Associate Director, Program Success

Job Title: Associate Director, Program Success Team: Central Accelerator Location: Hybrid in Atlanta (GA) or Chicago (IL) Employment Type: Full-time FLSA Classification: Exempt Start Date: January, 2027 About Braven Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program. We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation. Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream. To learn more, take a look at Braven’s Jobs. About the Role As Braven grows to serve more Fellows across an expanding network of higher education partners, the Associate Director, Program Success makes sure every Fellow has a high-quality experience in our Career Accelerator course and reaches career readiness. You’ll own Fellow academic success and content mastery. You’ll also manage a team of part-time Graders, making sure grading follows each campus’s and Braven’s academic policies and norms, and that Fellows receive high-quality feedback on their career portfolios. You’ll design strategies that help Fellows succeed in the course, and you’ll step in directly or leverage Graders when individual Fellows need support. Each semester, you’ll be the main point of contact for our Leadership Coaches (LCs), the volunteer career coaches who guide Fellows. You’ll answer their questions, raise issues when needed, and coach them so they feel supported and their Fellows have a great experience. This highly collaborative role combines hands‑on execution, coaching, and quality assurance. This role sits on the Accelerator Team and reports to the Director of Accelerator Success. What You’ll Do Course Data Management & Analysis, and Student Support (40%) Collaborate with the site team to run the Braven Accelerator course and provide an excellent experience for Fellows, volunteers, and other stakeholders. Classes are hybrid and meet weekly, including 3 in‑person sessions and the rest on Zoom. Braven runs classes year‑round. Analyze and interpret course data, including mastery data, to develop strategies to ensure Fellows are meeting course outcomes; collaborate with teammates to problem‑solve and iterate on support plans, and to celebrate Fellow achievement. Support struggling Fellows through a tiered academic intervention framework, including direct student engagement, communications, leveraging Graders, and working with higher education partner intervention systems and contacts. Implement audits of grading and feedback quality and ensure clarity and alignment to learning objectives and rubrics. Stakeholder Management (40%) Supervise and support a pool of part‑time Graders for the Braven Leadership and Career Accelerator course, including onboarding, quality assurance, and feedback cycles. Co‑design and lead grader training cycles and communities of practice (regular peer learning groups) to ensure grading consistency and alignment with your Higher Education Partner’s standards. Collaborate with peers, your manager, and regional teammates to implement volunteer support and accountability structures, including coaching for underperforming LCs. Provide escalation support and intervention for Graders struggling to meet expectations and coordinate closely with others to ensure high‑support LCs get what they need to influence student outcomes in the course. Provide excellent customer service to regional partners who work directly with the Higher Education Partner, keeping them informed of timely course data, including bright spots and areas for improvement; collaborate to develop an effective intervention strategy leading to Fellow success in the course. Leadership Coach Experience and Retention Support (15%) Maintain a high‑quality, joyful volunteer experience through consistent communication, resources, and recognition. Observe and provide ongoing feedback to LCs; Lead targeted coaching sessions for struggling LCs and contribute to onboarding and training. Track volunteer engagement, issues, and performance in systems like Salesforce, escalating to appropriate teammates when interventions are needed. Team Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing (5%) Partner with cross‑functional teammates to build and refine scalable systems that support grader and volunteer success. Share insights from grading and LC data to inform product, training, and course design improvements. Document and socialize best practices, participating actively in Braven’s knowledge‑sharing ecosystem. Other assigned duties Minimum Requirements Bachelor's Degree At least 3 years of work experience in a related field Ability to work an adjusted schedule to support the facilitation of weekly classes up to 3 evenings per week and 1-2 weekends per semester Preferred Qualifications Experience managing and supporting part‑time staff or volunteers, including the ability to delegate effectively and provide clear, constructive feedback. Demonstrated empathy and effectiveness in working directly with secondary or college‑level students from diverse backgrounds, particularly in moments of academic struggle or stress. Proven ability to analyze academic data to identify trends and proactively address student learning needs through direct intervention or by delegating tasks. Strong interpersonal and coaching skills, with the ability to support and mentor volunteers and facilitators, including those with significantly more experience or seniority. Exceptional customer service skills, with the ability to communicate clearly, patiently, and professionally with students, staff, and volunteers. Excellent organizational and analytical skills with the ability to create, operationalize, and manage project plans, meet milestones and deadlines, and a focus on using data and metrics to drive decisions and measure performance Excellent relationship builder with the ability to find common ground, build consensus, and strengthen collaboration among diverse stakeholders. You exemplify a customer service mindset. Comfort with a high level of ambiguity and the ability and desire to work in an ambiguous environment Comfort using collaboration and data tools like Google Suite, Salesforce, Slack, and Jira (or similar systems) Demonstrated commitment to building strong and welcoming cultures that help to develop others. Exemplification of Braven’s core values. Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission and has prepared you to work with, or for, Braven’s student Fellow population. Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply. Work Demands Ability to work in‑person in Chicago (IL) or Atlanta (GA) at least 3 days per week Travel at least 3 times per semester to campus for in‑person, high‑impact class sessions. Assigned campus may be outside of the applicant’s hometown Travel 2-3 times per year for Braven and team retreats, stepbacks, and trainings Ability to work an adjusted schedule to support the facilitation of weekly classes up to 3 evenings per week and 1-2 weekends per semester Additional Requirements Authorized to work in the U.S. Braven doesn’t offer employment visa sponsorship Application & Interview Process While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be: Phone screen with Talent Team member Performance Task Interview with Hiring Manager Panel Interview with Key Partners Reference Checks Total Rewards Braven provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include: Discretionary time off in addition to org‑wide holidays and 2 week‑long shutdowns in July and December (this is a minimum of 19 days per year) Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family‑building, and hormonal health Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents 12 weeks of paid parental leave A one‑month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff Monthly $75 reimbursement for cell phone or internet Access to funding for continued career development Compensation Braven offers opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly relative to one another, their qualifications, and their impact on the organization, and we take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each offer is carefully determined using external and internal benchmarks. The hiring range is determined by role scope, qualifications, and internal equity, with annual growth based on performance. Braven does not base compensation on individual candidate salary expectations and is committed to maintaining internal equity. The hiring ranges for this role by geographic market are set forth as $59,500-$64,000 in Atlanta, and $62,700-$67,300 in Chicago. This is based on a 50-hour work week. This is a full‑time, regular, non‑exempt, and benefits‑eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity. Please note that Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe our total rewards package aligns with what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply. Location We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of one of our hubs: Atlanta or Chicago. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face‑to‑face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week. Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor. We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply. #J-18808-Ljbffr Braven, Inc.