Overview
Director of Learning Experiences Jobs in Columbus at Columbus Fashion Alliance
About Columbus Fashion Alliance
Columbus Fashion Alliance (CFA) is a fast-growing nonprofit on a mission to move fashion forward—by investing in people, creativity, and equitable access to opportunity. With the launch of THE LOOM, our 43,000 sq ft Fashion Innovation Center, CFA is building workforce development pipelines, circular production systems, and entrepreneurial pathways for the next generation of fashion talent in Columbus.
Through initiatives like RE/WORK, CFA is developing scalable circular manufacturing capacity while creating education and career pathways that connect aspiring talent to real opportunity.
We are entering a critical growth phase — and programming is central to that expansion.
Position Overview
This isn’t a traditional program management role—it’s an opportunity to architect something. CFA is seeking a Director of Learning Experiences & Pathways to design, launch, manage, and measure the full portfolio of CFA’s education, entrepreneurship, and workforce development programs.
This is a cross-functional leadership role connecting:
- Workforce development and industry-aligned training
- Youth education and post-secondary pathways
- Emerging brand and entrepreneur support
- Circular production programming (RE/WORK)
- Grant strategy and funder relationships
- Community and industry partnerships
This leader will translate mission into programs — building initiatives that are educationally rigorous, community-centered, fundable, and measurable.
Core Responsibilities
1. Make, Manage & Measure Programs Across Three Pillars
Lead programming strategy and execution across:
- Education — Youth-facing programs with clear pathways to post-secondary education in fashion design, production, business, and adjacent tracks (marketing, photography, tech)
- Entrepreneurship — Resources, networks, and experiential support for aspiring and emerging and growing brands
- Workforce Development — Industry-aligned training and career pathway programs, including the RE/WORK circular production pilot
Design programs with a lifecycle mindset: launch → iterate → scale → sustain.
2. Architect New & Fundable Programs
This role is both visionary and operational. Responsibilities include:
- Identifying programming gaps and community needs
- Designing programs that align with CFA’s mission and are attractive to public and private funders
- Writing or contributing to grant proposals and reports
- Building program logic models, outcomes frameworks, and evaluation plans
- Aligning program design with available grant categories (workforce development, youth education, circular economy, BIPOC entrepreneurship, etc.)
- Partnering with the Executive Director on funding strategy
Guard against programs that are underfunded, unmeasured, or misaligned with mission.
3. Collaborate on the RE/WORK Workforce Development Pilot
Work directly with the Production Director and Creative Director of Merchandising to:
- Work with Production Manager to manage the workforce training curriculum tied to RE/WORK’s circular production model
- Recruit, support, and track program participants
- Issue industry-recognized credentials or certifications to program participants
- Document and evaluate the pilot for replication and funder reporting
- Build employer and industry partnerships that create job placement pipelines
This role bridges program design with micro-factory execution.
4. Build Youth Education & Post-Secondary Pathways (Future of Fashion & Fashion Club)
- Develop and manage youth-facing programs at THE LOOM (after-school, summer, workshops)
- Build partnerships with Columbus City Schools, CCAD, Columbus State, and other post-secondary institutions
- Create clear progression pathways: awareness → skills → education → career
- Design programming that introduces fashion, design, production, and business as viable career tracks
- Identify and address barriers to access and participation
5. Support Emerging Brands & Aspiring Entrepreneurs (Launch Lab)
Design and manage programming that gives early-stage fashion and creative entrepreneurs access to:
- Business development education (business planning, pricing, legal basics)
- Pitch competition preparation and coaching
- Network access (industry professionals, investors, retail buyers)
- Professional services connections (marketing, photography, IP attorneys, brand strategy)
- Exposure opportunities (pop-ups, showcases, press)
- Peer cohort and mentorship structures
6. Build & Steward Partnerships
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with workforce development funders, foundations, and government agencies
- Develop partnerships with industry professionals, corporations, and service providers willing to support programming
- Represent CFA in workforce development, education, and entrepreneurship ecosystems across Columbus and beyond
- Build advisory networks and mentor pools to enrich programming
7. Measure What Matters
- Establish clear KPIs and outcomes for each program
- Build data collection systems and reporting cadences
- Track participant demographics, completion rates, credentials earned, credits awarded, certifications achieved, job placements, business launches, and other impact metrics
- Produce funder-ready impact reports
- Use data to continuously improve program design and delivery
- Manage CFA’s program budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources
8. Manage Program Staff
- Program contractors
- Ready to Work – Retail
- Ready to Work – DTG
- Launch Lab
- Re/Work
- Future of Fashion
- Fashion Club Lab
Qualifications
Required
- 5+ years experience in program development, management, or workforce development
- Demonstrated ability to design and launch programs from concept to execution
- Experience building or contributing to grant-funded programs
- Strong knowledge of outcomes measurement and program evaluation
- Excellent relationship-building and partnership development skills
- Experience working with youth, adult learners, or entrepreneurs
Preferred
- Experience in fashion, creative industries, or adjacent sectors
- Familiarity with workforce development funding landscape (DOL, WIOA, foundations, corporate grants)
- Experience in nonprofit or social enterprise settings
- Familiarity with circular economy, sustainable production, or manufacturing workforce training
- Experience designing entrepreneurship support programs or accelerators
Ideal Candidate Profile
- Systems thinker who can also execute at the detail level
- Understands both community impact and funder expectations
- Comfortable moving from program concept to logic model to launch plan
- Relationship-driven with the ability to open doors and hold them open
- Energized by building in early-stage, fast-moving environments
- Believes in the power of fashion and creative industries as economic mobility vehicles
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary: Will be discussed and based on experience
- Health insurance and paid time off provided
- Growth opportunity tied to expansion of CFA’s programming and revenue model
Why Join CFA?
This is a rare opportunity to shape a city’s fashion ecosystem from the inside.
You will help build:
- Workforce pipelines into the circular fashion economy
- Youth pathways to post-secondary education and careers in fashion
- Entrepreneurship infrastructure for the next generation of Columbus designers and brand builders
- Fundable, scalable programs that sustain a nonprofit innovation center
This is not a traditional program director role — it is an opportunity to architect education, economic mobility, and industry transformation through programming.
To Apply
Please submit the following via email to [email protected]:
- Resume
- Cover letter explaining your interest in the role and why you are the best candidate
Pay: From $85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply
Work Location: In person
Title: Director of Learning Experiences
Company: Columbus Fashion Alliance
Location: Columbus
