Managing Director of Programs

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 Managing Director of Programs (MDP). The Managing Director role is responsible for overseeing all programming across ten years and three campuses. The Managing Director of Programs sits on the organization’s Management Team and is responsible for both advancing programmatic goals and interests with the larger organization as well working cross functionally to ensure organizational health.

The MDP will be responsible for programmatic visioning, long term planning and evaluation, high level program oversight and will foster a culture of programmatic excellence. The MDP hires, trains, and supervises the full-time team of Senior Directors (for Curriculum and Instruction, Student Services, College Access and College Success). The MDP will have primary responsibility for ensuring strong relationships with school partners and other partners, working directly with district and school leadership. The Managing Director of Programs reports directly to Breakthrough Greater Boston’s Executive Director. 

POSITION OUTCOMES

A successful Managing Director of Programs will:

·        Ensure students, families, teachers and staff experience Breakthrough as a welcoming, inclusive, supportive community that works with them in partnership to pursue their long-term educational and life goals 

·        Thoughtfully develop a closely aligned, highly motivated, and outcomes-driven program leadership team that ensures BTGB delivers on its mission and promise to students, families, teachers and school partners

·        Oversee, at a high level, the execution of safe, engaging, high-impact programming from 7^th grade through college as well as for our Teaching Fellows

·        Guarantee that BTGB’s teacher training and student program efforts are informed by the latest research, reflective of cultural humility and a commitment to equity

·        Nurture robust and mutually beneficial relationships with school and district partners across our three campuses

·        Represent Breakthrough’s programming and serve as a thought leader in various external settings including with the Board of Directors, donors, and partners

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

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

Program Strategy, Growth and Evaluation

·        Work with the program leadership team to plan for program growth, innovation, and improvement (including launch of College Success Program, completion of Somerville Campus expansion, and other strategic plan initiatives)

·        Oversee BTGB’s evaluation activities including data collection systems and evaluation reporting

·        Share Breakthrough’s data and outcomes both internally (Board, Executive Director, Development team) and externally (school partners, Breakthrough Collaborative, education field)

·        Develop a knowledge management system that supports information sharing and ensures Breakthrough remains a best-in-class learning organization

Program Leadership

·        Ensure consistent high quality programming across campuses, maintaining a culture of collaboration and efficient communication

·        Ensure BTGB’s positive relationships with its students, families, teachers partners

·        Support in the development and execution of strong programmatic policies, systems, and infrastructure for effective program delivery

·        Oversee budget creation and management for the entire program in collaboration with the operations team

·        Plan and lead regular program team meetings and retreats with program leadership team

Senior Director Team Supervision

·        Hire Senior Directors of Program across the organization

·        Ensure team members receive high quality onboarding and training to set them up for long term success in their roles

·        Conduct weekly supervision, professional development planning, and regular performance evaluations for your team, providing them with consistent support and opportunities for professional growth

·        Create coverage plans and cover open areas of work during staff transitions within department

Partnership Management

·        Build awareness of BTGB’s mission and clearly articulate program impact to stakeholders

·        Establish and maintain meaningful contact with school and district leaders through regular meetings and program reports as well as informal touchpoints

·        Ensure school and district communications are tracked in Salesforce

·        Manage partnerships with external organizations including community-based organizations, universities and more

·        Serve as a thought leader for external audiences

YOUR BACKGROUND AND QUALIFICATIONS

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

·        Eight or more years of experience within leading educational programs, ideally serving students who will be first generation to college and/or training teachers

·        Expertise in multiple departmental areas: Curriculum and Instruction, Student Services, College Access, College Success

·        Experience using data to drive programmatic decisions

·        Experience managing and fostering positive relationships with schools and school districts

·        Ability to hold others to high standards while also offering support and maintaining positive relationships

·        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, Portuguese, 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 $117,600 —176,400; Breakthrough Greater Boston makes an offer based on relevant years of experience and does not negotiate salaries. 

HOW TO JOIN OUR TEAM

If you are interested in learning more about how your passion and experience can help Breakthrough meet its mission and grow its impact, please submit your resume and a thoughtful and targeted cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity. Applications can be submitted to Elissa Spelman, Executive Director, at jobs@btgbmail.org.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Learn more about Breakthrough Greater Boston at www.breakthroughgreaterboston.org.