Director of Experiential Learning – JA Finance Park Pop-Up Miami

Impact

About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. By bridging the business and education communities with hands-on experiential programs focused on business, entrepreneurship, civic responsibility, career-readiness, and financial literacy, JA aims to achieve the following overarching goals:
• To motivate, engage and inspire students to recognize the value and relevance of education, and to make informed decisions about their own personal education and career pathways.
• To equip students with the key career-readiness skills that will drive success in any environment, and to invigorate innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial thinking among our youth.
• To develop a financially literate generation who understands key business principles and makes responsible personal financial management decisions.
• To increase student understanding and appreciation of their civic rights, roles, and responsibilities.

JA of Greater Miami is the local affiliate of JA USA, the nation’s oldest and largest economic education organization with more than 100 years of experience. More information can be found on our website:
Boundless Futures through Education | Junior Achievement of Greater Miami

Primary Responsibilities:

Position Summary
The Director of Experiential Learning provides strategic leadership for the launch, implementation, and long-term sustainability of JA Finance Park Pop-Up Miami. The role oversees program vision, strategy, cross-district partnerships, curriculum alignment, partner engagement, volunteer strategy, data evaluation, and overall constituent experience for the capstone simulation – ensuring the program is positioned for excellence and future expansion.

As the senior leader of the Finance Park team, the Director establishes the operational framework and quality standards that guide daily execution, while empowering the Manager and Associate to lead the day-to-day operations. This role is ideal for a strategic, hands-on leader who excels at building systems from the ground up, driving continuous improvement, and aligning stakeholders around a shared vision.
The Director collaborates closely with JA Miami’s senior leadership team and works cross-functionally to ensure alignment, readiness, and a consistent high-quality experience for students, educators, volunteers, and partners.

Program Leadership & Strategy
• Lead the strategic design, development, and launch of the JA Finance Park Pop-Up experience, ensuring alignment with JA curriculum, compliance with JA USA requirements, experiential learning best practices, and Miami-Dade school needs.
• Develop annual program goals, benchmarks, and operational plans for the pilot year (FY26-27) and future expansion in subsequent years.
• Establish the operational framework and quality standards (SOPs) for safety, logistics, volunteer engagement, and program quality.
• Oversee high-level scheduling strategy, capacity planning, and resource allocation to maximize student impact.
• Represent JA in the community, cultivating relationships with school leaders, district partners, donors, companies, and community partners.
• Provide strategic oversight of facility and technology readiness, emergency procedures, and contingency plans.
• Ensure strong safety and security through clear safety protocols, emergency procedures, and risk‑management systems.
Program Operations & Quality
• Provide strategic oversight of daily simulation operations, ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience for students, educators, and volunteers.
• Ensure operational systems and readiness plans are in place for effective daily setup and logistics.
• Monitor operational readiness, ensuring maintenance, technology, and logistics processes support program quality.
• Lead data collection, program evaluation, and reporting to measure impact and drive continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with JA USA and other JA Areas to align with national best practices and innovation trends.
• Oversee planning for site transitions (breakdown, transport, and set-up) to a new school facility and/or partner location as needed.
Team Leadership & Staff Development
• Supervise and mentor the Manager and Associate; set performance goals and foster a collaborative, mission-driven culture.
• As the program grows, participate in hiring, onboarding, and developing additional staff.
• Promote and strengthen cross-functional collaboration within the Finance Park team and with JA Miami senior leadership and staff members.
• Model strong facilitation, communication, and constituent stewardship.
Volunteer & Partner Engagement
• Provide strategic oversight and steward partner brands within the simulation, coordinating with partners, vendors and the JA Miami team.
• Lead the development of the volunteer recruitment strategy, ensuring strong recruitment pipelines and meaningful volunteer experiences.
• Build and steward relationships with corporate partners, community organizations, and volunteer groups.
• Ensure partner brand activation and visibility within the JA Finance Park experience.
Budget, Resources & Compliance
• Manage program budget, purchasing, and high-level resource planning for JA Finance Park materials, technology and program needs.
• Ensure compliance with safety protocols, emergency procedures, and school district requirements.
• Oversee vendor and partner relationships to ensure timely procurement and availability of program resources.

Qualifications (required)

• Bachelor’s degree in education, program management, experiential learning, or related field.
• 5–7 years of experience in education, program leadership, operations, or experiential learning.
• Demonstrated operational excellence, including project management and strategic planning.
• Excellent leadership skills and experience supervising staff or leading teams.
• Strong cross-functional team collaboration, communication, presentation and facilitation skills; comfortable speaking to large groups.
• Excellent relationship building and customer service skills.
• Ability to analyze data and use insights to drive program improvement.
• Comfort working in fast-paced, dynamic, hands-on environments.
• Ability to think strategically, be highly organized, adaptable, and solutions oriented.
• Impeccable execution and reliable mindset.
• Ability to oversee logistics planning in fast-paced environments.
• Strong technology skills and comfort troubleshooting basic issues.

Core Competencies

Influence Others: Communicate sound rationale for recommendations; generate enthusiasm for ideas by tapping into shared values; advocate own positions and ideas with confidence and enthusiasm even in the face of resistance.
Build Relationships: Adapt interpersonal style to a variety of people and situations; cultivate networks across a variety of functions within and outside the organization.
Support Business Strategy: Demonstrate an understanding of JA's mission, vision and overall strategies; align daily decisions and activities with organizational goals and strategies.
Drive for Results: Consistently achieve work objectives; willingly put in time and effort required to achieve goals; work to resolve routine and unexpected problems
Demonstrate Adaptability & Resourcefulness: Overcome obstacles and constraints without becoming discouraged; maintain a positive outlook and sense of humor in difficult situations.
Make Sound Decisions: Identify creative solutions to persistent problems; develop new ways of looking at problems, processes, or solutions; define reasonable alternatives; focus on important information without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail.

Application Process