Youth Development Specialist, Alpha - $120,000/year USD

Crossover; Brighton (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Day-one medical, dental, and vision

Relocation assistance

Weekly pay

Job summary

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

Join us as a Youth Development Specialist to lead life skills workshops, coach students, and help them reach ambitious weekly goals. This is a full-time, W2 role with day-one benefits and relocation support.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years of experience working directly with K-8 students in youth development programs, teaching, coaching, mentoring, or camp leadership.
• Bachelor's degree in any discipline.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-energy, one-hour life skills workshops for K-8 students, developing durable skills.
• Coach students individually and in small groups using analytics and motivation systems.

Skills

Youth development

Coaching

Public speaking

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

\"All of my students came back in the top 1% for growth and achievement on their MAP scores.\"

— Sam DePalo, Lead Guide, Alpha Fort Worth Texas

Alpha is hiring.

• $120,000/year W2 salary, paid weekly, plus day-one medical, dental, and vision benefits


• On-site at an Alpha campus in Bethesda, MD; Boca Raton, FL; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Greenwich, CT; Kirkland or Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Malibu, CA; Miami, FL; Miami Beach, FL; New York City, NY; Palm Beach, FL; San Francisco, CA; or Santa Barbara, CA (relocation support provided)

Most schools ask students to meet expectations. You'll teach them to exceed their own.

Every student has more in them than they believe. Most adults lower the bar when a student struggles. You do the opposite. You know confidence isn't built through praise. It's built by helping someone accomplish something they once thought was impossible. If you've ever refused to let a student, athlete, camper, or mentee quit on themselves, this is your kind of work.

Alpha has rebuilt school around a simple idea: AI is better at delivering academics, and exceptional humans are better at changing lives. Students complete core academics through adaptive AI-powered learning apps. Your job is to develop everything technology can't—discipline, resilience, communication, ownership, focus, and the belief that difficult things are worth doing. You won't spend your day delivering lessons or grading papers. You'll spend it coaching students through challenges, celebrating real progress, and helping them achieve goals they never thought they could reach.

About 60% of your week is spent leading energetic, one-hour life skills workshops on topics like public speaking, focus, leadership, and giving and receiving feedback. Around 30% is spent coaching students one-on-one or in small groups using Coachbot analytics to identify who needs encouragement, accountability, or a different approach. The remaining 10% is reviewing data, refining your coaching strategies, and preparing students for an even stronger week ahead. You'll start with proven workshop frameworks, then improve and expand them as you discover better ways to inspire students.

Success is objective. At least 90% of your students should consistently hit their weekly academic goals, demonstrate mastery of Alpha's life skills through Test2Pass assessments, and rate their experience with you at least 4 out of 5. Meet that standard consistently and you'll have a clear path to Lead Guide, coaching other Guides, and eventually Campus Lead, where you'll shape the culture and performance of an entire school.

What You Will Be Doing

• Leading high-energy, one-hour life skills workshops for K-8 students, developing communication, resilience, focus, leadership, and other durable skills while continuously improving the workshop experience.


• Coaching students individually and in small groups using Coachbot analytics, personalized accountability, and Alpha's motivation systems to help every student achieve ambitious weekly goals.


• Assessing life skill mastery through Test2Pass and providing targeted coaching until every student demonstrates genuine competence, not just participation.


• Adapting your coaching style across elementary and middle school students, knowing when a kindergartner needs movement and encouragement and when an eighth grader needs direct accountability.


• Analyzing weekly student performance data to identify patterns, remove obstacles, and continually improve outcomes for your entire cohort.

What You Won’t Be Doing

• Delivering traditional classroom instruction. AI handles academic teaching so you can focus on developing students.


• Grading homework, creating lesson plans, or preparing students for standardized tests.


• Watching students work silently on computers. Every day is active, interactive, and centered on coaching.


• Waiting for approvals before helping a struggling student. You have the autonomy to act quickly and do what's needed.


• Managing parent communication or administrative paperwork. Campus Leads own parent relationships so you can focus on students.

Youth Development Specialist Key Responsibilities

Build a cohort of students who consistently achieve ambitious academic goals, master essential life skills, and develop the confidence, resilience, and ownership to succeed long after they leave Alpha.

Basic Requirements

• At least 3 years of experience working directly with K-8 students through youth development programs, teaching, coaching, tutoring, mentoring, or camp leadership


• Willing to work in person at an Alpha campus in Bethesda, MD; Boca Raton, FL; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Greenwich, CT; Kirkland or Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Malibu, CA; Miami, FL; Miami Beach, FL; New York City, NY; Palm Beach, FL; San Francisco, CA; or Santa Barbara, CA (relocation support provided)


• Bachelor's degree in any discipline


• Ability to describe a specific example of motivating a student to achieve a difficult goal, including your approach and the outcome


• Excited to let AI deliver academics while you focus on coaching, motivation, and life skills development


• Authorized to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship

Nice-to-have Requirements

• Experience coaching youth sports, debate, theater, camps, after-school programs, or other performance-based activities


• Personal record of high achievement in academics, athletics, leadership, or another competitive field


• Strong stage presence and storytelling skills that can keep a room full of students engaged without relying on volume or discipline


• Demonstrated success helping disengaged, resistant, or struggling students become motivated, confident learners

About Alpha

Join the team building school around student growth

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

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.

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 $120,000 USD/year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.