Breakthrough Summerbridge Director of Programming and Instruction

Position: Breakthrough Summerbridge Director of Student and Family Services

At San Francisco University High School, we believe that the deepest learning requires collaboration among people who embody a diversity of backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives. In order to build and sustain a community that is comprised of a wide range of social and cultural identities, we must continually engage in furthering our self knowledge, equity literacy, and ability to communicate effectively across differences. We challenge ourselves to do this work on both a personal and institutional level, recognizing that our community is part of a larger and more complex world.

San Francisco University High School wishes to announce a full-time opening for the position of Breakthrough Summerbridge  Director of Student and Family Services. Breakthrough Summerbridge, founded in 1978 at San Francisco University High School (UHS), is a tuition-free, year-round intensive academic enrichment and advocacy program. Founded by Dennis Collins, former head of San Francisco University High School, and two pioneering faculty members, Lois Loufbourrow and Mal Singer, the program they envisioned would utilize the resources of University High School to serve the  city of San Francisco. It is the flagship site of the Breakthrough Collaborative. Today, there are 24 Breakthrough programs around the country.

For over 40 years, Breakthrough Summerbridge has advanced three primary goals:

Preparing ambitious middle school students from under-resourced circumstances to enter and thrive in well-matched high schools, for the purpose of securing admission to, succeeding in, and graduating from a four-year college
Providing intensive summer teaching internships for high school and college students (Teaching Fellows) who are passionate about the power of education, and creating meaningful volunteer experiences throughout the academic year for members of the UHS and San Francisco communities
Transforming lives through the unique and powerful relationship between the Breakthrough Summerbridge and UHS communities and their families

Click the link to learn more about Breakthrough Summerbridge.

The Position

The Director of Student and Family Services (DSFS) is an administrative position for Breakthrough Summerbridge (BTSB). This position plays a substantial  role in innovating, implementing, and overseeing several programmatic aspects, and promoting the culture of BTSB’s school year and summer programs. The DSFS is responsible for all aspects of student recruitment and admissions; high school advising; planning and implementation of special events; ensuring student and summer faculty with social and emotional support through close collaboration with the counselor; providing current student/alumni support; and empowering parents/guardians in their quest for high quality social and emotional support for their children. A successful DSFS is passionate about supporting our students, adapts to changes and cultivates productive relationships with faculty, students and families.

This position requires the availability to participate in evening and occasional weekend community wide special events.  The DSFS collaborates closely with other Breakthrough Summerbridge’s staff members and reports to Breakthrough Summerbridge’s Executive Director.

Essential Duties

• Serve as Dean of Students; support positive Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for students; ensure student adherence to expectations
• Lead the High School Advising (HSA) program to support 8th grade students and their families in the high school application process
• Teach the HSA student workshops
• Plan and lead Breakthrough Summerbridge Family Association meetings
• Oversee student and parent conferences
• Maintain collaboration with the counselor to ensure effective student support plans are in place
• Manage overall student recruitment process
• Build, maintain, and leverage relationships with school counselors and teachers across middle schools to ensure effective student recruitment
• Community outreach, visits and presentations
• Oversee admissions process, deliberations, and new family orientation
• Recruit summer student support staff (counselor, co-curricular leads)
• Provide pre-summer program training to summer faculty, in collaboration with the Director of Programming and Instruction
• Design non-academic summer program activities and events; manage Teaching Fellows in the planning and leading of those events
• Use assessment analyses to inform programmatic decisions
• Serve as administrator on duty and daily program close (rotating)
• Take on other duties/ complete other projects as needed/ assigned

Eligible Candidates Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (master’s degree a plus)
• At least 3 years of outstanding track record as an educator/ counselor in a school setting, preferably at the middle/ high school level
• Demonstrated ability to partner and create relationships with parents and community members
• Familiarity with SF Bay Area independent schools’ admission processes and broad knowledge of available resources preferred
• Experience with instructional leadership
• Demonstrated success in a supervisory role
• Experience with development and implementation of student support programming
• Demonstrated success in establishing and maintaining clear behavioral expectations and holding students to high standards
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with students from under-resourced circumstances
• Demonstrated commitment to educational equity
• Familiarity with San Francisco Unified School District highly desirable
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills
• Exceptional interpersonal communication skills
• Prior experience with Summerbridge/Breakthrough a plus
• Fluency in Spanish and/or Cantonese a plus
• Strong skills in using technology, including but not limited to online learning platforms or software, Google Suite (Google Drive, Docs, etc.)

Commitment and Compensation

• Year-round, full-time, salaried position.
• Competitive compensation and benefits package, commensurate with education and experience and consistent with San Francisco University High School personnel policies

CLICK HERE TO APPLY- Breakthrough Summerbridge Director of Student and Family Services