Associate Director, Upward Bound & Urban Scholars

UMass Boston•Boston, MA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Two of UMass Boston’s oldest pre-collegiate programs, TRIO Upward Bound (UB) and TRIO Urban Scholars/UB Math-Science (Urban Scholars) provide their high school participants (aged 13-19) with the skills and motivation necessary for successful completion of high school and entry into and completion of post-secondary education. Year-round programming includes college-preparatory academic courses, tutoring, college advising, career awareness activities, social-emotional skill-building, and cultural enrichment. The most intensive aspect of the program year, the six-week summer component, is preceded by one week of staff orientation and is run by the program’s administrative staff (Director of Programs, Associate Director, College Access Coordinator, and three Student Counselor/Recruiters). The UB summer program takes place on a residential campus and runs each week from Sunday evening through Friday afternoon. The Urban Scholars summer program is a day program (9:00 AM-5:00 PM) that operates on the UMass Boston campus. As they progress through the program, many UB and Urban Scholars participants take college courses at UMass Boston and/or participate in paid career internships. UB currently serves 126 students who attend the following partner Boston Public high schools: Albert Holland School of Technology, Dearborn STEM Academy, and Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. With a greater focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, Urban Scholars currently serves 60 students annually who attend Albert Holland School of Technology (7-12), Dearborn STEM Academy (7-12), TechBoston Academy (7-12), and Boston International/Newcomers Academy. Both programs also serve students who reside in Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan but who do not attend one of these partner schools. The Associate Director will be responsible for the recruitment, screening, selection, and intake of program participants and will meet with a caseload of program participants to provide holistic coaching and academic guidance regarding their secondary school progress, college and career goals, and postsecondary entry. The incumbent will assist the Director of Programs in planning and implementing the summer programs, including selecting and training program teachers, tutors and teaching assistants and facilitating orientations for staff, students, and parents. In the absence of the Director of Programs, the Associate Director will assume responsibility during the summer for program operations, including staff supervision, and for the safety and well-being of the student attendees. During the summer, the Associate Director will reside full-time at the summer residential site and will teach a course section. They will plan, implement and chaperone academic, career, and cultural field trips and activities and in collaboration with other program staff, will promote and report on program events. They will assist the Director of Programs with the collection of program data and the submission of regular program reports. A significant component of this position is collaboration with the university's Pre-collegiate TRIO programs and its Early College program. Because Upward Bound and Urban Scholars serve the same and often overlapping populations of students as Early College, the Associate Director works closely with other Pre-collegiate TRIO and Early College staff to coordinate student services, outreach, recruitment strategies, advising, college-success programming, workshops, and professional development. This collaboration is designed to provide students with a cohesive and comprehensive college access and success experience across programs. The Associate Director will work across Upward Bound and Urban Scholars, dedicating roughly 80% of their time to Upward Bound and 20% to Urban Scholars.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Education, Psychology, Sociology, Counseling, or a closely related field
Minimum of three-five (3-5) years of professional administrative experience and/or teaching within a primary, secondary school or post-secondary institution, preferably in an urban primary or secondary school or higher education institution setting
Demonstrated experience with academic and/or college counseling skills

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Education, Counseling, or a closely related field
Motor vehicle driver’s license
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with low-income, first-generation urban students, including English Learners (ELs), and their families
Knowledge of and experience working with the Boston Public Schools or similar urban district
Bilingual in Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, Vietnamese, or Spanish
Success in overcoming similar obstacles as those faced by target students
Knowledge of MA curriculum frameworks, college and career advising resources and various educational assessments such as SAT, Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)
Knowledge of instructional practices that support the development of target students
Demonstrated knowledge of college counseling, financial aid and post-secondary placement
Proficiency with office and database software, social media, and web-conferencing platforms
Demonstrated experience with event planning, promotion and implementation
Ability to communicate effectively and work cooperatively with university and/or school personnel
Ability to effectively and efficiently work in a team capacity with a broad range of staff to accomplish departmental and program goals
Ability to work independently and efficiently
Ability to supervise the work of instructional staff (part-time program teachers and tutors)
Ability to teach a summer course (e.g., STEM or English Language Arts, etc.)
Strong oral and written communication skills
Strong presentation and interpersonal skills, including the capacity to work cooperatively with a wide range of individuals
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
Strong attention to detail
Good judgment, discretion and ability to maintain confidentiality
Strong commitment to customer service

Responsibilities

Direct the student recruitment process; work closely with teachers, school counselors, and other school personnel and parents to recruit students for the program; work with the Student Counselor/Recruiters to provide information sessions to new recruits and collect program applications and health forms
Manage the program admission process: meet with the Director of Programs and Student Counselor/Recruiters to make student admission decisions based upon the applicants’ need for the program, academic performance, commitment to enrolling in post-secondary education and other decision-making factors
Assist the Director of Programs in the recruitment, selection, onboarding, training, and supervision of all instructional staff, including program teachers and tutors; ensure that courses are aligned with the Massachusetts Core Curriculum and program objectives and that course offerings are aligned with program regulations
Work with the Director of Programs and the department’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction to develop and implement program curricula and courses offerings; ensure that the federally mandated core curriculum is implemented and that the participants are engaged in college-preparatory courses and activities; secure and coordinate accommodations for students in need of English Learner (EL) and/or special education services
Coordinate the internship component of the program: identify employers on and off campus who can offer a valuable internship experience and select and place program participants and alumni into internships; prepare students for success prior to the internship experience and maintain contact with interns and with employers during the internship to support the interns’ performance; ensure that all funder requirements are met
Assist the Director of Programs, College Access Coordinator, and Student Counselor/Recruiter in the planning and implementation of the Upward Bound and Urban Scholars summer components; including in planning and implementing orientation for students, parents, and staff
Live in residence at the Upward Bound summer site, providing support to the rest of the Upward Bound summer residential staff (including the Director of Programs, College Access Coordinator, and Student Counselor/Recruiter)
In the absence of the Director of Programs, assume responsibility for: Maintaining program operations, including staff supervision; The safety and welfare of ~60 high school participants from Sunday afternoon through Friday afternoon weekly) for six weeks during the program’s summer residential program.
Teach one course section in the summer (e.g., English Language Arts, STEM, elective)
As part of the program’s participation in the Boston After School & Beyond Summer Learning Community, administer various student and program assessments and assist with the collection and entry of attendance and other relevant data into the online CitySpan database
Coordinate participant intake, initial needs assessment, and advising for students in grades nine through twelve; Provide academic, career, and personal counseling to participants; meet regularly with a caseload of program participants [approx. 40 students] at least quarterly to provide guidance regarding their academic progress, college and career goals, secondary and post-secondary course selection and to provide personal wellness counseling
In collaboration with the College Access Coordinator and Student Counselor/Recruiters, plan and facilitate monthly cohort meetings that include presentations, workshops, panels, and guest speakers for advisees
In collaboration/consultation with the Director of Programs, College Access Coordinator, and Student Counselor/Recruiters, plan, implement and chaperone academic enrichment, career, service learning/community service, leadership, and cultural field trips and activities, some of which are overnight and/or weekend trips
Work closely with the Director of Programs to adjudicate student discipline and code of conduct matters, serving often as the first administrator contact with the student regarding conduct matters
In consultation with the Director of Programs, promote and report on program events, via social media, text, phone calls, and other modes of communication
In consultation with the Director of Programs, provide updates on program services, student progress, program events and other areas of interest pertaining to the program to school personnel; meet as needed with headmasters, teachers, school counselors, and other personnel from the program’s partner high schools to discuss student performance, program goals and accomplishments, school or program events, and other areas of program interest
Assist the Director of Programs in the development of partnerships with families to support academic achievement and the successful pursuit of postsecondary education
Prepare and submit activity, evaluation, and fiscal reports to the Director of Programs for the purpose of program management and improvement. Assist the Director of Programs with providing activity reports and regular program evaluation reports to unit leadership for the purpose of program management and improvement
Collect and enter data related to areas of responsibility and maintain integrity of program database containing all relevant student data on an ongoing basis
Assist the Director of Programs with the preparation and submission of the annual performance and other progress reports and continuation proposals for the U.S. Department of Education and all agencies that have such requirements
Assist the Director of Programs in regularly evaluating the program and developing and implementing systems for continuous improvement in the quality of program services and the attainment of program outcome objectives
Perform other duties as assigned.