The Organization: Merit America
The American economy is broken. Today, 53 million working adults–nearly half of the U.S. workforce–do not earn a living wage. These talented workers have few options to advance: college is too long and expensive, full-time boot camp programs don’t offer enough flexibility, and online courses don’t have the structure or support to translate learning into a new career. The result? Talented workers, disproportionately people of color and women, get stuck in low-wage roles with no way to build a better life for themselves and their families.
Merit America is a national nonprofit that creates pathways to family-sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low-wage work. Our fast, flexible solutions are built for working adults: We start by analyzing tens of millions of job postings to identify in-demand, high-paying tech careers and then work with industry-recognized partners to train for these roles with part-time programs that combine flexible online learning with best-in-class coaching. Finally, we support our learners in their job search, helping them connect with a broad constellation of local and national employers such as JPMorgan Chase and Infosys to land higher-earning, family-sustaining jobs. Merit America is on a mission to build a scalable pathway for workers to join the middle class through merit, not money. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve generated a projected $1 billion in near-term wage gains for our learners.
Role overview:
Merit America is seeking a Product & Systems Manager to take ownership for how core systems behave as programs evolve, ensuring that decisions are translated into reliable, coordinated system behavior. This role ensures that workflows function reliably end-to-end, data is captured accurately, and changes to the program are reflected cleanly in the tools that teams use every day.
Merit America operates across a small number of interconnected platforms that support admissions, coaching, learning, and evaluation. As programs evolve, this role is responsible for turning decisions into working systems, maintaining clear ownership boundaries, and ensuring execution stays aligned with capacity and priorities.
This is a hands-on role focused on execution, clarity, and follow-through. The Product & Systems Manager reports to the Head of Data & Technology and works closely with leaders across Growth, Programs, Operations, College, and Engineering.
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Product & Systems Manager will include, but are not limited to, the following:
Own end-to-end workflows across systems- Develop a deep understanding of learner and staff workflows from start to finish across tools and teams
- Identify breakdowns, duplication, and manual effort caused by system boundaries or unclear ownership
- Propose improvements that increase reliability and reduce operational friction
Translate decisions into executable work
- Partner with functional leaders to understand new initiatives, program changes, and operational needs
- Surface technical, data, and process implications early
- Help shape work so it is staged appropriately, aligned with current capacity, and realistic to deliver
- Help define which systems are responsible for which functions at a given point in time, and what assumptions must be true before responsibilities shift
- Document dependencies and tradeoffs so teams can move forward with shared understanding and fewer surprises
Support delivery and alignment
- Work closely with engineers, data team members, and external partners to keep work moving
- Track dependencies, flag risks, and surface decisions that require alignment
- Ensure completed work aligns with original intent and downstream reporting and evaluation needs
Skills and Competencies
We recognize that some individuals from underrepresented backgrounds may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet 100% of the listed qualifications. Please don’t let that discourage you from applying! We value the unique skills, experiences, and perspectives that each applicant brings, and we encourage you to apply if you believe your background demonstrates the required skills and competencies:
Must Haves for all roles at Merit America:
- Committed to Merit America’s mission to pave pathways to family-sustaining careers, break the poverty cycle, and create upward mobility for low-wage workers
- Demonstrated history of embodying our values, which inform our work and drive our organization's culture
- Shared sense of responsibility and ownership for our collective work in making a positive impact on the community we support, true to our value of Win & Lose Together
- Committed to continuous learning and growth in advancing inclusive excellence and closing gaps across lines of difference
- Passionate about fostering a workplace culture that embraces and values individual differences, aligned with our core value of inclusivity
Must Haves
Systems & Cross-Functional Coordination
- Experience owning or coordinating complex work across multiple systems or teams, with the ability to map end-to-end workflows and identify where things break down
- Clear, practical communication with both technical and non-technical partners
Strategic Thinking & Judgment
- Strong judgment about tradeoffs, sequencing, and prioritization under constraint
- Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity and introduce clarity without heavy process
- Experience translating business/program needs into technical requirements and actionable work
Execution & Technical Aptitude
- Ability to work directly with engineers, data teams, and external partners to drive delivery
- Technical fluency sufficient to work credibly alongside engineers and evaluate feasibility of proposed solutions
- Hands-on experience with AI productivity tools (e.g. Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot) applied to real product and systems work
Nice to Haves
- Experience working with operational platforms such as CRMs, LMSs, or similar internal tools
- Familiarity with data and reporting systems and how operational data is used downstream
- Experience in education, workforce development, or mission-driven organizations
Other Logistics
- This position is full-time: 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
- Location: Remote
- Salary: $147,150
Our goal is to have competitive and equitable compensation. We have a market-based compensation approach, which means we benchmark each role from reputable data sources. We compare our benchmarks against similarly sized non-profit organizations with comparable annual budgets and geographical areas. We pay the same rate for the same roles and adjust to comply with statutory mandates.
We take care of our employees by providing the following perks and benefits (please note that some of the benefits do not apply to temporary employees):
- Medical, Dental and Vision insurance (100% Paid Employee Only Coverage)
- Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account
- Dependent care Flexible Spending Account
- Health Reimbursement Account fully funded by Merit
- Education & personal development reimbursement
- Catalog of courses for professional learning and development
- Short and long-term disability
- Unlimited vacation (after a 90-day introductory period)
- Paid Parental Leave and Adoption benefits (after 1 year of employment)
- 11 federally recognized holidays
- 2 week holiday office closure in December/January
- 401(k) retirement plan with automatic Merit contribution
- Wellness Benefits/Wellness Resources
- Discount perks at work program
- Phone/technology stipend
- Home office setup stipend
- Affinity groups and community building via virtual, in-person, and/or regional meetups
*Eligibility for some benefits may vary based on employment status, full-time or part-time. Eligibility will be outlined during the hiring process.
Remote Work & Sponsorship
Candidates must reside within the 50 states or District of Columbia and have full authorization to work in the 50 U.S. states & the District of Columbia (international work abroad, including the U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and other islands are excluded). In addition, Merit America doesn't offer employment visa sponsorship.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Building an inclusive, high-performing team that is diverse across lines of personal identity is integral to our success and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
This means we do not discriminate against any job applicant or employee because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment.
We actively strive and evolve to develop and maintain workspaces that are fully inclusive. We encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.
Still excited about our work? You can learn more about our work in this video we made with our founding partner, Google.
Fair Chance Ordinance
Applicants who have arrest or conviction records and are in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County will be considered in accordance with the state’s fair chance ordinance law. Employment under the ordinance includes part-time work, seasonal work, contract work, contingent work, work on commission, and work through the services of a temporary or employment agency.
E-Verify Statement
This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the I-9 Form.
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