrollment growth, student experience, and compliance with regulators.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead multi-layered teams and manage complex programs.
• Strong stakeholder management with executives, regulators, faculty and employer partners.
• Demonstrated track record of building scalable operating models.

Responsibilities

• Lead Stepful College operating model across Nursing, Imaging, and Respiratory.
• Define strategy, budget, and org design for degree programs at scale.
• Own department budget and resource allocation across schools/geographies.

Skills

Executive communication

Strategic leadership

Data-driven decision making

AI adoption mindset

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

MBA

MSN

EdD

Job description

About Stepful

Stepful is a workforce platform redefining how America's largest health systems build, train, and retain their talent. Since our founding in 2021, Stepful’s trained over 32,000 practice-ready healthcare workers.

Layering onto our successful direct-to-consumer training, Stepful partners with leading healthcare institutions to address the growing national shortage of healthcare workers. We’re improving access to quality healthcare for everyone, everywhere, and improving access to healthcare career ladders for those who need them most.

Our students form the talent pipelines for major employers such as NY-Presbyterian, Mt. Sinai, HCA, Providence, CVS, and Walgreens. We have partnerships with half of the top 10 health systems in the US and are in process with many more.

Stepful is backed by Y Combinator, Reach Capital, and AlleyCorp, with a recent $55M Series C led by Oak HC/FT. We were named the #1 EdTech company in the U.S. by TIME for 2025.

Our values:

We credit much of our success to our exceptional team. We’re looking for mission-driven builders who thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments, and embody our four core values:

• Care first: We do whatever it takes for our students to succeed.

• Learn quickly: We test, learn with data, and iterate.

• Build together: We win when we rely on each other.

• Own it: We show up, take initiative, and show pride.

The opportunity:

As VP, Operations (Degree Programs), you'll lead our Strategy and Operations Function for all of our Degrees, including Nursing, Imaging, and Respiratory programs housed under Stepful College. Degree programs have more regulation, longer timelines, and higher clinical-site requirements than our certificate programs. You will own the operating model that allows us to scale them without losing outcome quality, student satisfaction, or compliance.

You will lead strategy, organizational design, budget, and contribution to Stepful's growth. You'll lead a layered team of Operations Directors and Clinical Leaders who independently drive their own initiatives forward while you set the direction, standards, and operating rhythm that enables our degree programs to scale.

This role reports to our SVP, Operations, and is hybrid in NYC (with regular travel to our campuses and clinical sites).

What you’ll do:

• Lead and evolve Stepful College’s operating model, currently organized by Schools (Nursing, Imaging, and Respiratory), each led by an Ops Director in partnership with Clinical and Academic Leaders and Faculty.

• Set the strategy to deliver our degree programs at the highest quality at scale. Build the operating cadence that lets each School Lead run their school independently while you manage the full portfolio of degree programs.

• Own the department's budget and resource allocation, making tradeoffs across schools and geographies.

• Design how the department is organized as it grows, including where to add leadership layers and which senior roles to hire next.

• Lead Operations and Clinical Leaders who own their programs end to end, coaching them and setting clear expectations for performance and accountability across every layer of the department

• Partner with Learning, Product, Legal, Growth, and Workforce Solutions to grow enrollment, deliver an exceptional student experience, and meet the needs of our healthcare employer partners.

• Push AI adoption across schools.

What you’ll bring:

• 12+ years of experience, including 5+ years leading multi-layered organizations (managers of managers) in operations or program leadership

• A track record of owning a department or business unit, including its strategy, budget, and org design, and scaling it through significant growth

• Experience leading regulated, licensure-track education programs (such as nursing or allied health), including direct work with state boards and accreditors

• Proven ability to drive workflows across multiple domains at once, and to build operating systems that let your leaders move independently

• Executive communication skills: clear, concise writing and the ability to align executives, regulators, faculty, and employer partners

• A highly analytical, data-driven approach to diagnosing problems and making decisions

• Comfort leading in a fast-paced, sometimes ambiguous environment, and a willingness to get into the details when it counts

• Genuine curiosity about AI and a habit of experimenting with it to improve how your teams work

Bonus points if:

• You've worked at a high-growth startup or in a venture-backed healthcare or EdTech company

• You have a clinical background (e.g., RN or registered radiologic technologist)

• You've run multi-state or multi-campus operations, or launched new campuses or integrated acquired schools

• You hold an advanced degree (e.g., MBA, MSN, EdD)

Interview Process:

• Introductory call with Talent Acquisition team member

• Interview with Hiring Manager

• Take-Home Assignment

• Virtual Panel Interview

• On-Site Panel Interview

Benefits and Compensation:

• Meaningful Equity Stake

• Subsidized Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plan options

• 401(k)

• FSA, HSA and commuter benefits

• Learning stipend

• Open vacation policy, including:

• Guidance of 15 days PTO annually

  • Stepful closed the last week of December

  • 15 work-from-anywhere days

  • 10 public holidays observed for 2026

The target base salary range for this opportunity is $230,000 - $260,000, and is part of a competitive total rewards package including equity and benefits. Individual pay may vary from the target range and is determined by a number of factors including experience, internal pay equity and other relevant business considerations.

Stepful is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.