Schoolhouse.world is launching a new initiative in partnership with several universities called Dialogues to encourage and facilitate civil dialogue among high schoolers across the U.S. and the world. The problem is clear: society is increasingly polarized, American colleges have seen a breakdown of dialogue between students, and even our democracy is at risk. Our future depends on the next generation being able to listen to and learn from one another, and to not turn away from dialogue.

Schoolhouse, founded in 2020 by Sal Khan, is a leading free, non-profit educational platform for high schoolers to connect with each other over live Zoom sessions. While the focus has been on academic tutoring until now, Dialogues will expand these interactions to also include students engaging in conversations on contentious issues with others of the opposing view. The emphasis will be on the most divisive topics of the day: Israel-Palestine, abortion, Biden vs. Trump, affirmative action, and gun control, to name a few. The goal is to take topics where conversation typically shuts down and instead create a space for true dialogue and listening. In this small way, we want to help restore civility, shared understanding, and empathy within the next generation.

In order to encourage high schoolers to participate, Schoolhouse is starting a coalition of universities that will incorporate these dialogues into their admissions processes. The Schoolhouse Portfolio is already recognized by 18 top universities in their admissions processes, and we plan to add additional qualitative and quantitative metrics to the Portfolio (based on peer evaluations following the dialogues and AI metrics) that signify a student’s empathy, curiosity, respect, and willingness to engage. With additional marketing, we plan to make these dialogues a go-to experience for every high schooler.

The challenge of fostering civil dialogue today is large, yet the opportunity is even larger. Join us on this journey.

We are looking for an entrepreneurial individual to come in and build out Dialogues from 0 to 1 and then 1 to 100. The role is part entrepreneur (envisioning and building out a new product line), part program manager (managing the various stakeholders and tasks), part product manager (working with engineers to design & build out new product features), part partnership manager (starting new partnerships with universities), and part marketer (growing users, running social media, PR, and other campaigns). If that description doesn’t scare you, but rather excites you, this just might be the role for you!

This Dialogues initiative is a part of Schoolhouse’s larger product, and so it will involve considerable collaboration with the rest of Schoolhouse’s product and engineering team. At the beginning, there’ll be a small team dedicated to it (e.g. you and 1 engineer), and it can grow from there. If everything goes well, it could become Schoolhouse’s largest product and even a growth driver for the other parts of the tutoring platform.

This role is perfect for those interested in foundational program & product roles (or thinking of founding companies) and also drawn to social good. Your work will play an essential role in our larger mission and will be supercharged by the current Schoolhouse tech platform, access to top-notch partners, startup funding, a world-class brand, and our 14-person team—a true force of nature.

Qualities

• You’re a generalist and also entrepreneurial. You’re willing to learn whatever it takes to accomplish your goals.

• You like developing strategies as well as executing on them. No task is beneath you.

• You’re incredibly organized and detailed in your thinking.

• You can thrive in a fast-paced startup environment: embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, balancing rapid experimentation with scalable solutions, and adapting to roles that may evolve every 6 months.

Skills & Experience

• You have experience growing something — whether another startup, a personal project, etc.

• You have product and/or technical experience.

• You have a strong eye for marketing, design, brand, and social media.

• You’re a skilled communicator and storyteller.

• Based in U.S. and went to a U.S. high school and college

• 1 to 10+ years of work experience

Impact

• You’re inspired by the premise of Dialogues and have a personal connection to the underlying cause.

• You’re impact oriented. It’s what drives you.

We’re building an inclusive and equitable platform for learners across the world, and it’s important our core team reflects these principles too. We strongly encourage people from underrepresented groups apply!

• Fully remote (based in U.S.)

• Competitive salary with benefits

• tl;dr: Foundational role in a mission-oriented startup