Accelerator Program Manager, Founders School - $250,000/year USD

Coach young founders, not curriculum.

Most assume high school exists to prepare students for what comes next. We believe what comes next begins today. Founders School is a four-year institution built for students who won't wait until graduation to create something of real value. These students aren't working through mock business plans. They're launching actual companies, collaborating with experienced entrepreneurs, mastering artificial intelligence, and tackling challenges that carry real weight. Our mission is bold because our students are bold: launch a million-dollar venture, uncover problems that demand solving, and achieve AI fluency ahead of most adults. Your job is to make that boldness endure.

You won't stand at the front of a classroom or instruct students on managing their ventures. You'll guide a cohort of teenage entrepreneurs every day, keeping them accountable, helping them navigate failure, and ensuring they continue forward when the difficulty of building a business sets in. You'll recognize when to push them, when to support them, and when to introduce them to the appropriate mentor or tool. The curriculum, Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and founder ecosystem deliver the technical startup knowledge. You deliver the structure, expectations, and drive that convert promise into performance.

This is also a chance to contribute to building an institution from inception. As part of our founding team in New York City, you'll influence the culture, systems, and everyday rhythm of a school built to transform what high school can achieve. The contributions you make won't only affect a single class of students. They will inform the model for every Founders School location that opens afterward. If you're motivated by entrepreneurial environments, trust that exceptional standards yield exceptional results, and want to dedicate your effort to cultivating the next wave of founders, we want to hear from you.

What You Will Be Doing

• Guide and inspire a group of student entrepreneurs through weekly one-on-one sessions, daily progress reviews, and team standups that sustain measurable advancement.
• Maintain an exceptionally high standard for execution while delivering the guidance and accountability students require to push through challenges and continue building.
• Track student advancement using FounderOS, recognize when students encounter roadblocks, and link them with mentors, Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, or resources that speed their development.
• Contribute to shaping the culture, rituals, workshops, events, and operational cadence of a top-tier entrepreneurial high school.
• Accompany students on trips multiple times annually while cultivating enduring relationships with founders, investors, operators, and entrepreneurial families.

What You Won’t Be Doing

• Serving as the lead startup advisor or crafting business strategies for students. FounderOS, Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and guest mentors handle that responsibility.
• Delivering conventional academic instruction or evaluating coursework.
• Tolerating mediocre effort from students with the capacity for outstanding work.
• Leading workshops beyond your domain of expertise or depending on generic entrepreneurial guidance.
• Operating within a rigid institutional framework where red tape obstructs meaningful student progress.

Accelerator Program Manager Key Responsibilities

Build an environment where every student continuously develops as an entrepreneur by integrating outstanding coaching, rigorous accountability, strategic connections, and a culture that transforms ambitious adolescents into effective founders.

Basic Requirements

• At least 3 years of leadership or high-impact experience within a startup or high-growth business.
• Strong business judgment and the ability to confidently engage with early-stage founders while knowing when to involve subject matter experts.
• Proven ability to coach, motivate, and hold high-performing individuals accountable.
• Daily, hands-on experience using AI to improve the quality and speed of your work.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with students, families, mentors, and founders.
• Willingness to work full-time on-site in New York City, with occasional travel throughout the year.
• Authorization to work in the United States.

Nice-to-have Requirements

• Founded or co-founded a business.
• Experience coaching, mentoring, or leading programs for teenagers or young adults.
• An established network of founders, investors, operators, or mentors.
• Experience in early-stage startups where you regularly operated across multiple functions.

About Founders School

Founders School is a four-year high school built for ambitious students who want to create, build, and solve meaningful problems. The program combines Alpha School's elite academics, real-world experience, and mentorship from world-class entrepreneurs around three commitments to every student: Build a million-dollar business. Identify problems in the world worth solving. Master AI before adults do.

This is a place for people who'd rather build the thing than manage the thing. We're hiring the founding team that builds the dream high school for the most entrepreneurial and ambitious students in the country. Launching in NYC Fall 2026.

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 (40 hours per week), long-term position. The position is immediately available and requires entering into an independent contractor agreement with Crossover as a Contractor of Record. The compensation level for this role is $125 USD/hour, which equates to $250,000 USD/year assuming 40 hours per week and 50 weeks per year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.

Crossover Job Code: LJ-5825-US-Paterson-AcceleratorPro