Program Operations Coordinator

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 Seattle is seeking a Program Operations Coordinator who will work the behind-the scenes operations magic that allows our team to smoothly execute excellent programming for Summer Search participants. This role will be instrumental in two critical areas of our programming - recruiting new participants into our program and sending them on meaningful summer experiences. Reporting to the Director of Programs, this is an exciting opportunity to work closely with site leadership to ensure our program operations are smooth, efficient and high-quality while enabling program staff to focus on direct service and relationship-building with students and families.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Summer Experience Coordination (Primary Focus in Spring and Summer):

• Support planning and execution of all logistics for our summer experiences to prepare and send approximately 130+ high school students on 2–4-week summer experiences.
• Coordinate student travel, hotel bookings, visa and immunization records, health insurance applications, identification cards, spending money distribution, and other pre-trip requirements.
• Coordinate all logistics of pre- and post-trip student events, such as the annual outdoor readiness day, summer experience orientations, info-sessions & trip preparation workshops, equipment purchasing and distribution, and post-experience integration events.
• Support training of site staff in summer experience student preparation, family engagement, and annual summer readiness practices annually.
• In partnership with the Site Leadership, develop, implement, and evaluate process improvements intended to streamline and scale existing operations.
• Serve as point of contact with Summer partners who host summer experiences for participants, ensuring strong communication, accurate & timely information sharing, and timely problem-solving.
• Use Salesforce database to track the student experience application process for all students attending summer experiences and use that data to share timely updates.
• Attend Summer Experience cohort meetings on a bimonthly-monthly basis dependent on season.
• Stay up to date with all national insurance policies & guidelines and support site specific compliance.

Outreach Coordination (Primary Focus in Late Summer through Late Fall):

• Support planning and execution of all logistics for our outreach and recruitment cycles with 6+ partner schools to recruit approximately 80+ high school sophomores to the program.
• Support development and distribution of outreach materials (presentations, fliers, posters, info sheets) and maintain a calendar of outreach events.
• Collaborate with school partners, referral networks, and community organizations to maximize visibility and recruit a diverse pool of applicants.
• Track student interest and applications in Salesforce, ensuring accurate follow-up and communication with students and families.
• Serve as point of contact for school and community partners, ensuring strong communication, accurate & timely information sharing, and timely problem-solving.
• Support outreach presentations and tabling events at partner schools and with community partner organizations.

Partnership Coordination and Data Management (Year-Round):

• Maintain data integrity in all program operations by ensuring accurate, timely, and consistent entry into Salesforce.
• Generate, track, and analyze data reports to support program evaluation, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Provide excellent support to school, community, and summer program partners by responding promptly to questions, sharing updates, and problem solving continuously.
• Support building and sustain strong partner relationships through ensuring alignment on timelines, requirements, and expectations.
• Attend site leadership meetings as needed to support general operations and ensure smooth alignment between program components.

WHO YOU ARE

The Program Operations Coordinator position calls for a professional with a strong customer service orientation in working with internal and external stakeholders and an eye for creating and continuously improving processes. Specifically, this hire will bring:

• EXPERIENCE: At least 2 years of relevant professional experience in operational or non-profit program roles, ideally at organizations that serve youth from low income and/or communities of color. Exposure to or familiarity with participant/student recruitment and/or experiential summer programs is a plus.
• PROJECT MANAGEMENT: You take initiative to create systems and structures to achieve goals and objectives. You succeed at managing multiple workstreams and motivating, coordinating, and directing others to stay on track.
• ADAPTABILITY: You tackle challenges and unfamiliar scenarios head-on with a solutions-oriented, flexible, and curious approach. You are willing to try new things and actively seek to understand multiple perspectives.
• ACCOUNTABILITY: You hold yourself and others responsible for processes, decisions, actions, and commitments to results to drive high quality outcomes. You're responsive to the needs of stakeholders and follow through on commitments.
• TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION: You value many voices, are comfortable creating space for dialogue and handle interpersonal issues constructively. You inspire and foster commitment, connection, enthusiasm, and trust and motivate others to achieve common goals.
• CULTURAL HUMILITY: You lead with empathy and self-reflection to respect the beliefs, customs and values of people in order to foster inclusivity and respond to the needs of our communities.
• TECHNOLOGY SKILLS: Familiarity with databases for data entry and tracking. Salesforce experience is a plus.
• LANGUAGE SKILLS: Proficiency in Spanish 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.

LOCATION AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Work hours are Mon-Fri 10am-6pm with occasional weekend and evening special events. This is a hybrid role with at least two days a week working in person at our office in King County. Occasional travel to partner schools for meetings, tabling events and presentation required. Additional travel may be needed during the summer season to support Summer Experiences, including coordination of the annual Outdoor Readiness Event and chaperoning travel within Washington state.

Competitive and transparent salaries. This is a non-exempt position with starting pay ranging from $30.10-$32.46 per hour ($59,688-63,289 annually). 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).
• Refresh Friday’s – a paid 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.
• 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 critical 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.