Positions
Volunteer and staff roles
Three roles are open now, all tied to the certification pathway. Everything below is what the role actually asks of you. We would rather post nothing than post a role we cannot support once someone signs up for it.
Certification Program Manager
Reviews and scores candidate applications, proposes the selected and alternate lists to the Executive Director, and runs candidate-facing operations.
What the role owns
- Reviewing incoming applications and overseeing the need-based scoring.
- Proposing the selected and alternate lists each round; the Executive Director gives final approval.
- Notifying selected candidates and managing the 10-business-day confirmation window, moving to the next alternate if a candidate does not respond.
- Interviewing each selected candidate and mapping them to the certification route that fits their background. Selection does not entitle a candidate to a specific certification.
- Administering the exam voucher once the Mentorship Program Manager confirms a candidate has cleared the Go/No-Go gate.
What we ask for
- Comfort running a repeatable process fairly: the same rubric, applied the same way, every round.
- Acknowledgement of VTP's Code of Conduct. This role handles applicants' financial and personal hardship information, so discretion matters.
Mentorship Program Manager
Owns the mentor pool and the pairing decision: the other half of the pathway the Certification Program Manager hands candidates into.
What the role owns
- Reviewing mentor applications and maintaining the active mentor pool.
- Pairing each candidate to a mentor on certification route, mentor expertise, the capacity that mentor stated, and schedule, then notifying both parties.
- Making sure kickoff happens within 14 days of pairing, where the pair completes the Mutual Commitment Agreement together.
- Following the six-month cycle: 30-day study plan, ongoing check-ins, optional Thursday office hours.
- Verifying the Go/No-Go gate (80% or better on two separate official practice exams) regardless of mentor recommendation, and hearing appeals before they go to the Executive Director.
- Running the alumni-to-mentor pipeline: graduates are explicitly welcome to come back and mentor.
What we ask for
- Comfort holding a boundary. This role verifies readiness independent of the mentor relationship, which sometimes means telling a mentor their recommendation isn't the deciding factor.
- Acknowledgement of VTP's Code of Conduct.
Mentor, Mentorship Program
Volunteer · remote · roughly six months per candidate
You guide someone through earning their first cybersecurity certification. VTP funds the exam; you supply the part money cannot buy.
What you commit to
- Roughly 1–2 hours a week, for a six-month cycle.
- You state how many candidates you can take, up to three. You are never assigned more than you asked for.
- You reach out first. Mentors initiate the relationship and convene the kickoff meeting within 14 days of being paired.
- You complete the Mutual Commitment Agreement together with your candidate at that kickoff, setting goals, communication style and boundaries.
- Check in at least every two weeks. Weekly is encouraged, not required.
- Optional: Thursday office hours, 7:00–7:30 PM EST, open to all mentors and candidates.
What we ask for
- No minimum years and no minimum seniority. We select on right fit, not on a number. Program graduates are explicitly welcome to come back and mentor.
- Real experience in the domain you would coach: we ask what you have worked on and which certifications you hold, not for a self-rating.
- Acknowledgement of VTP's Code of Conduct.
Looking to enroll as a certification candidate rather than volunteer? That's not a position. Head straight to the Certification Program page to apply.
Want to help in some other way: running a session, lending a professional skill, sponsoring a cohort? We would still like to hear from you.