High School Program Manager

At Summer Search, we believe in 'No Ceilings' and envision a world in which young people, regardless of circumstances, can chart their own destiny. In the United States, students from underserved communities – disproportionately BIPOC and first-generation – face systemic inequities in school, in the workforce, and in life. Nevertheless, these young people possess unique strengths, resilience, and limitless potential. 

Since 1990, Summer Search has partnered with young people during their transition from adolescence into adulthood by connecting them to expansive opportunities, professional mentoring, and a community of support.  Summer Searchers recognize their potential and build a toolkit to navigate and challenge systemic barriers, break new ground for their families and communities, and achieve economic equity and a life of purpose. 

THE OPPORTUNITY 

Summer Search Boston is seeking a Program Manager to join its 29-member hard-working and mission-driven team. This hire ensures that staff are trained, coached, and developed to work collaboratively with their students and our program team to achieve short, mid and long-term student outcomes. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced people manager and coach to enhance the quality of our programming for students, advance the impact of Summer Search in the local community, and join a team that is committed to learning, social and racial equity, and the students we serve. 

This Manager will report to the Director of High School and Outreach and join the High School team comprised of an additional High School Program Manager and 7-9 Program Associates as well as work closely with the Outreach team, comprised of a School & Community Engagement Manager and a Coordinator. We are passionate about working with youth and committed to building long-term, holistic, individualized relationships with each student to support them in their journey through high school and beyond. 

WHAT YOU’LL DO 

Specifically, the Program Manager will:  

People Management 

• Manage and facilitate success of 4-5 Program Associates (mentors) through weekly 1:1 supervision, goal setting, performance management and evaluation, day to day support, and on-going training. 
• Oversee and support the mentoring work, data management, and outcomes for all students served by Program Associates; including conducting observations of 1:1 and group mentoring to support staff development of mentoring quality behaviors. 
• Drive short and long-term program outcomes by holding mentors accountable to the process and deadlines around outreach and recruitment, summer experiences, and school-year program participation and expectations, as well as demonstrating a commitment to students that result in a high level of engagement throughout their Summer Search experience.  
• Track challenges students, in the program, face and provide support to Program Associates in developing plans to address these challenges, including helping staff leverage available resources.  
• Collaborate with local and national leadership to develop and implement trainings for program staff to support their work with students informed by our depth mentoring approach focused on social emotional skills, identity formation, critical consciousness, and trauma sensitivity as well as mental health and well-being and our group mentoring model. 
• Collaborate with local and national leadership to advocate for the needs of program associates and coordinators, especially the unique needs of the Greater Boston area. 
• Foster a team environment that values feedback, accountability, flexibility, and collaboration where staff can show up as their authentic selves and thrive. 
• Work collaboratively with site Program Managers and Directors to create calendar of events and shared responsibilities across program team. 
• In partnership with the Talent Team and Program Site Lead, support the hiring process for staff, including scheduling and conducting interviews as well as onboarding Program Associates when they join the team.  

Program Management 

• Support the execution of daily high school program operations, collaborating closely with the Director of High School Program and Outreach, to ensure strong alignment with organization-wide framework and in response to student and team needs. 
• Identify and pursue opportunities to innovate and improve program operations and performance, including implementing systems for assessing program quality and staff effectiveness in collaboration with Director of High School Program and Outreach and Program Managers. 
• Ensure a high-quality data culture by establishing clear expectations for accurate and timely data collection by Program Associates and providing feedback. 
• Collect and analyze program data on a weekly basis in Salesforce Lightning database to assess student progress and drive organizational learning, ensure high levels of program quality, understand trends in student engagement and outcomes, and identify key drivers/barriers to program progress and performance. 
• Ensure the timely response to student safety issues related to their physical, social, and emotional well-being by partnering with teammates in a student-centered approach.  
• Implement proper interventions and protocols for student safety issues and institute crisis management plans, in advance, to ensure staff preparedness.  
• Support Director of High School Program and Outreach with the annual planning and budgeting process by consulting on projections and plans for the local high school program.    

Student Engagement & Program Facilitation 

• Support the program team with direct student support and coverage needs, including, but not limited, to holding a small caseload, when needed. 
• Liaise closely with Summer Programs, Outreach and School & Community Engagement, and Post-Secondary staff to execute against the annual program calendar and milestones.  
• Lead projects with Program Managers to develop and implement strategies to increase family engagement in high school program by establishing multiple points of contact throughout program year.  
• Participate in student recruitment, interviewing and enrollment, as well as lead planning for and attending key milestone events (i.e. Open Houses, Summer Experience Prep, etc.) for students and their families, including evening and weekend events throughout the year.  
• Support with supervision and implementation of group mentoring program in schools and at our office. 
• As needed, play a supplemental support role with the Development team (e.g. managing the involvement of students and staff in donor events, providing program data for grant proposals,  

WHO YOU ARE 

The Program Manager position calls for a motivated leader who can translate organization-wide strategies into local program delivery and who is passionate about people management.  

Specifically, well-qualified candidates will bring: 

• EXPERIENCE: At least 4 years of work experience, inclusive of 1-2 years in a management role, supervising and/or coaching frontline staff, at a youth development, educational, or other social service organization that serves low-income communities. Boston-specific knowledge is preferred. 
• PEOPLE MANAGEMENT: Experience in coaching and guiding team members to achieve short, mid and long-term outcomes. Ability to prioritize, delegate, and hold space for staff. Ability to partner with senior level staff to represent program staff needs and ensure team alignment, cohesion and collective decision making. Facilitates cooperation and motivates staff to accomplish common goals.  Manages and resolves conflicts and handles interpersonal issues constructively. Experience managing or coaching caseload-bearing staff is a plus.  
• PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Works in an organized manner to achieve goals and objectives. Balances competing priorities when managing projects. Strong implementer with the ability to execute against plans, recognize unexplored opportunities, utilize data to inform decision making, and set priorities. Able to achieve project goals with a team as well as an individual. 
• CRITICAL CONCIOUSNESS: Recognizes sociopolitical barriers and understands the systems of oppression that operate in day-to-day lives of stakeholders e.g. students/participants, staff members, community partners, and alumni. Professional and/or personal experience of helping teams engage around Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI.) 
• ADAPTABILITY: Assesses information that is available and takes calculated risk. Stays productive and solutions-oriented in the face of change and unfamiliar scenarios. Remains curious and flexible and demonstrates a willingness to learn new ways to accomplish work. Ability to understand and navigate different perspectives. 
• ACCOUNTABILTY: Holds self and others responsible for process, decisions, actions, and commitments to results and to drive high-quality outcomes for students. Is responsive to needs of stakeholders (e.g. student/program participants, staff members, community partners, alumni, volunteers) and follows through on commitments. 
• TECHNOLOGY SKILLS: Proficiency of Microsoft Office applications, database operations, and Excel for data entry and management; prior experience using Salesforce is a plus.  
• LANGUAGE SKILLS: Bi-lingual in English-Spanish/-Haitian Creole/-Cantonese/-Mandarin/-Vietnamese/-Cape Verdean Creole/-Portuguese is a plus.  

In addition, all Summer Search staff bring a commitment to our mission of unleashing students’ potential through mentoring and transformative experiences, as well as the ability to thrive in an environment that values excellence, gratitude, well-being, diversity, authenticity, and collaboration.   

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Must have a current driver’s license and a clean driving record or access to reliable public transportation. 

LOCATION AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS 

Work hours are Mon-Fri 10am-6pm with occasional weekend and evening commitments, as required for student and family engagement events.   

Boston staff work from home 2 days a week and out of our office in Jamaica Plain 3 days a week.  

You must reside in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or New Hampshire by your first day of employment.  

Must have a current driver’s license and a clean driving record or access to reliable public transportation.  

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS 

This is an exempt position with a salary range of $67,893-$73,922. Summer Search is committed to transparent, equitable compensation practices. Salaries are benchmarked using current market data and salary bands are created to demonstrate the growth potential within the band. Typically, offers are made at the starting place of the salary band. The Hiring Manager partners with the Talent Team to ensure offers are appropriate, competitive and maintain internal equity. 

Well-being, flexibility, and ongoing learning and development are pillars of our culture. We value our staff and are committed to creating an environment where every individual feels seen, heard, and valued. Investments in our staff include:    

• Medical insurance with up to 90% employer contribution   
• Dental, vision, FSA, life, and disability insurance plans   
• 401 (K) and Employer Match up to $2,000 annually   
• Generous time off including 15 vacation days, 10 sick days, and 18 holidays (2 floating holidays of your choice, a birthday day-off, 10 company-wide holidays, and a 1-week December closure). Plus, Re-Fresh Friday’s - a paid half day off the first Friday of every month!  
• A comprehensive Employee Recognition Program (years of service awards, spot awards, and professional development funding). 
• A four-week paid sabbatical after five years of continuous employment.     
• Individual, local, regional, and national training   
• A commitment to developing leaders from within the organization, with available limited Professional Development funding.  
• An organizational culture that supports staff well-being and holistic self-care/community care   
• Ample opportunities to connect with the students and communities we serve.  

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION 

With a staff that cares deeply about social justice and racial justice, we believe that diverse perspectives and backgrounds create a rich work environment and enhance our ability to pursue our mission. We are committed to building an organization with raised consciousness in order to impact how we work with students, as well as how we work together as a team. We hope you will join us as we continue to build a justice-centered organization that fosters a work environment where people from all backgrounds are welcomed and valued.  

TO APPLY 

Click HERE to submit a resume and targeted cover letter, addressed to Stephanie Tafur, Regional Director of Programs & Operations that answers the question, “Why are you interested in the Program Manager opportunity at Summer Search?”  

SUMMER SEARCH IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.