Director of Participant Experience, California Workforce Programs

Full Time, Remote

Limited Service through December 2026, likely extension through December 2027*

The Director of CA HSFP will provide strategic and operational guidance for the implementation of CA Healthy School Food Pathway’s Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship programs.

About the Chef Ann Foundation

Founded in 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) believes that all children should have equal access to fresh, healthy, delicious food, providing them with the foundation to thrive and meet their true potential. We ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding, and support they need to provide cook-from-scratch meals that support the health of children and our planet. To date, we’ve reached over 16,000 schools and over 4.4 million children in all 50 states with our school food programming.

Job Description

The Director of Participant Experience oversees all aspects of participant engagement for Chef Ann Foundation’s Healthy School Food Pathway (HSFP) Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship programs in California. This role will work with both internal team members and manage external contractors to ensure key participant goals are met and a high-quality experience is provided to participants. The Director will work in a virtual environment to maintain oversight, management, and direction of HSFP participant engagement and successful participation outcomes, in addition to contributing to on-the-ground participant learning and events in collaboration with the CA HSFP Recruitment, District Support, and Operations teams.

The position resides on our Programs team and reports to the Senior Director of CA Workforce Programs. This individual is responsible for managing the two participant engagement verticals – Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship – each led by a Sr. Coordinator who supports a team of 2-3, in addition to outside contractors. 

About the Healthy School Food Pathway program: Chef Ann Foundation’s Healthy School Food Pathway (HSFP) program is a work-based learning experience that aims to prepare individuals for job opportunities in healthy, scratch-cook school food programs. Supporting workforce readiness and professional growth for new and incumbent school food operators, the pipeline from entry-level positions through management and culminating in school food leadership offers professionals the resources, hands-on training, and network to become confident leaders that have in-depth knowledge and experience in creating and running successful scratch-cook meal programs. Participating in the

Healthy School Food Pathway has a variety of benefits, including:

• A work-based learning opportunity available in English and Spanish, formalized with a clear path, clear delineation and objectives;
• Enhanced culinary and hospitality work-based learning opportunities;
• Paid experience in a new, mission-driven career pathway that provides good benefits and long-term security;
• Amplified career network and connections to some of the best thought-leaders in school food.

Key Responsibilities

• Brainstorm, deploy, and oversee participant engagement strategy for the HSFP Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship to meet programmatic goals;
• Manage participant support contractors, including participant employer of record;
• Work with the CA Workforce Programs team verticals to research, develop and maintain relationships with K-12 districts, community colleges, partner organizations, workforce development agencies, professional associations, and others to drive the successful completion and satisfaction of each Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship cohort;
• Lead the development and implementation of new program iterations and changes to program structure and key program components, as needed;
• Support program integration and partnership with the California Community College system as identified by the community college coalition;
• Attend in-person events, including program presentations, coalition meetings, and conferences to drive program promotion;
• Lead the implementation of the HSFP Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) in accordance with CA and program guidelines;
• Coordinate in-person participant learning and events in collaboration with the CA HSFP Recruitment, District Support, and Operations teams;
• Partner with CAF’s Technology team to develop and manage applicant tracking and other technology processes to streamline application, interview, onboarding, and participant monitoring efforts;
• Work with CAF’s Marketing team on any media opportunities related to the promotion of the HSFP program;
• Analyze key performance indicators and third-party evaluation reports to adjust program strategies and ensure continuous programmatic improvement;
• Oversee state and federal reporting requirements;
• Establish value-add components for the HSFP program that can help drive successful participant completion and satisfaction;
• Other duties as assigned within the scope of this position.

Position Requirements

• High School Diploma;
• 3-5 years’ experience in program planning, implementation, and management;
• Supervise team members and external contractors including hiring, training, workloads, schedules, goals, and deadlines;
• Knowledge of and experience with innovative participant engagement, case management, and/or instructional design strategies;
• Strong project management skills, including time management and clear communication;
• Ability to balance and prioritize competing timelines/deliverables;
• Ability to pivot and adjust strategy and approach quickly
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office and G Suite platforms, especially on Mac OS.; 
• Ability to work virtually, strong preference for those located in CA;
• Travel is expected to take up to 15% annually.**

Preferred Education, Training, and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree;
• Bilingual English/Spanish;
• Knowledge of and/or experience operating registered apprenticeship/workforce development programs;
• Knowledge of and/or work experience in school food;
• Strong proficiency in Salesforce, Zoom, and Adobe.

Essential Traits

• A passion for food systems and a strong interest in childhood health and wellness;
• Knowledge and experience in best practices, strategies, and trends for recruitment and participant engagement;
• Strategic mindset to develop overall strategies and analyze the performance of such strategies;
• Ability to maintain effective cross-sector communication;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Compensation

Compensation ranges between $79,806-$109,204 per year and will be commensurate with the candidate’s previous experience and credentials. The Chef Ann Foundation is a great place to work. It provides its staff with a competitive benefits package, including medical, pharmacy, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, group life insurance, accident insurance, critical illness insurance, hospital indemnity, 403(b) retirement plan with a match, holidays & paid time off. We are a fully remote national organization whose headquarters are located in Boulder, CO, with team members spread across the U.S. This position is remote with a strong preference for those based in California.

Posting will close on October 24, 2025.

Anticipated position start date is December 15, 2025.

*This position, and any continued employment thereafter, is expressly contingent upon the availability of funding for the position. CAF's obligation to employ and compensate is conditioned on: (a) the organization’s receipt of sufficient budgeted funds for the position for the applicable fiscal period and (b) Ongoing approval of such funding by the organization in its discretion, consistent with applicable law.

If, after employment begins, funding for the position is reduced, not renewed, or otherwise becomes unavailable, CAF may terminate employment effective on the later of (i) the date funding ceases or (ii) after providing at least 30 days' advance written notice, subject to any additional obligations under applicable law.        

**This job requires the individual to travel from one work location to another work location, and driving and a driver’s license may be required, except in rare situations where the geographic territory that the individual will cover has alternative forms of transportation that are readily available.

At the Chef Ann Foundation, our work to ensure access to fresh, healthy school food for all is built on the idea of equity. We support and celebrate differences; our team and community are stronger with every new voice. CAF is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.