Program Director, Surgical Services (Surgical Technology & Sterile Processing) - Stepful

About Stepful:

Stepful is a workforce platform redefining how America's largest health systems build, train, and retain their talent. Since 2021, Stepful has trained over 32,000 practice-ready healthcare workers.

Stepful partners with leading healthcare institutions to address the growing national shortage of healthcare workers, improving access to quality healthcare and career ladders for underserved populations. Our students form talent pipelines for major employers like NY-Presbyterian, Mt. Sinai, HCA, Providence, CVS, and Walgreens. We have partnerships with half of the top 10 health systems in the US.

Stepful is backed by Y Combinator, Reach Capital, and AlleyCorp, with a recent $55M Series C funding round. Stepful was named the #1 EdTech company in the U.S. by TIME for 2025.

Our values:

• Care first: We prioritize student success above all.
• Learn quickly: We iterate based on data-driven insights.
• Build together: Collaboration drives our success.
• Own it: Initiative and pride are key.

The opportunity:

We are seeking a Program Director to lead Stepful's Surgical Services programs — Surgical Technology and Sterile Processing. This is a high-impact, portfolio-level role focused on expanding access to surgical careers for working adults across the country.

The Program Director will oversee the full operational and quality lifecycle of both programs, including curriculum, skills lab and clinical operations, instructor team leadership, and enterprise client partnerships across 12+ healthcare employer partners in multiple states. Success is measured by student outcomes (certification pass rates, graduation rates, and job placement) and the quality of Stepful's relationships with clinical and employer partners.

This remote role requires occasional travel to employer partner clinical sites and reports to the Senior Director, Operations.

What you'll do:

Program Operations

• Manage day-to-day operations of both Surgical Technology and Sterile Processing programs across didactic, skills lab, and clinical education components.
• Ensure compliance with NCCT program approval and state regulatory standards by safeguarding key outcome thresholds: certification pass rates, graduation rates, and job placement.
• Conduct ongoing program evaluation and assessment, using data to drive continuous improvement.

Instructor Team Leadership

• Hire, onboard, and manage a team of full-time staff and contractor/adjunct instructors.
• Set quality and performance standards, lead performance calibration, and ensure instructional consistency.
• Coach and develop team members, fostering accountability and shared ownership of student outcomes.

Enterprise Partnerships & Clinical Operations

• Serve as the primary point of contact for healthcare employer partners across multiple states.
• Lead client site visits and clinical skills calibration to ensure graduates are practice-ready.
• Partner with Stepful's enterprise team to support program expansion and onboarding of new employer partners.

Curriculum & Student Success

• Collaborate with internal curriculum teams to continuously review and strengthen content, aligning with industry standards and employer expectations.
• Oversee student progress, academic advising, and program completion support.
• Experiment with AI tools and other technologies to improve program workflows, reporting, and student outcomes.

What you'll bring:

• 3+ years of experience teaching surgical technology, including course delivery, assessment, and student support.
• Active NBSTSA Certified Surgical Technologist or NCCT TS-C certification.
• 5+ years of clinical or operational experience in surgical technology, sterile processing, or related surgical services.
• 2+ years of experience in healthcare education, training program administration, or clinical operations with instructional oversight.
• Experience managing or leading a team, including contractors or adjunct instructors.
• Experience working with enterprise clients, clinical sites, or healthcare employer partners.
• Strong cross-functional skills and comfort working with instructors, students, clinical partners, and internal teams.
• Comfort in a fast-growing organization with evolving priorities.

Bonus points if:

• You have experience in EdTech or online/hybrid healthcare training environments.
• You've participated in NCCT program reviews, accreditation processes, or state authorization compliance activities.
• You hold dual certification across both surgical technology and sterile processing.

Interview Process:

• Introductory call with Talent Acquisition team member.
• Interview with Hiring Manager.
• Take-Home Assignment.
• Virtual Panel Assignment Review.
• Virtual Team Interviews.

Benefits and Compensation:

• Meaningful Equity Stake.
• Subsidized Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance.
• 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.