About Breakthrough Silicon Valley

Breakthrough Silicon Valley launches talented students who have been historically excluded from higher education on the path to college, and inspires high school and college students to become the next generation of leaders, advocates, and educators. BTSV’s seven-year college access and success program, which supports students from 7th grade to first year of college, has proven to be effective in preparing these students for college: a stunning 99% of BTSV graduates attend college immediately after high school.

BTSV’s tuition-free program provides year-round out-of-school time academic support, counseling, and advocacy for a diverse group of talented students, most of whom come from under-resourced communities and will be the first generation in their family to go to college. Through our students-teaching-students model, BTSV also provides a consummate professional development experience providing talented high school and college students the opportunity to understand the K-12 system and the drivers of educational inequities, and to design and teach classes under the direction of seasoned educators.

Located in San Jose, California, Breakthrough Silicon Valley is an affiliate of The Breakthrough Collaborative, a leading national service organization that acts as the national voice for 25 Breakthrough sites across the country.

Position Overview

The Director of College Access and Success (DCAS) owns the strategic implementation of BTSV’s programming activities for our high school and college students to prepare them to gain admission into and succeed in college. You will manage and develop a team of college access and success staff and AmeriCorps members, develop program strategies, oversee curriculum and workshop material development, provide oversight of program delivery, and work to ensure alignment of objectives and messages across five years of programming. Through your leadership, you will ensure that the team delivers high-quality, engaging, and impactful programming to accomplish BTSV’s mission and objectives, and meets the organization’s student retention and engagement goals.

As a member of BTSV’s leadership team, you will inform the strategic direction of our organization, and support the implementation of organizational strategy and vision to serve the evolving needs of our students and their communities.

The DCAS reports to the Vice President of Programs and Instruction.

Key Responsibilities

College Access & Advising Program (9th to 12th Grade)

• Provide leadership to a team of three full-time college access and advising managers and up to six AmeriCorps members to deliver a highly effective college access program that combines college readiness workshops, college counseling, academic support and family education for 9th to 12th grade students.

• Lead the development and oversee implementation of high school college access strategies and activities to help students get on a college track, and work to ensure alignment of program objectives across all high school grade levels. 

• Lead the design and implementation of BTSV college advising programs and oversee the training of its college advisors to coach students through their college application process and get into a 4-year college.

• Stay abreast of the changing college admission landscape; update BTSV’s college advising strategies and guidelines every year or as needed.

• Collaborate with the Director of Admissions and Middle School Programs in the planning of the 9th Grade Summer Program; provide leadership to the summer site staff to ensure successful implementation of the programming activities. 

• Develop professional development priorities and identify growth opportunities for all college access staff.

• Provide oversight to the support and coaching of AmeriCorps members by the college access managers; identify training needs to enhance their performance.

College Success Program & Alumni Relations

• Lead the development of and oversee implementation of college transition, peer mentoring, and college success programming activities to help BTSV graduates build the foundation of college success.

• Manage and supervise the College Success Manager and ensure effective delivery of all activities and meeting of the programmatic goals and objectives.

• Lead the development of strategies to maintain relations with and cultivate the support of Breakthrough alumni.

• Oversee the process to track and report college persistence data of BTSV alumni at least once per year.

• Oversee the efforts to identify, develop, and manage relationships with college success organizations to support the success of BTSV graduates who are enrolled in college.

Program Evaluation & Data Collection

• Assist the Vice President of Programs and Instructions with the development of program, metrics and data collection tools and processes.

• Take charge of timely collection of program and student performance data, including attendance, engagement, academic performance, as well as college application and admission data.

• Oversee the design of data collection and tracking to monitor students' academic progress to ensure students are on track with UC, CSU, and private college admissions requirements, as well as CalGrant eligibility.

• Lead the team’s efforts to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of program strategies and identify opportunities for improvement.

Partnership Management & Development Support

• Develop and manage relationships with outside organizations, including but not limited to school counselors, administrators and teachers, community-based organization partners, and college admissions representatives to amplify impacts of our work, increase BTSV’s visibility, and support students to get to and through college.

• Represent BTSV at professional and community events.

• Support the efforts to collect student and family testimonials; identify compelling student stories to showcase impacts of BTSV’s programs. 

• Work collaboratively with the Development Team to design and implement high-quality volunteer opportunities that support student success.

What background and skills do you have?:

• Understand the unique challenges facing first-generation college students, and demonstrated ability to develop engaging and results-oriented programming to support our students and families to navigate those challenges.

• 5 years of 1:1 academic and college advising experience.

• Demonstrated expertise in college admissions in California; certificate in college advising is a plus.

• Prior experience in program or curriculum design and planning directed at a similar service population.

• 2 years of experience in team and people management and supervision.

• Strong project manager with the ability to prioritize, meet deadlines, and delegate when needed while executing multiple time-sensitive priorities.

• Comfort with collecting and drawing inferences from data, and use of data tools such as Microsoft Excel and/or Google Sheets, and Salesforce.

• Comfort with public speaking and the ability to engage with diverse audiences. Bilingual (Spanish or Vietnamese) speaking skills are desirable but not required.

• Demonstrated ability to manage partnerships with schools, other educational institutions or community-based organizations.

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in a related field is a plus.

• “Breakthrough Spirit”: You’re a collaborative team player who is committed to excellence and open-minded, demonstrates a growth mindset, thinks creatively to solve problems, and works with a sense of humor and humility.

• A commitment to Breakthrough Silicon Valley’s mission and an unwavering belief in the potential of Breakthrough students to succeed in rigorous, 4-year universities.

We know that many strong candidates will not have all the skills we list. That’s OK. What else do you bring to the table? Please tell us!

Compensation and Benefits

• This is a full-time, exempt position.

• The salary range for this role is $90,000-$110,000. BTSV typically makes salary offers between the range minimum and midpoint, taking into consideration the candidate’s qualifications, our budget, and internal equity.

• Health benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with 100% of employee premiums and 75% of dependent premiums covered by BTSV.

• Retirement Benefits: 401(k) plan with immediate, fully vested 3% company match.

• Paid time off: 15 days of PTO, plus 11 holidays and two “shut-down” weeks.

• Professional development fund for professional association memberships and to pursue growth and learning opportunities.

Location and Hours

BTSV maintains two offices in San Jose:

• Bridges Academy: 1702 McLaughlin Ave, San Jose, CA 95122

• Herbert Hoover Middle School: 1635 Park Ave, San Jose, CA 95126

This is primarily an in-person position, and you will work at BTSV’s offices above. Travel to other partner school sites in San Jose during BTSV’s summer program is also required. You will have occasional flexibility to work from a home office when in-person work is not required, typically two days per week during the school year.

As BTSV is an “out of school time program,” you can expect to work some early evenings during the school year and early mornings during the summer. You will also need to work occasional weekends to support program events.

Desired start date is summer 2024.

COVID-19 Information

BTSV is continually monitoring the COVID-19 situation locally and will continue to comply with all state, county, city, and/or school district directives on PPE, social distancing, vaccination, and remote work as they evolve.

Application Process

Apply through this site and attach your resume and cover letter as PDFs. Please indicate where you heard about the position in your cover letter. We will review applications on a rolling basis.

BTSV engages with individuals of all backgrounds and we are committed to embracing diversity within our organization, including developing a team who represents the communities we serve.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, BTSV is committed to providing employment opportunities to all individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.