Program Director—College Bound

Program Director—College Bound (High School)

Start date: December 2026/January 2027
Location: Houston—Hybrid work model
Reports to: Senior Director of Programs
Starting salary: $90,000 annually
Benefits: Health insurance with 100% of employee-only premiums covered, dental and vision, a 401(k) with a 5% employer match, and generous paid time off.

Our Mission: We equip students who demonstrate remarkable promise and financial need to discover what’s possible, access and attain a college degree, and build lives of choice and purpose.

Equity is one of our core values. We work to ensure all identities—particularly Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and those historically marginalized—are represented and supported across all levels of our team.

Our Background + Our Program: Founded in 1995, Breakthrough Houston makes a bold ten-year commitment to students—from middle school through college graduation. Our Middle School, College Bound, and College Completion Programs serve over 800 students in Houston and at colleges nationwide with tuition-free summer and school-year programming. Our Teacher Training Program also coaches 100+ aspiring teachers each summer.

The Person + The Work

The Role: The Program Director (PD) owns Breakthrough Houston’s College Bound Program—the four years of after-school and out-of-school-time programming that carry our students from 9th grade to college enrollment. You will set the annual plan, lead the team, manage the budget, and be accountable for results—most critically, postsecondary enrollment.

How You’ll Work: You report to the Senior Director of Programs, who coaches you as a leader. The day-to-day of College Bound is yours; your manager supports strategy and alignment rather than daily direction.

What Success Looks Like in Your First Year

• First 90 days: You lead team meetings and coaching cycles, have completed a listening tour, and are the primary contact for host sites and school partners.
• By 6 months: You have presented the annual plan—goals, calendar, Saturday programs, and budget—to leadership.
• By 12 months: You report outcomes to the leadership team, board, and funders with a plan for what’s next.

Program Leadership & Outcomes (20%)

• Program Strategy & Planning: Own the program model, annual plan, and calendar across 9th–12th grade, aligned to BTH’s ten-year model.
• Accountability for Results: Own student outcome goals, including persistence, FAFSA/TASFA completion, college applications and acceptances, scholarships, and enrollment.
• Budget Management: Manage the program budget and make resource decisions within approved parameters.
• Data & Reporting: Maintain Salesforce as the source of truth and produce reports for leadership, board, and funders.
• Student Transitions: Partner with the Middle School and College Completion Program Directors on seamless transitions into 9th grade and into college.

People Leadership & Coaching (40%)

• Team Leadership: Lead, coach, and evaluate four Program Managers and four AmeriCorps members. Each Program Manager serves one grade level: 9th (transition to high school), 10th (career exploration and summer opportunities), 11th (college exploration and college list), and 12th (applications and financial aid).
• Hiring & Performance Management: Lead hiring for the team, set clear expectations, conduct evaluations, and address performance concerns directly.
• Team Systems & Routines: Translate program goals into clear systems, coaching practices, and team routines.
• Professional Development: Deliver training that builds the team’s postsecondary advising expertise and reflects best practices for first-generation, limited-income, and BIPOC students.
• Saturday Programs: Own the design and delivery of 12 Saturday programs.

Community Partnerships & Engagement (20%)

• Host Site Management: Serve as primary contact for host campus partners, managing communication, scheduling, facilities, and shared resources.
• K-12 Engagement: Travel to high school campuses across Houston to build relationships with students and school-based partners.
• University Partnerships: Build relationships with universities and admissions officers to support students through admissions.
• Summer Opportunity Access: Connect students to academic programs, internships, fly-in programs, and employment.
• Field Engagement: Represent BTH at college access organizations and conferences, including TACAC and NCAN.

Student Support (10%)

• Caseload Management: Directly support approximately 3–5 seniors.
• Relationship Building & Holistic Support: Build trust with students and families, and ensure the team identifies needs and coordinates targeted interventions.
• Wrap-Around Support: Connect students to emergency funds, mental health counseling referrals, and immigration consultation services.

Cross-Team Leadership (10%)

• Organizational Leadership: Serve on BTH’s program leadership team, driving alignment and continuous improvement across Middle School, College Bound, and College Completion.

The following skills and competencies are not requirements but are designed to help you determine if this opportunity aligns with your own passion, purpose, skills, and interests:

You believe deeply in the brilliance of all students and in their ability to earn a postsecondary degree.

• You believe empowering students and families to own their path helps them overcome systemic barriers.

You are an inspiring and highly effective manager of people and processes.

• You bring out the best in people, build capacity through layers, and believe in supportive accountability.

You value working collaboratively and innovatively.

• You learn from teammates and look for ways to elevate the program, not just run it.

Execution is your power move: you get things done!

• People depend on your follow-through and communication.

You are Strategic AND Operational: moving easily from the big picture to the details.

• You set a clear vision and turn it into actionable goals, milestones, and timelines.

Qualifications

Required:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• 3+ years of college access, advising, or completion experience
• 3+ years of people management experience, including coaching staff to results and addressing performance concerns
• A track record of owning a program or major initiative end to end—setting goals, managing a budget, and being accountable for outcomes
• An authentic passion for Breakthrough’s mission and an approach aligned to our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and student success

Preferred:

• Knowledge of the Texas education/postsecondary access landscape
• Experience managing managers or leading a team through change
• Knowledge of Salesforce in both data entry and report development

Thinking of Applying? Research shows that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. If you are excited about the role but don’t meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway.

To Apply: Submit your application at https://forms.gle/UiHQHUfxKafFgfiE9. Questions? Email [email protected].

The application asks you to sign in with a Google account to upload your resume. You can create one free with any email address you already have (no new inbox) by choosing “Use my current email address instead.”

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, BTH 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.