Associate Director of Middle School Programs

About Breakthrough Central Texas

Breakthrough is the leading college access and success nonprofit in Central Texas. For more than 20 years, we have partnered with thousands of middle and high school students who aspire to be the first in their family to graduate with a degree or certificate. We make a radical, long-term commitment to students, to and through college, unlocking the power of education and a lifetime of opportunity. We support the whole student with personalized services, work closely with community partners, campuses, and employers, and advocate for our students with lawmakers. Breakthrough students attend 60+ public schools and persist at nearly 100 colleges and universities. The result is that 55% of Breakthrough students graduate from college, compared to 17% of low-income students in our region. Our work has resulted in more than 550 college graduates, with 4,000 on their way, positively impacting families for generations, our region’s educational access, and the Central Texas economy.

Why Work at Breakthrough Central Texas

By working for Breakthrough Central Texas, you will help hundreds of students achieve their dreams of success and receive the high-quality education they deserve. Breakthrough is an organization committed to its students and recognizes that our greatest resource to support them is our dedicated and talented staff. If you believe all young people deserve the opportunity to achieve postsecondary success and you desire to work at an organization committed to its employees and building the strongest team culture anywhere, then join us!

About the Associate Director of Middle School Programs

The Middle School Associate Director oversees advising services, school partnership development, and programmatic initiatives for rising 6th–9th-grade students. They ensure delivery of high-quality academic and high-school transition advising, coordinate supports to remove non-academic barriers, lead development of inclusive, college-going programs that actively engage students, families, school staff, and community partners, build an inclusive, high-impact team culture that fosters collaboration, equity, and continuous improvement, and apply data-driven practices to monitor outcomes, inform decisions, and drive program improvement. Specific responsibilities of the Middle School Associate Director include:

Student Advising & Non-Academic Support

• Provide timely, high-quality academic advising and mentoring to a caseload of 25 - 30 students.
• Submit timely, accurate, comprehensive advising notes and other information, and track data with fidelity to drive action that supports student success and informs program design.
• Develop and maintain relationships with a diverse group of students and their families by adhering to advising standards of service and following the Middle School Advising Checklist.
• Support students in developing the academic tools, such as study skills, time management, goal setting, and self-advocacy, necessary for middle school success.
• Build trusting relationships with students' caregivers, educators, and school administrators to provide information, guidance, academic intervention, and resources so that students stay engaged and thrive.

• Work effectively with Breakthrough’s Student and Family Support Specialist to connect students and families to non-academic resources (mental health, food, housing, etc.)
• Ensures strong 8th/9th grade course selection and academic progress, and works effectively with 8th graders and their families to consider and choose among available high school options and complete relevant admissions requirements (application, financial aid, etc.)

Program Design and Youth Development

• Use developmentally appropriate content knowledge to implement programs that support secondary success
• Implement, facilitate, and evaluate quality campus-based programming during or after school to promote school success and foster a college-going culture.
• Innovate, facilitate, and evaluate high-quality, developmentally appropriate summer programming for rising 6th through rising 9th-grade students in Austin, Del Valle, and Manor.
• Support program evaluation efforts and make continuous program improvements to achieve outcomes
• Contribute and/or lead high-functioning committees and/or workgroups that are data-driven and student outcome-focused.
• Create a learning community aligned with Breakthrough’s core values and college-going culture by using appropriate tone and strategies to manage large groups of students,

Exemplary Servant Leadership & Effective Collaboration

• Exemplary Servant Leadership & Effective Collaboration:
• Manage complex committee or work-group projects, coordinating coaching, alignment, and strategic input with colleagues and volunteers.
• Lead 1–2 goal-oriented committees/work groups that broadly impact middle-school team outcomes.
• Develop and execute a clear vision and measurable goals for the site and committees, using formative and summative data to drive excellent student outcomes.
• Onboard, supervise, develop, and evaluate the site team and summer staff to ensure the highest performance and optimal student outcomes.
• Activate others, with or without formal authority, to follow processes, deliver outcomes, meet deadlines, and collaborate efficiently.
• Recruit and retain a diverse cohort of students.

Data Tracking & Evaluation

• Support program evaluation efforts and make continuous program improvement to achieve program goal outcomes.
• Design and facilitate effective, regularly scheduled student progress meetings for advisors that provide data driven actionable steps that impact middle school goal outcomes..
• Ensure that high-quality advising services for all middle school students are occurring, and the goals and outcomes are relevant indicators for student achievement and middle school goal outcomes.

Partnership Development

• Strategically develop relationships with key partners, including teachers, school administrators, district leaders, counselors, and leaders of other community-based organizations on campus.
• Meet regularly and work collaboratively with other staff members and volunteers to support students and families
• Identify and manage robust, valuable volunteer experiences that help achieve program goal outcomes

About You

You are a strong candidate for the Early High School Student Advisor and Program Coordinator role if, above all, you are a champion for increasing social and economic opportunity through educational attainment. You are a servant leader, and feel at your best in a deep relationship with the communities in which you serve, and in collaboration with others you work and partner with. You are passionate about building authentic relationships with students, family members, caregivers, and the educators at the schools your students attend. You bring content expertise in youth development, college access, and event or program operations. You will also bring experience or demonstrated capacity in the following competencies:

• Team Leadership and Culture: Sets priorities, delegates effectively, manages conflict, promotes inclusion, stewards team culture and climate, and coaches the team to ensure steady progress toward goals while maintaining a sense of belonging and connection.
• Managing Complexity : by exhibiting sound judgement, inclusive decision making in ambiguous situations, responsiveness with flexibility, agility, and a bias toward action.

• Inclusive Communication: Operates with cultural humility and demonstrates written, verbal, and digital communication skills in 1:1, small group, and whole group settings, that foster and contribute to an inclusive environment that effectively engages others across diverse identities and experiences.
• Relationship Building: Builds trusting, effective relationships that enable collaboration, productive conflict and dialogue, honest conversations, and authentic partnerships with colleagues, students, families, campus staff, volunteers, community partners, donors, and other key stakeholders.
• Activating Others: Able to influence and motivate others, acting with or without authority, to follow process, deliver outcomes, meet deadlines, and work together to get things done efficiently.
• Continuous Learning & Improvement: Embraces and applies feedback, demonstrates curiosity, creativity, and a growth mindset, and pursues opportunities to strengthen individual performance and team/organizational outcomes.
• Prioritization & Resourcefulness: Effectively puts time and effort where it is needed the most, asks for help, maximizes resources, and envisions innovative solutions to reaching outcomes. Prioritizes multiple tasks and delivers commitments in a timely manner, and possesses a disciplined, strong work ethic and comfort with working non-standard hours (some weekends and evenings).

• Resource Connection: Works effectively with the Student and Family Support Specialist to connect students and their families to non-academic providers and resources within the community, including school-based services, mental health services, and others.
• Prioritization and Resourcefulness: Effectively puts time and effort where it is needed most, asks for help, maximizes networks and resources, and envisions innovative pathways for reaching outcomes.

REPORTING AND SUPERVISING RELATIONSHIPS

The Middle School Associate Director will report to the Middle School Director or Chief Program Officer. Direct reports will include site MS Student Advising and Program Coordinators and may include a year-round AmeriCorps member.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Competitive salary between $72,000 - $91,000 depending on experience and qualifications
• Health, dental and vision insurance(Breakthrough pays 100% of employee premiums)
• Life insurance
• Matching 401K retirement plan
• Thirty days of PTO annually, with immediate accrual, recognizing that staff have lives outside of work
• Additional leave benefits, including company holidays and FMLA eligibility (varies by year)

Breakthrough Central Texas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.