Manager, Academy Programs

About the Organization

Tommy Nobis Center is one of Georgia’s largest nonprofit community rehabilitation providers, supporting youth and adults with disabilities through education and training designed to lead to employment. The organization values mission-driven work, accountability, innovation, integrity, and a positive workplace culture.

The Center has earned repeated workplace recognition, including being named among the Best & Brightest Companies to Work for in the Nation since 2020, Atlanta’s Best & Brightest Companies to Work for from 2017 through 2026, and Atlanta Top Workplaces from 2019 through 2022.

Role Overview

The Manager, Academy Program is a leadership role with responsibility for shaping, launching, improving, and running The Academy at Tommy Nobis Center. The Academy is an accelerated vocational training pathway for young adults with disabilities that begins in a classroom setting, moves into community-based internship experiences, and ultimately supports participants into employment with wraparound services to help them stay employed.

This position leads participant recruitment, coordinates with families, internal teams, community partners, and employers, and manages the staff supporting the Academy. It is a hands-on role focused on growth, outcomes, service quality, and smooth program delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Promote the Academy in the community and take ownership of participant recruitment to meet cohort-size goals.
• Oversee participant outcomes from acceptance through job placement and the transition into employment.
• Continuously refine the program curriculum, including career exploration, job readiness, interview preparation, and related content, based on results and program needs.
• Manage day-to-day Academy operations both on-site and in the community.
• Build and sustain a strong Academy culture, alumni network, and positive participant experience.
• Create and execute strategic plans that support future program growth.
• Keep admissions, Academy experiences, employment preparation, and employment outcomes aligned.
• Maintain strong working relationships with participants, parents, GVRA, educational partners, strategic partners, funding partners, and employers.
• Ensure instructors, support staff, and employment specialists complete participant case notes on time.
• Prepare and submit monthly participant status reports.
• Work with Finance and Accounting to make sure monthly billing is accurate and submitted on time.
• Lead, coach, and develop staff, including timecard review, payroll and mileage approval, and annual performance evaluations.
• Hire, train, coach, and schedule program staff so services are delivered at a high standard.
• Use Vertex to document and track services provided.
• Obtain service authorizations and keep complete reporting records for each participant receiving approved services, including demographic information needed for grants and development efforts.
• Maintain reliable records for data metrics and demographic tracking.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in education, special education, rehabilitation, sociology, behavioral sciences, business administration, or a related field.
• Three years of management experience preferred.
• Three years of change management experience, including leading teams through growth.
• Two years of business development experience focused on awareness-building and relationship expansion.
• Background in curriculum design and adaptation.
• Experience teaching or working with people with disabilities preferred.

Additional Requirements

• Mission-driven, values-aligned, and easy to work with.
• Strong customer-service mindset.
• Displays a hungry, humble, smart approach.
• Results-focused and able to meet deadlines.
• Highly organized and accurate in completing assignments.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be able to maintain confidentiality.
• Working knowledge of the Windows environment, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Basic familiarity with office equipment such as copiers and scanners.
• Must successfully pass a drug screening and background check.
• Must be legally eligible to work in the United States.

Preferred Experience

• Experience delivering job-readiness training.

Core Competencies

• Customer focus: maintains satisfaction for internal and external stakeholders, including students and parents.
• Attention to detail: consistently pursues accuracy and quality.
• Teamwork: encourages collaboration and shared commitment to goals.
• Coaching: develops staff through trust, healthy challenge, accountability, and alignment on results.
• Speaking: communicates ideas clearly in oral settings.
• Writing: communicates ideas clearly in written form.

Skills and Abilities

• Professional writing and documentation
• Data analysis and reporting
• Public speaking and presentations
• Program coordination
• Staff supervision and coaching
• Organization and workload management
• Computer proficiency
• Curriculum development
• Relationship management
• Service documentation and recordkeeping

Work Environment

This role includes travel to community partners and participant employment sites, along with time spent in a standard office setting. Reasonable accommodations may be made to support individuals with disabilities in performing the essential functions of the job. The organization emphasizes workplace safety, and employees are expected to complete all required safety training sessions and drills.

Important Notice

This job summary is not intended to include every task, duty, or responsibility connected to the position. Responsibilities may change at any time.