We’re Hiring!

Bearings Bike Works is in a season of real momentum. We're mid-campaign on an exciting capital effort to expand our campus and deepen our impact — and we're building the internal capacity to match that ambition. Our donor base is deep and loyal, our programs are proven, and we're investing in AI-assisted workflows that let a lean team punch far above its weight. This is a healthy, growing organization adding a key seat at the table at exactly the right moment.

We're looking for a builder — someone ready to step into a restructured development team and immediately own a real piece of the operation.

You'll manage a direct report, an outside communications contractor, coordinate with our incoming Corporate Engagement Director, and take ownership of a donor portfolio, a role in our signature fundraising event, our grants calendar, and the systems that keep it all running.

This could be you if:

• You're a few years into nonprofit development and ready for more ownership than your current org can offer

• You're stepping back from a bigger leadership role and want high-impact work without the overhead

• You're leaving corporate and want to put your project-management and relationship skills toward something that matters

Whatever your path, you're relational, you get things done, and you want to work somewhere small enough that your impact is visible.

What you'll own:

• Donors — oversee the full stewardship calendar, manage and grow a personal portfolio of 25–40 donors, spot upgrade candidates

• Grants — own the calendar end-to-end, manage our contracted grant writer, and help build an AI-assisted grant workflow (we're aiming for 70%+ AI-assisted drafting)

• Events — partner with our rock-star event contractor to help drive BBQ & Brew, our $350K signature fall fundraiser, over the finish line — this is a full team effort, and you'll bring creative ideas, help drive attendance, and keep cross-team communication flowing so everyone stays aligned. You'll also lead logistics for smaller events throughout the year

• Team — manage our Development Specialist, coordinate with our Corporate Engagement Director and comms partner

What we're looking for: 4–7 years of nonprofit development experience, with real chops in individual giving and foundation relationships (we don't do government funding — if that's been your focus, this isn't the fit). Beyond the resume, we want someone who's equal parts relationship-builder and systems-thinker, holds a high bar for quality, has managed or mentored at least one person, and is genuinely curious about using AI tools like Claude as part of the daily workflow.

The details: Atlanta, GA — in-person ~90% of the time. Reports to Becky O'Mara, Development Director. Manages the Development Specialist; manages a communications contractor and coordinates daily with incoming Corporate Engagement Director.

A quick note on fit: this isn't a siloed, task-list role, and it isn't a communications role. It's for someone who brings leadership energy to everything they touch and finds a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment energizing rather than draining.

We're a healthy, mission-driven organization adding capacity because the moment calls for it. You'll have real visibility, work directly with leadership, and help shape the systems that carry Bearings forward.

To apply: Send your resume and a thoughtful cover letter (written by you, not AI — we actually read these!) to info@bearingsbikeworks.org.

Summary

Passionate educator wanted to design and lead an engaging, hands-on after-school bike mechanics program where urban youth build real-world STEM skills, confidence, and character in a mission-driven makerspace environment.

Role Description

Imagine channeling your love for teaching and hands-on STEM into a dynamic, nontraditional environment where kids get excited about real-world problem-solving, mechanical thinking, and personal growth. If you’re a passionate educator who thrives on facilitating engaging, project-based learning, building meaningful connections with students, and watching them light up as they master tangible skills, we want you at Bearings Bike Works.

Bearings is a faith-based, mission-driven youth development organization in Atlanta that uses bicycles as a powerful tool to help neighborhood youth build confidence, character, technical skills, and a strong work ethic. Our flagship Skills for Life program is a vibrant drop-in after-school space where students learn bike mechanics through immersive, project-based experiences—disassembling, troubleshooting, building, and riding. It’s education at its most practical and rewarding: no desks in rows, just active learning, collaboration, and the pride of fixing something with their own hands.

This role is perfect for a teacher who:

• Craves facilitating experiential, STEM-rich learning outside a traditional classroom

• Loves connecting deeply with kids and teens while helping them develop resilience and real-world competence

• Wants to design and run engaging programs that feel more like a dynamic makerspace than a standard after-school activity

• Is ready for a purposeful, high-impact career that still centers on youth growth and mentorship

JOB SUMMARY

We’re seeking an energetic, relational, and pedagogically strong Program Specialist to serve as the heart of our Skills for Life program. You’ll design and deliver high-quality, hands-on learning experiences, build strong relationships with students and families, and help grow participation through authentic community outreach. This is direct-service work with real teenagers who need consistent, caring adults in their lives—ideal for someone who wants to keep teaching and facilitating growth in a more flexible, creative, and community-embedded setting.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Skills for Life Program Design & Facilitation

• Lead and continuously improve our best-in-class after-school bike mechanics program, creating a welcoming, well-organized learning environment with excellent flow from arrival to project work to reflection and wrap-up.  

• Collaborate with the team to build an engaging weekly programming calendar focused on progressive skill-building (mechanics, safety, physics of bikes, teamwork, and life skills), high student engagement, and repeat attendance.  

• Train, support, and empower volunteers, as well as our young adult Career Accelerator Trainees who work within Skills for Life, so both groups can effectively facilitate hands-on activities and connect with youth.  

• Maintain thoughtful records for program evaluation, student progress, and grant reporting while continuously refining processes and documentation.  

• Develop communication rhythms with students and families. 

• Inspire participants to engage in Bearings’ broader programs and opportunities.

Student Relationships & Outreach

• Build authentic, supportive relationships with youth and their families so they feel seen, valued, and excited to show up consistently.  

• Guide students through our skill-mastery pathway, celebrating growth in technical abilities, confidence, and character—while helping the program exceed goals for enrollment, dosage, and impact.  

• Lead creative, grassroots recruitment efforts to bring in new students who would benefit most from this kind of hands-on, empowering experience.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 2+ years experience in teaching, mentorship, youth development, summer camp leadership, program coordination, or similar educational roles. Former classroom teachers (especially elementary, middle, or high school with STEM interest) are strongly encouraged to apply. 

• Passion for hands-on, experiential learning and comfort facilitating practical skill-building (bike mechanics experience is a bonus but not required—we value teaching mindset and mechanical curiosity more).  

• Strong relationship-builder who connects easily with urban youth and families.  

• Growth-oriented, organized, and detail-focused with good writing and creative problem-solving skills.  

• Comfortable with outreach, data tracking, and learning new tools.  

• Alignment with our faith-based mission and high standards for youth character development.

OTHER KEY INFORMATION

Schedule: Full time, in-person (no work from home option). In order to serve our students well, the work schedule for this position is Monday-Thursday 9:30am - 6:45pm and 9am-3pm Fridays. Scheduled based on a 1-hour unpaid lunch break schedule. The Bearings team also has a generous Holiday Time Off schedule, including 4-day summer holiday weekends, a week at Thanksgiving and two weeks at Christmas. Starting team members also have 7 PTO days to use as desired.

Specific programs or events may occasionally operate outside of weekly scheduled hours. In these few cases, the successful candidate will be able to take a regularly scheduled workday off. (Subject to adjustment based on program needs.)

Title & Salary Range: $47,000-$57,000; Salary and Title will commensurate based on experience.

Benefits: Bearings offers health, dental, and vision insurance options, as well as a 401(k) with employer matching.

WHY JOIN US?

If you’ve ever wished for a setting where your teaching gifts could shine in a more relational, project-based, and community-transforming way—without standardized testing pressure—this is it. You’ll join a tight-knit, mission-driven team that values excellence, creativity, and real results in the lives of Atlanta youth. This isn’t just another job; it’s a chance to keep doing what you love—facilitating powerful learning and connection—while helping break cycles of poverty through skill, character, and opportunity.

TO APPLY

If this resonates with your heart for teaching, mentoring, and hands-on learning, we’d love to hear from you!  

Please send your resume and a cover letter (please no AI, we really read them!) to info@bearingsbikeworks.org. We look forward to meeting educators ready to make a lasting difference in a whole new way.

Summary

Lead teens and young adults through real, hands-on work at Bearings Bike Works—not spreadsheets for someone else's program, but the real thing, from week one.

Role Description

Most entry-level nonprofit jobs have you making spreadsheets for someone who gets to do the actual work. This isn’t that.

At Bearings Bike Works, you’ll have real responsibility from week one—leading teens and young adults through their daily program, overseeing tasks that matter, building relationships with kids and families, and developing the kind of hands-on leadership experience that most people don’t get until they’ve been in a field for years. If you want to learn what it actually takes to run a youth development program from the inside out, this is your seat at the table.

The Role

We’re looking for someone who’s ready to get their hands dirty—literally and figuratively. The Frameworks Program Specialist is the operational and relational engine of the program: you’ll keep the space ready, keep participants on task, keep communications moving, and keep the whole thing running so that the Program Manager can go deep on curriculum, case management, and job placement.

But this isn’t just a logistics role. You’ll also be a leader within our Skills for Life program, working alongside another Program Specialist while mentoring Frameworks participants as they coach younger kids and building the kinds of real relationships with neighborhood families that turn a curious middle schooler into a motivated Frameworks applicant two years from now. You’re building a pipeline. You’re building trust. You’re building a career.

Key Responsibilities

Participant Supervision & Daily Operations

• Provide direct, day-to-day leadership for Frameworks participants—especially those in the early stages of the program—keeping them on task, accountable, and growing

• Lead daily routines, task assignments, and shop responsibilities with clear expectations and consistent follow-through when standards aren’t met

• Model the work ethic and ownership mindset the program develops in participants: you show up ready, move with purpose, and don’t treat any task as beneath you

• Be the steady, reliable adult presence participants encounter every day—firm, fair, and genuinely invested in who they’re becoming

Skills for Life Program Leadership

• Work closely alongside the Skills for Life Program Specialist to help ensure the Skills for Life program is a success. Specifically, your role will be to lead and support Frameworks participants as they take on coaching and leadership roles within the Skills for Life after-school program—guiding them through what it means to be a mentor and coachin the room for younger kids

• Build authentic relationships with Skills for Life students (ages 6–18) and their families: learn their names, show up consistently, and create the kind of trust that makes Bearings a place families send their kids back to

• Identify high-potential Skills for Life students who could thrive in the Frameworks Career Accelerator Program and cultivate a natural, relational pipeline toward recruitment—no sales pitch needed, just genuine connection over time

• Collaborate with the Skills for Life team on participant engagement, event support, and creating a welcoming, high-quality program environment

Facility & Shop Operations

• Own the shop space: make sure it’s reset, stocked, and ready before and after every session—because a well-run space communicates that we take this seriously

• Direct Frameworks participants in cleaning and maintenance responsibilities as part of their program development, teaching ownership of shared spaces

• Keep tools in their place, materials organized, and nothing left to chance—you’re the reason the program looks and runs like a professional operation

Administrative Support

• Handle day-to-day program admin: printing materials, organizing uniforms, notebooks, and supplies before sessions

• Track participant attendance, maintain organized records, and support data entry to keep the program’s documentation current and accurate

• Support the Program Manager with scheduling, logistics, and operational tasks—and flag when something needs their attention

Communications & Coordination

• Be the first voice participants and families hear: answer inquiries with warmth, professionalism, and clarity

• Schedule participant interviews, orientations, and appointments under the Program Manager’s direction

• Communicate with participants, families, and community partners clearly and consistently—and follow up

Program & Event Support

• Support workshop setup, supply prep, and facilitation logistics as directed

• Help execute program events, career fairs, and community outreach

• Step into whatever the program needs: this role asks for flexibility, creativity, and a whatever-it-takes mindset

QUALIFICATIONS

• Genuine passion for working with teenagers and young adults—you actually like the daily challenge of youth work, including the hard conversations

• Comfort being the adult in the room with teenagers: you’re firm but fair, consistent, and not easily rattled

• Strong relational skills—you connect naturally with youth and families from urban communities and build trust over time

• Organized and detail-oriented: you can manage a space, a schedule, and a stack of materials without dropping the ball

• Clear, professional communicator—comfortable with phones, emails, and in-person interactions

• 1–2 years of experience in youth work, education, athletics coaching, camp leadership, ministry, or similar—OR a recent grad who’s ready to do something real and is hungry to learn

• Reliable and accountable: you do what you say, and you own it when you fall short

• Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office; comfortable learning new tools

• Bonus: experience in experiential or hands-on learning environments, bike mechanics, or urban youth nonprofits

WHY THIS ROLE?

You want to make a difference—but you also want to actually learn how things work, not just assist someone who does. This is the role where you get both. You’ll lead real people through real challenges, and you’ll have the mentorship of a program manager who can help you grow into more. You’ll see the impact of your work—in the participant who shows up on time for the first time, in the eighth grader who comes back every week because you remembered her name, in the young adult who lands a job because the program runs well enough to actually support him.

You’ll join a tight-knit, mission-driven team that holds each other to a high standard and celebrates real results. We offer professional development, hands-on leadership experience, and the kind of meaningful work that’s hard to find this early in a career.

SCHEDULE AND DETAILS:

Hours: Monday–Thursday 8:45 AM – 6:45 PM | Friday 8:45 AM – 1:45 PM (1-hour lunch). Subject to adjustment based on program needs.

Location: On-site, in-person. 982 Murphy Avenue SW, Atlanta, GA 30310

TO APPLY

Please send your resume and a cover letter (please no AI, we really read them!) to info@bearingsbikeworks.org. We look forward to meeting non-profit professionals ready to make a lasting difference in a whole new way.

MORE ABOUT BEARINGS:

Bearings Bike Works is a faith-based, mission-driven organization in Atlanta dedicated to empowering young people through hands-on learning, mentorship, and career development. We believe hard work is a choice, every job is an opportunity, and that success comes from showing up, taking ownership, and bringing your best—no matter the task. Our Frameworks Career Accelerator Program equips young adults with the technical skills, character, and real-world experience they need to step confidently into careers and adulthood. Our Skills for Life program brings that same energy to neighborhood youth through hands-on bike mechanics and project-based learning. We don’t hand things out. We build people up. We’re committed to sustainable, dignity-preserving solutions that foster long-term self-sufficiency. Our programs seek to foster independence through hard work, ownership, and community support. Learn more about our philosophy of service at bearingsbikeworks.org and truecharity.us.