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Pursuit

Tech career training for underserved adults

AI Learning Experience Lead

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
$130k - $150k+ Bonus + 401(k) match
Senior, Expert
Long Island City, Queens, NY, USA
HybridHybrid: on-site Tuesday–Thursday in Long Island City; work-from-anywhere Monday and Friday.
TrainingInstructional Design & Curriculum Development

About the job

Requirements
  • Bring 5–10 years of experience in product management, learning and development systems, or workforce enablement.
  • Have experience designing transformational in-person experiences that use structure and community to drive outcomes.
  • Be familiar with AI tools for learning and have experience building workflows and prototypes using AI.
  • Apply an iterative, pragmatic, and data-informed product mindset with accountability for impact.
  • Demonstrate empathy for adult learners and understand what drives persistence and growth in high-barrier environments.
  • Use critical thinking to design structured, scalable solutions in a startup-like setting, including without prior subject-matter expertise.
  • Thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment and bring a flexible, can-do attitude.
  • Care about equity, technology access, and expanding opportunity for underrepresented communities.
Responsibilities
  • Continuously test and sharpen beliefs about how and what to teach, what AI mastery looks like, and what Builders should take away, refining the learning thesis based on new technology, market feedback, and outcomes data.
  • Own and improve the high-level goals, progression models, and key learning activities that define each program stage as programs scale.
  • Define and measure learner outcomes for Builders, including skill progression, job readiness, and longer-term outcomes, and use data and feedback loops to refine curriculum and delivery at scale.
  • Map curriculum to the specific skills Builders need and measure learner progression across those skills.
  • Define instructional inputs—including learning goals, templates, success criteria, and pacing models—for the AI training agent and other products that support the Builder learning experience.
  • Gather input from Development, Jobs, and Program teams to inform what and how to teach.
  • Build and iterate on content models, facilitator flows, and delivery systems based on user feedback and outcomes.
  • Modify and extend the curriculum across audiences and formats for pilots and partnerships.

About the company

Pursuit helps underrepresented adults access technology careers through two offerings: the Pursuit Fellowship, a one-year, intensive training program in New York City with no upfront costs, followed by three years of on-the-job support and career development; and Pursuit Commit, which helps employers hire, retain, and nurture engineers from non-traditional backgrounds with ongoing training. The Fellowship is funded by Pursuit and by partnerships with employers, and Pursuit is exploring financing options like municipal bonds to fund its programs as community investments. The model emphasizes long-term support and workforce diversification rather than upfront tuition. The goal is to expand access to high-paying tech roles and build sustainable career paths for underserved communities.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Early VC

Total Funding

$11.8M

Headquarters

New York City, New York

Founded

2011

Get referred to Pursuit

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Mizuho USA Foundation granted Pursuit $3 million on August 20, 2026.
  • Amazon and Google backed Pursuit's $250,000 SMB AI pilot in 2025.
  • Pursuit launched 2026 pilots with LaGuardia, UFT, CUNY, and 20 SMBs.

What critics are saying

  • Pursuit depends on grant cycles ending in 2029, risking a funding cliff.
  • The 2027 AI Jobs Institute relies on NYC and State capital grants.
  • AI training commoditization and employer pullback can collapse placement rates within 12 months.

What makes Pursuit unique

  • Pursuit runs a four-year Fellowship, pairing training with three years employer support.
  • Google.org gave Pursuit $2.5 million on June 23, 2026 for AI Jobs Institute.
  • Pursuit is New York State's designated administrator for AI Prep for Jobs.

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Benefits

  • 401(k) Company Match
  • Unlimited Paid Time Off
  • Flexible Work Hours
  • Meal Benefits

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

1%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

0%
Teknovation.biz
May 6th, 2024
Ballistic Ventures And Pursuit Join Forces To Help Address The Cybersecurity Skills Gap

If cybersecurity is a major concern for your business, this one is for you. After all, you are probably facing the talent gap issue head-on. Ballistic Ventures, the venture capital... The post Ballistic Ventures and Pursuit join forces to help address the cybersecurity skills gap appeared first on Teknovation.biz.

PR Newswire
Apr 30th, 2024
Ballistic Ventures And Pursuit Launch Program To Address The Cyber Skills Gap With Diverse Talent

Blackstone and other corporate partners join the Ballistic X Pursuit Cyber Fellows program, charting a path to narrow the industry's talent gap and economic dividesSAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, April 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ballistic Ventures , the venture capital firm dedicated exclusively to funding and incubating entrepreneurs and innovations in cybersecurity, and Pursuit , a workforce development social impact organization that trains low-income individuals so they can build careers in tech, today announced the Ballistic X Pursuit Cyber Fellows program , a groundbreaking initiative to tackle the cybersecurity skills gap by providing adults from non-traditional backgrounds with the training and support necessary to excel in these careers.The cyber skills gap is one of the most pressing challenges facing the cybersecurity industry today. Despite the industry's rapid growth, there is a significant shortage of qualified professionals – particularly from non-traditional backgrounds, as open opportunities aren't accessible to everyone. The Ballistic X Pursuit Cyber Fellows program aims to tackle this challenge head-on. Tapping into Pursuit's proven software development training program, the Ballistic X Pursuit Cyber Fellows program empowers talented adults from non-traditional backgrounds to get the training and support needed to be hired, retained and succeed in the cybersecurity industry.The Ballistic X Pursuit Cyber Fellows program charts a path to narrow the industry's talent gap and economic divides. Post this"The Ballistic X Pursuit Cyber Fellows program represents more than just a commitment to diversity in cybersecurity; it's a catalyst for innovation, fostering a convergence of unique backgrounds that will undoubtedly spawn new ideas, technologies, and approaches to secure our rapidly evolving world," said Jake Seid, Co-founder and General Partner of Ballistic Ventures. "At Ballistic, we believe in the power of diverse perspectives not only to address the industry's skills gap but to shape the future of cybersecurity."In existing Pursuit programs, which have focused on employing talent to software development and engineering teams, fellows have gone from earning an average of $18K to over $90K working at some of the best companies in the world

Macquarie Group
Dec 20th, 2023
Macquarie Group Foundation makes first social impact investment in the United States

The Macquarie Group Foundation ("the Foundation"), which drives social impact for Macquarie Group ("Macquarie"), today announced a commitment of $US2.75 million via a social impact investment and a philanthropic grant to Pursuit, a social impact organization that seeks to equip low-income individuals with technical and leadership skills to secure and excel in long-term careers as software engineers at best-in-class companies.

Macquarie Group
Dec 20th, 2023
Macquarie Group Foundation makes first social impact investment in the United States

The Macquarie Group Foundation ("the Foundation"), which drives social impact for Macquarie Group ("Macquarie"), today announced a commitment of $US2.75 million via a social impact investment and a philanthropic grant to Pursuit, a social impact organization that seeks to equip low-income individuals with technical and leadership skills to secure and excel in long-term careers as software engineers at best-in-class companies.

Tullahoma News
Dec 20th, 2023
Macquarie Group Foundation Makes First Social Impact Investment in the United States

The Macquarie Group Foundation ("the Foundation"), which drives social impact for Macquarie Group ("Macquarie"), today announced a commitment of $US2.75 million via a social impact investment and a philanthropic grant to Pursuit, a social impact organization that seeks to equip low-income individuals with technical and leadership skills to secure and excel in long-term careers as software engineers at best-in-class companies.