Director, Healthcare Strategy & Operations

Stepful
US
RemoteCareer-pivot friendly

Why this role

Pace
Fast Paced
The role demands a fast-paced environment, as evidenced by the need to develop and execute innovative initiatives to accelerate student enrollment and retention, while also scaling programs to support rapid growth.
Collaboration
High
Collaboration is a cornerstone of the role, with the Director required to work cross-functionally with teams including Curriculum, Product, Policy, Sales, and Customer Success, ensuring a cohesive approach to program delivery and regulatory compliance.
Autonomy
High
This position offers a high degree of autonomy, as the Director is responsible for owning the end-to-end program delivery and leading a team of Program Directors, instructors, and coordinators, with the freedom to experiment and iterate based on data.
Decision Impact
Company
Decisions made in this role have significant impact, as they directly influence the success of Stepful's nursing and respiratory programs, affecting student outcomes and the company's overall growth trajectory.
Role Level
Manager
The complexity of the role is high, requiring a deep understanding of healthcare training programs, regulatory requirements, and the ability to manage a diverse team while driving innovation and growth.
Career Pivot Friendly
Welcomes transferable skills
Individuals with experience in operational roles at high-growth startups, particularly those with a background in healthcare or EdTech, would find this role a natural progression, as they can leverage their expertise in scaling programs and delivering measurable outcomes.

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Own the end to end program delivery of nursing programs
  • Develop and execute innovative initiatives to accelerate enrollment, retention, and scale
  • Lead the integration of an acquired nursing college
  • Collaborate with various teams to meet regulatory and accreditation standards
Typical background
Operational experience in a high growth startupExperience in healthcare or EdTechLeadership experience in a healthcare or educational setting

Transferable backgrounds

  • Coming from Operations Manager at a high-growth EdTech startup
    program management · team leadership
    An Operations Manager's experience in managing and scaling educational programs and leading teams aligns well with the Director's responsibilities at Stepful.
  • Coming from Healthcare Consultant
    regulatory compliance · strategic planning
    A Healthcare Consultant's understanding of regulatory requirements and strategic planning in healthcare settings can be directly applied to ensuring Stepful's programs meet regulatory standards and support growth.

Skills & requirements

Required

Passionate About Helping Students Change Their Lives Through Access To EducationHighly AnalyticalExcellent Communication SkillsExpert CollaboratorWilling To Do Whatever It Takes To Get The Job Done SuccessfullyLearn Quickly Through Experimentation7+ Years Of Experience In An Operational Role At A High Growth Startup

Preferred

Worked In Healthcare Or EdtechLed A Team Of Clinicians, Program Directors Or InstructorsExperience In Remote Educational Delivery

Stack & domain

LeadershipCommunicationHealthcare

About the role

The Director of Healthcare Strategy & Operations at Stepful is tasked with overseeing the expansion and optimization of healthcare training programs, particularly in nursing, ensuring they meet regulatory standards and deliver exceptional student outcomes, ideal for someone passionate about educational innovation and scalable operations.

Original posting from Stepful via Ashby

About Stepful:

Stepful is reimagining allied healthcare training by offering affordable, online, instructor-led, and AI-supported programs that help learners—regardless of background or circumstance—launch high-demand healthcare careers.

In addition to our direct-to-consumer training, Stepful partners with leading healthcare institutions to address the growing national shortage of healthcare workers. Our graduates, including Medical Assistants, Pharmacy Technicians, Nurses, and more, form the talent pipelines at major employers like CVS, NY-Presbyterian, HCA, Providence, and Walgreens.

Stepful is backed by Y Combinator, Reach Capital, and AlleyCorp, with a recent $31.5M Series B led by Oak HC/FT https://www.stepful.com/post/stepful-announces-series-b. We were named the #1 EdTech company in the U.S. by TIME for 2025 https://www.stepful.com/post/stepful-named-1-edtech-company-in-us-top-10-globally-times-2025-list.

We’re improving access to quality healthcare for everyone, everywhere, and improving access to healthcare careers for those who need them most

Our values:

We credit much of our success to our exceptional team. We’re looking for mission-driven builders who thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments, and embody our four core values:

  • Care first: We do whatever it takes for our students to succeed.
  • Learn quickly: We test, learn with data, and iterate.
  • Build together: We win when we rely on each other.
  • Own it: We show up, take initiative, and show pride.

The opportunity:

As the Director of Healthcare Strategy & Operations, you will be responsible for building, maintaining and scaling our nursing and respiratory programs. You will become a subject-matter expert and experiment with solutions that can support 10x growth in active students. You will work cross-functionally with Product, Sales, Customer Success, and Operations to advance a key pillar of Stepful's growth story, and will oversee a team of Program Directors, instructors, and coordinators.

This role is ideal for a strong operator who is passionate about expanding access to healthcare careers and delivering measurable student outcomes.

This role reports to the Vice President, Learning, is New York-based, and involves bi-monthly travel to Missouri.

What you’ll do:

  • Own the end to end program delivery of our nursing programs, with the opportunity to expand to other degree-granting programs
  • Develop and execute innovative initiatives and experiments to accelerate nursing enrollment, student retention, and program scale
  • Lead the in-person operations and integration of an acquired nursing college, with a lens towards expanding remote and online delivery
  • Collaborate regularly with our Curriculum, Product, Policy, Sales, and Customer Success teams to meet the high bar of regulators and accreditors, provide an exceptional student experience, and deliver impactful results for our healthcare provider clients.

What you’ll bring:

  • You are passionate about helping students change their lives through access to education
  • You thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment
  • You are highly analytical, taking a structured approach to breaking down complex problems
  • You have excellent communication skills that reflect in clear and concise writing and presenting
  • You are an expert collaborator who is able to lead through influence and coordinate diverse stakeholders at various levels
  • You are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done successfully and maintain a high bar for execution
  • You learn quickly through experimentation
  • You have 7+ years of experience, including in an operational role at a high growth startup

Bonus points if:

  • You worked in healthcare or EdTech
  • You’ve led a team of clinicians, program directors or instructors
  • You have experience in remote educational delivery (online teaching, virtual simulations, virtual reality etc.)

Interview Process:

  • Introductory call with Talent Acquisition team member
  • Interview with Hiring Manager
  • Take-Home Assignment
  • Virtual Panel Interview
  • On-Site Panel Interview

Benefits and Compensation:

  • Meaningful Equity Stake
  • Subsidized Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plan options
  • 401(k)
  • FSA, HSA and commuter benefits
  • Learning stipend
  • Open vacation policy, including:
  • Guidance of 15 days PTO annually
  • Stepful closed the last week of December
  • 15 work-from-anywhere days
  • 10 public holidays observed for 2026

The target base salary range for this opportunity is $180,000 - $210,000, and is part of a competitive total rewards package including equity and benefits. Individual pay may vary from the target range and is determined by a number of factors including experience, internal pay equity and other relevant business considerations.

Stepful is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

Source: Stepful careers (Ashby)

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