Associate Director of College and Career Success

Breakthrough Central Texas • Austin, TX

3h • $72,000 - $91,000

About The Position

Breakthrough recognizes the value and need of high-quality advising services to students after high school graduation. In this model, we directly serve students through six years of their post-secondary endeavors, with a heavy focus on the first year after graduation from high school. The overall goal of the program is to increase post-secondary attainment rates among students participating in Breakthrough. The Associate Director provides critical leadership to the college team, helping train and support this high-performing team to implement best practices in advising college students and high school graduates on their path to attain a bachelor’s degree, associate degree, or credential/certificate while pursuing their passions and preparing for their career. While the Director is responsible for setting the strategic vision of the team, the Associate Director is responsible for the execution of key parts of this strategy.

Requirements

• Skillfully supports young adults in navigating the transition to and through postsecondary education by providing individualized guidance on institution and degree program fit, financial aid, registration and enrollment processes, degree progress, career exploration, and re-enrollment pathways.
• Coordinates support systems and campus resources to help students persist, address barriers, and maintain continuous enrollment, including applying the CASVE model when relevant.
• Demonstrates advising behaviors that build trust and foster student and family engagement, including active listening, effective goal-setting, and culturally competent delivery of high-quality postsecondary guidance.
• Manages an advising caseload with consistency and accountability while coordinating with teammates, volunteers, and campus partners to support student persistence and achievement of advising milestones.
• Submits timely, accurate, and comprehensive case notes and program data while tracking and analyzing trends to inform student support strategies, improve program delivery, and ensure progress toward advising, persistence, and team goals.
• Uses data to prioritize action, strengthen operational effectiveness, and support continuous improvement efforts.
• Works effectively within schools, postsecondary institutions, and community systems to support student success.
• Establishes, manages, stewards, and addresses challenges with mission-critical external partnerships that sustainably enable Breakthrough’s work at institutions of higher education and in the community.
• Ensures systems and resources are aligned to support success, organizes projects to stay in scope to meet outcomes, and adapts quickly and learns new skills as needed to ensure impact.
• Works with colleagues across teams to improve outcomes, resolve conflicts, and use meeting time purposefully (including managing time toward clear agendas), while ensuring all participants in collaborative efforts are included and engaged.
• Exhibits sound judgment and inclusive decision making in ambiguous situations, responding with flexibility, agility, and a bias toward action.
• Coaches, provides effective feedback and training, and supports direct reports to set priorities, build skills, meet goals, and grow toward professional aims.
• 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.
• Aligns team strategy with organizational goals and vision and navigates internal and external change with creativity, clarity, confidence, and compassion.

Responsibilities

• Directly supervise up to four program coordinators who work with students primarily at community colleges, pursuing associate or certificate pathways or seeking to transfer, as well as students who are not currently enrolled in postsecondary education, but hoping to re-enroll after stopping out
• Help lead the continuous refinement and improvement of Breakthrough’s programs and services to support students towards postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion
• Co-lead the team’s efforts to support all Breakthrough students to submit financial aid applications and clear verification hurdles to successfully receive financial aid awards
• Contribute to strategic planning for the future of the College and Career Success Team
• Support the build-out of training and materials to continuously improve our onboarding and ongoing training of program coordinators and AmeriCorps members on the team
• Develop and lead our partnership with key institutional contacts and offices for expanded student support at campuses with large student populations
• Along with the Director, help co-lead the team in the collection and analysis of college enrollment, persistence, and completion data to determine trends, barriers, and student needs, and utilize learnings to inform and improve our programs and services.
• Design and provide timely reports regarding program outputs and outcomes to drive continuous improvement
• Manage a caseload of students to support them to take academic and non-academic steps necessary to achieve postsecondary success
• Develop and maintain relationships with a diverse group of students and families
• Meet regularly and work collaboratively with other staff members in order to support students and families
• Foster the healthy culture of the College & Career Success team and of the entire organization
• Ensure that the College and Career Success team’s advising and programming practices are aligned with Breakthrough’s values and priorities
• Perform other job-related duties as required

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance; Breakthrough provides a zero-cost plan option
• Long-term disability and life insurance
• Matching 401K retirement plan
• Thirty days of annualized PTO

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed