Senior Program Manager Tech Workforce

About the Organization

The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) is a social enterprise driving economic prosperity in rural America through entrepreneurship and tech job creation. Focused on the 500 U.S. micropolitan communities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000, our Rural Innovation Network spans 40 regions across 25 states. At CORI, we believe rural America can lead in the innovation economy. Our 35-person team works alongside local leaders to build thriving, tech-enabled ecosystems, combining community strategy, research, and talent development with the CORI Innovation Fund, our venture arm investing in scalable rural startups. Together, our programs and capital create a powerful model for unlocking innovation and inclusive growth across rural America.

The Opportunity

The Program Division is dedicated to serving and expanding the Rural Innovation Network, ensuring rural America thrives in the tech and AI era. Our work enables learners, leaders, and founders to access equitable pathways to skills and quality jobs, and build venture-ready startups.

Our north star is a more inclusive and resilient tech economy—one where rural people benefit from the economy of the future. The Program Division will play a vital role in advancing CORI’s strategic goals: Growing the Rural Innovation Network while deepening engagement and peer connections; Accelerating the startup pipeline by expanding innovation spaces, founder support, and access to capital; and Leading AI skilling in rural America. We will achieve these goals by accelerating our delivery model through better use of technology, AI, and data to deliver greater value and impact for the communities we serve.

Requirements

Reporting to the Director of Tech Workforce, the Senior Program Manager, Tech Workforce leads the design and delivery of CORI’s tech and AI skilling initiatives that build inclusive pathways into digital careers and strengthen local workforce ecosystems.

This role develops and implements programs that prepare rural learners for in-demand digital and AI-enabled careers, ranging from software and data roles to design, IT, and emerging technology fields. Working closely with local partners, including community colleges, workforce boards, training providers, and regional employers, the Senior Program Manager helps communities design and launch workforce initiatives that align with both local and national industry needs.

By embedding AI literacy and emerging technology skills into every level of programming, this role expands equitable access to digital careers and fuels the broader growth of rural tech ecosystems, creating a pipeline of talent that supports venture-backed startups and positions communities to grow and scale thriving local economies.

Success in this role is measured by increased access to and participation in tech training, measurable employment outcomes, and strengthened community capacity to attract and retain quality jobs in the digital economy.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Program Delivery and Implementation (60%)

• Lead the implementation of CORI’s tech and AI skilling initiatives, ensuring high-quality delivery and strong community engagement.
• Design, implement, and evaluate programs that prepare rural learners for quality tech careers and leadership opportunities.
• Manage timelines, budgets, and outcomes for workforce initiatives, ensuring on-time, high-quality execution.
• Provide subject-matter expertise and strategic guidance to communities developing local tech workforce strategies.
• Facilitate workshops, trainings, and peer-learning events for community leaders, workforce partners, and employers.
• Build relationships with stakeholders and manage day-to-day partner communication.
• Integrate AI tools and practices into program delivery and learning systems to enhance participant experience and impact.
• Apply an equity lens to ensure programs expand access for women, BIPOC, Latinx, and other underrepresented rural learners.
• Support communities in developing and operating Innovation Hubs and workforce-related spaces that connect learners and employers.
• Operate the Rural Tech Collective platform end-to-end (content, partnerships, engagement) to connect rural learners and employers across the Network..

Employer and Partner Engagement (20%)

• Support local partners, such as workforce boards, higher education institutions, and community-based organizations, in developing and managing partnerships with regional employers to expand work-based learning and job opportunities.
• Help communities establish sustainable structures, such as employer councils, sector partnerships, or regional tech collaboratives, that organize local employers around shared workforce goals and ensure ongoing alignment between training and job demand.
• Provide coaching, templates, and facilitation to help communities design sustainable employer engagement strategies that respond to local labor market needs.
• Serve as a connector between local ecosystems and CORI’s national network of employers, funders, and training partners where relevant.
• Collaborate with employers to inform curriculum design, identify in-demand roles, and align programs with hiring pipelines.
• Represent CORI at regional and national events to elevate rural workforce innovation and AI skilling.

Program Management and Continuous Improvement ( 20%)

• Lead program evaluation and improvement efforts using data on enrollment, completion, and job placement outcomes.
• Partner with the Data Analytics team to assess program impact and identify opportunities for refinement.
• Document and scale successful workforce and AI-skilling models across the Network in partnership with the Manager, Community Learning & Engagement.
• Coordinate cross-team collaboration to integrate innovation practices into program delivery.
• Contribute to proposal development and funder alignment efforts to expand proven workforce models.
• Support the Director of Tech Workforce in piloting new offerings and partnerships that extend CORI’s reach and strengthen the rural tech workforce ecosystems.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal qualities, skills and characteristics:

Skills & Experience

• 5–10 years of relevant experience in workforce development, higher education, or tech-skilling program design and delivery.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-sector partnerships with employers and educators.
• Expertise in program and curriculum design, implementation, and evaluation.
• Strong facilitation and client-engagement skills, with comfort leading workshops and presentations.
• Familiarity with AI tools and the ability to integrate them into workforce programs.
• Experience in inclusive workforce strategies supporting underrepresented learners.
• Strong project management, partner relationship, and data analysis skills.

Personal Qualities

• Passionate about rural economic development and innovation.
• Collaborative, solutions-oriented, and proactive.
• Empathetic relationship-builder who thrives in cross-sector environments.
• Adaptive problem solver and continuous learner.
• Strong communicator and mentor who supports colleagues and community partners to succeed.

Location

This role is fully remote, but will require travel 40-50% of the time to rural communities across the United States and/or 3-4 times a year for in-person staff / team meetings.

Benefits

• Competitive salary - $100,000 - $119,000 - DOE
• Annual professional development allowance
• Employer paid dental, vision, life and short-term disability insurance
• 5% employer matched 401k after 90 days
• Home office set-up allowance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Fifteen days accrued PTO, plus eight floating holidays