Job Description

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

About Us and Our Philosophy

Breakthrough Greater Boston (BTGB) is a transformative college access and teacher training program. BTGB offers six years of academic enrichment and college preparation to middle school and high school students with high potential but limited opportunities. Simultaneously, BTGB recruits, trains and inspires a diverse cohort of high achieving college students to become the next generation of urban teachers. Leveraging a Students Teaching Students model, BTGB provides engaging, tuition-free academic programming during the summer and after school. Our students gain the skills and motivation to succeed in rigorous high school courses and, ultimately, in college. Meanwhile, our teachers gain hands-on experience, research-based training and coaching from professional educators.

Over the past eight years, 97% of our graduating students have matriculated to college, and 82% of them have persisted through their undergraduate years. On average, more than 70% of our graduating teachers have gone on to pursue careers in education. After two decades of success at our original Cambridge site, BTGB embarked upon a significant program expansion and opened a second site in Boston in the summer of 2013 and a third site in Somerville in 2018. As an independent 501c3 nonprofit, Breakthrough Greater Boston is part of The Breakthrough Collaborative, a national educational movement working to improve educational outcomes for youth across 25 U.S. cities.

With a deep commitment to our mission, BTGB operates with the highest standards of integrity and best practices, while also enjoying the ability to be innovative and flexible to meet the evolving needs of our students, families and teachers.  Our team is diverse, high-performing and dedicated.  We continue to build an organizational culture that emphasizes our core values for every member of our community:

• Spirit: We cherish and embody the youthful energy and spirit of our students and teachers
• Continual Learning: Everyone in our community has something to learn and something to teach
• Team Together: We all chip in to accomplish whatever is needed for our teammates and the broader organization
• Student Centered: Our students are our first priority and our decisions center around what benefits our students
• Equity and Opportunity: We value diversity of identity, background and thought. We treat everyone with dignity and respect
• Excellence in Everything: We maintain high expectations for ourselves

Breakthrough Greater Boston encourages individuals of all backgrounds to apply for this position, and we do not discriminate on any basis prohibited by applicable law. We celebrate the diversity of our world and our community, and we seek to build a team that reflects that diversity in every way. We welcome and encourage all qualified applicants who share that same vision, as we wish to engage all those who can contribute to our work and this mission.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Breakthrough Greater Boston is currently seeking a highly motivated and talented Director of High School (DHS) to oversee all aspects of programming for 9^th – 11^th grade students at our Boston Campus. The DHS will be responsible for advising and supporting students as they make the critical transition from middle to high school and navigate the first three years of high school. The DHS works closely with other members of a dynamic Program Team and reports directly to the Managing Director of College Access and Success.

POSITION OUTCOMES

A successful Director of High School will work in close alignment with the Managing Director of College Access and Success to:

• Develop and maintain meaningful relationships with BTGB’s high school students, supporting their academic and personal growth as well as their social emotional well-being

• Maintain positive, regular communication with students’ families, nurturing healthy, trusting relationships and collaboratively ensuring students’ success
• Oversee the development and implementation of innovative, responsive programming that is informed by research, partner school offerings and the needs of our students

• Collaborate with other Program Team members to create a seamless layer of support for students and families during Breakthrough’s six-year program

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

In this exciting role you will be responsible for a variety of responsibilities including:

Student and Family Support

• Serve as primary advisor for 9^th-11^th grade students at your campus; provide consistent, tailored support during one-on-one interactions and school-year programming
• Champion students by nurturing individual student strengths and providing timely, appropriate interventions and resources as needed to ensure students are safe and successful
• Support students in building their college knowledge and understanding of the connection between high school and their future goals
• Build strong relationships with families through annual family check-ins, presence at BTGB events and regular phone and email contact throughout the year
• Oversee students’ transition from 8^th to 9^th grade and the transition to college counseling staff

Program Management

• Work in collaboration with fellow program staff to plan and oversee Leadership Academy, a six-week summer program for rising 9^th grade students that helps students build academic and leadership skills as they transition to high school
• Oversee 9^th and 10^th grade school-year programming that is focused on supporting students in making a strong transition to high school
• Support 11^th grade programming and students’ introduction to the College Access Program
• Actively research and maintain knowledge of summer and school year opportunities for high school students; connect students with opportunities that match their unique interests and needs as part of Breakthrough’s Summer Exploration and Opportunities Program
• Plan and execute programming to expose students to different career, college and cultural opportunities in the Boston area
• Collaborate with Managing Directors to determine the best high school program structure to address the unique needs of our Boston campus (e.g. partner school structure, student mobility)

Partnership and Data Management

• Maintain positive, frequent communication with partner school staff members as well as representatives from other local youth serving organizations to collaboratively ensure our students’ success
• Conduct guidance counselor check-ins each semester to further inform individual supports for students and identify additional enrichment opportunities
• Oversee collection and analysis of student academic records including report cards, progress reports and Individualized Education Plans
• Ensure accurate and effective data collection and analysis through the daily use of our Salesforce student database to inform programmatic decision making and advance students’ success

YOUR BACKGROUND AND QUALIFICATIONS

As the incoming Director of High School, you will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following characteristics and qualifications:

• Passion for the mission of BTGB, closing opportunity gaps and training the next generation of urban teachers
• Four to five years of experience working directly with students, preferably in grades 8-10, ideally with students who will be first generation to college
• An unwavering commitment to equity, in deepening your personal understanding and in advancing our collective work
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills with students, families and educators
• Superior organization and project management skills
• Ability to work on multiple projects, adjust quickly to shifting priorities, meet deadlines, exercise good judgment and handle high-pressure situations
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interact effectively with a variety of audiences
• Team player who demonstrates a positive attitude, sense of humor, energy, entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to collaboration
• Prior experience with Breakthrough model highly desirable; familiarity with partner schools or districts a plus
• Flexibility that allows for periodic work on Saturdays and evenings
• Candidates of color and those from low-income backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply as are those with fluency in Spanish, Haitian Creole, Amharic, Somali, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Tigrinya or Urdu
• Bachelor’s degree

COMPENSATION

Breakthrough Greater Boston offers a competitive compensation package and is deeply committed to pay equity and transparency. The salary range for this position is $64,345-87,055; Breakthrough Greater Boston makes an offer based on relevant years of experience and does not negotiate salaries.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time.

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