Youth Development Director, Alpha - $200,000/year USD

Crossover; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Alpha reimagines schooling by combining adaptive learning with high‑impact coaching for K‑3 students. You will lead a cohort of Guides and students, using data and observations to drive measurable growth, while developing coaches who raise overall performance and outcomes.

We seek leaders who embrace a coaching-first approach, own outcomes, and build scalable playbooks to elevate education standards across Alpha campuses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in education, psychology, business, organizational leadership, child development, or related field.
• At least 5 years of experience working with elementary-aged children (ages 5-9).
• Experience leading teams of five or more people, including performance management and hiring decisions.
• Experience building, launching, or growing a program, school, team, or initiative.
• Demonstrated success using data and measurable outcomes to improve team or student performance.
• Excited by challenging conventional education models with a coaching-first approach.

Responsibilities

• Coach Guides and students using performance data, classroom observations, and direct feedback to achieve measurable improvements.
• Facilitate workshops for K-3 students focused on communication, resilience, collaboration, accountability, and life skills.
• Lead one-on-one and small-group coaching sessions connecting student motivation to academic growth and independence.
• Build and refine repeatable coaching playbooks that raise performance across the Guide team.
• Train and mentor Guides while modeling exceptional coaching and facilitation daily.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Data-driven

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Education, Psychology, Business, Organizational Leadership, Child Development, or related field

Tools

Dashboards

Analytics

Performance metrics

Job description

"We are never going to lower the standard for any kid — instead we're going to raise the support to help them get there."

— Braden, Head Guide, Alpha Austin

Alpha is hiring.

• In person at an Alpha campus in New York City, NY, or Miami, FL — relocation support provided
• $200,000/year
• Full-time

Most schools respond to struggling students by lowering expectations. You don't.

You believe young children are capable of far more than traditional classrooms ask of them, and you've built teams that prove it with measurable results. You know that motivation, accountability, and high standards change lives more than another worksheet ever will.

At Alpha, academics happen in just two hours each morning through adaptive learning technology. That frees you to focus on the work that has the biggest long-term impact: coaching students to become independent learners while developing the Guides who make that growth possible. You will own outcomes for a cohort of K-3 students, using data, observation, and coaching to ensure every child loves school, learns twice as fast, and develops exceptional life skills.

This is not an instructional coach role, nor a principal role. You won't spend your days buried in meetings or paperwork. You'll be in classrooms, analyzing student and Guide performance, delivering workshops on communication, resilience, focus, and accountability, and coaching both children and adults toward measurable improvement.

Your influence won't stop with your own cohort. You'll document what works, build playbooks that raise the standard across the school, and help shape how Alpha develops future Guides. If you're energized by building people, scaling excellence, and proving that extraordinary outcomes are possible when expectations stay high, we'd love to meet you.

What You Will Be Doing

• Coach Guides and students using performance data, classroom observations, and direct feedback to achieve measurable improvements.
• Facilitate engaging workshops for K-3 students focused on communication, resilience, collaboration, accountability, focus, and other life skills.
• Lead one‑on‑one and small‑group coaching sessions that connect student motivation to academic growth and independence.
• Build and refine repeatable coaching playbooks that raise performance across the Guide team.
• Train and mentor Guides while modeling exceptional coaching and facilitation every day.

What You Won’t Be Doing

Here is what this role deliberately excludes:

• Delivering traditional classroom instruction or lecturing through academic content; adaptive technology handles core academics.
• Managing discipline through punishment or lowering expectations when students struggle.
• Leading from an office instead of working directly with students and Guides every day.
• Owning campus operations, budgets, or parent communications; your focus is developing people and improving outcomes.
• Following conventional elementary school practices simply because "that's how schools have always done it."

Youth Development Director Key Responsibilities

Deliver Alpha's three promises for every K-3 student by building high-performing Guides, highly motivated students, and a coaching culture that consistently produces exceptional academic and life outcomes.

Basic Requirements

• Willing to work in person at an Alpha campus in New York City, NY or Miami, FL; relocation support is provided
• Bachelor's degree in Education, Psychology, Business, Organizational Leadership, Child Development, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience working with elementary-aged children (approximately ages 5-9).
• Experience leading teams of five or more people, including performance management and hiring decisions.
• Experience building, launching, or significantly growing a program, school, team, or initiative rather than maintaining an existing one.
• Demonstrated success using data and measurable outcomes to improve team or student performance.
• Excited by challenging conventional education models and embracing a coaching-first approach.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States.

Nice‑to‑have Requirements

• Master's degree in a related field.
• Experience using dashboards, analytics, or performance metrics to drive continuous improvement.
• Track record of coaching adults toward measurable performance outcomes.
• Background in youth development, competitive coaching, enrichment programs, camps, or other high‑accountability environments.
• Strong public speaking and facilitation skills with young children.

About Alpha

Alpha reimagines the school day around faster learning, stronger mentorship, and more time for students to build real‑world skills.

Join the team building school around student growth

Alpha hires teachers (guides), operators, admissions experts, school & curriculum leaders, and remote team members.

Roles with real student impact:

Alpha hires teachers (guides), operators, admissions experts, school & curriculum leaders, and remote team members.

Education work that pays like it matters:

Alpha offers six‑figure roles for people ready to help build a radically better school experience.

A culture built for builders:

Alpha is fast‑moving, ambitious, and student focused. It’s for people who want to improve the system, not maintain it.

Alpha is where you can do the most meaningful work of your career.

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, W2 employee position with immediate access to benefits (https://support.crossover.com/article/7581-w2-benefits-u-s-paychex-paid-only). All roles are year‑long positions. The compensation level for this role is $200,000 USD/year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.

Crossover Job Code: LJ-5814-US-Phoenix-YouthDevelopme