Program Manager

About The Simple Good: The Simple Good (TSG) is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers arts education and social-emotional learning (SEL) programming to more than 700 young people each year across 40 or more. Chicago neighborhoods, with a strong focus on expanding access on the South and West Sides. We partner with a range of schools and community organizations across the city to bring creative, identity-affirming programming to youth where they are. Our work is grounded in a simple belief: every young person has good inside them worth discovering, sharing, and capturing through art and reflection. We are looking for a Program Manager who shares that belief and can help us deliver it with excellence. Position Overview The Program Manager ensures the effective administration of TSG's programming, including quality assurance, assessment, reporting, and stakeholder engagement. This role supervises a team of Teaching Artists (TAs) and interns, manages relationships with key program partners, oversees program budgets, and leads curriculum development and quality improvement efforts. The Program Manager reports directly to the COO, and all Teaching Artists report to the Program Manager. This is a builder's role, not a coordinator's role. A Program Coordinator typically executes existing plans within a defined process. The Program Manager owns the process itself: designing how programs run, how budgets are structured and tracked, and how quality is measured, then improving those systems over time. If you are looking for a role where you follow a playbook someone else wrote, this is not it. If you want to write the playbook, own it, and be accountable for the results it produces, keep reading. What You Will Do Team Supervision and Development Recruit, onboard, coach, and support a team of Teaching Artists and interns, including field supervision for students from partner university programs. Lead site visits and performance evaluations on a regular cycle, and design professional development that helps TAs continually improve. Build a positive, collaborative team culture that supports strong TA retention. Model instruction and step in to teach or cover sessions as needed to prevent program cancellations. Program Management and Partner Relationships Serve as the primary relationship manager for TSG's key program partners. Coordinate program logistics from scheduling and site setup to field trips and final showcases. Communicate regularly with partners through reports, newsletters, and scheduled check-ins. Manage program budgets and resources, and identify cost-saving opportunities without sacrificing quality. Data, Reporting, and Quality Assurance Collect data across multiple touchpoints per program and lead pre- and post-assessment processes. Prepare clear, accurate reports on program outcomes for partners, funders, and TSG leadership. Use data to identify what is working and where programs need to improve. Support timely, accurate grant reporting in partnership with the development team. Curriculum and Proposal Development Design and refine arts-based SEL curricula tailored to the populations TSG serves, grounded in evidence-based practice and educational standards. Develop formative and summative assessments that measure real impact. Write program proposals and contribute to grant applications that grow TSG's reach and partnerships. Community and Events Co-lead TSG's Ambassador program, connecting volunteers to meaningful ways to support TSG's work. Recruit, train, and support volunteers for showcases and events, and help ensure showcases happen on schedule. Participate in TSG events and donor engagement moments, including supporter appreciation efforts. What Success Looks Like This role comes with clear, measurable goals rather than vague expectations. In the first year, a successful Program Manager will, among other things: Keep Teaching Artist hours accurate and submitted on time more than 95 percent of the time. Have TAs fully onboarded and ready by program start dates more than 90 percent of the time. Maintain TA and intern satisfaction (360-degree feedback) at 80 percent or higher. Achieve at least 60 percent partner retention and meet impact goals for at least 80 percent of programs. Submit program and grant reports on time and error-free more than 90 percent of the time. Host showcases and exhibitions on schedule more than 95 percent of the time. Who You Are You have experience managing people, programs, or both, ideally in youth development, arts education, or a related nonprofit setting. You can juggle multiple programs, deadlines, and stakeholders at once and still hit every deadline, because you know how to prioritize and sequence your own work rather than waiting to be told what comes next. You are a natural problem solver. When something breaks (a schedule conflict, a budget shortfall, a partner issue) you diagnose it and fix it rather than escalating and waiting for direction. You self-initiate. You do not need a task list handed to you; you see what a program, a budget, or a process needs and you build it. You are highly organized and comfortable owning a budget, making sound and resourceful decisions with limited funds, and tracking your own progress against goals and timelines. You can translate data into a clear story, whether you are writing a funder report or coaching a Teaching Artist. You build genuine relationships with partners, TAs, volunteers, and the young people TSG serves. You believe in the power of arts and SEL programming to help young people see, share, and build on the good already in them. Compensation and Schedule This is a full-time, in-person role based at TSG's Chicago office at 220 N Green St, with regular travel to program sites across the city. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. How to Apply Interested candidates should submit a resume and a cover letter to hi@thesimplegood.org. Your cover letter should go beyond a general statement of interest and speak directly to how you approach this kind of work, specifically: How you manage multiple programs and competing deadlines while still meeting prescribed timelines. An example of how you have solved a problem on your own, without waiting for direction, in a past role. How you stay organized when you are responsible for several moving pieces (people, budgets, programs) at the same time. Why you are drawn to a role where you build and own processes, budgets, and programs, rather than one where you execute a plan someone else has already set. The Simple Good is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. Pay: $60,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year Benefits: Flexible schedule Health insurance Paid time off Work Location: In person