Director of College Access

Company Overview:

Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT) was founded in 2013 with the mission to increase the number of young men of color (YMOC) to attend and graduate from colleges and universities. We envision a world where men of color are overrepresented in higher education, underrepresented in the criminal justice system, and leaders in their communities. Utilizing our Core Values of Teamwork, Character, Service and Liberation we work to combat academic inequities and build a college-to-community pipeline.

Position Overview: 

Reporting directly to the Chief Program & People Officer, the Director of College Access will directly supervise the College Access Manager in leading training and curriculum development efforts within the Shared Services team. The role specifically targets preparing young men of color in grades 7-12 for successful college enrollment. This position requires close collaboration with regional program teams to ensure consistency, effectiveness, and fidelity to the IYT model across all locations.

Responsibilities include:

Training, Staff Development & Implementation Support:

• Develop, facilitate and implement comprehensive training programs for program staff and AmeriCorps College Access Mentors in collaboration with the AmeriCorps Services team, emphasizing best practices in college preparation and youth development best practices.
• Spearhead the training and onboarding process for all Regional Program Directors (RPDs) and Program Managers (PMs) on national program standards across all college access offerings.
• Regularly assess training effectiveness and make necessary adjustments to meet evolving educational needs.
• Provide ongoing professional development, coaching, and performance support to enhance staff instructional quality and mentoring effectiveness.
• Provide targeted coaching and hands-on support for new site implementation, leveraging IYT’s New Site Implementation Guide.
• Facilitate weekly peer learning communities for RPDs to share innovations, tackle common challenges, and strengthen leadership practice.
• Serve as interim leadership in regions undergoing staffing transitions, ensuring program continuity and team stability.

Curriculum Development:

• Lead the creation, implementation, and refinement of a culturally responsive curriculum specifically designed to prepare young men of color (grades 7-12) for college readiness.
• Work collaboratively with regional program directors and frontline staff to ensure curriculum alignment with IYT’s mission, academic goals, and student engagement objectives.
• Continuously research and integrate innovative engagement, educational strategies and resources into curriculum design.

Program Management & Oversight:

• Provide leadership and oversight in establishing clear benchmarks for college readiness outcomes, including academic achievement, standardized test preparation, college applications, and enrollment processes.
• Ensure consistent implementation and adherence to IYT program standards across all Shared Services regions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to maintain effective partnerships with schools, district leaders, and community organizations.

Evaluation and Reporting:

• Establish metrics to evaluate and monitor program effectiveness related to college readiness and access.
• Analyze program data to inform strategic decisions and continuous improvement efforts, providing regular updates to executive leadership and key stakeholders.
• Document and disseminate best practices, learnings, and impact stories to elevate the visibility and effectiveness of IYT’s college access initiatives.

Program Implementation & Continuous Improvement:

• Conduct site visits (in and out of state) to low performing sites and regions (bottom 20%), including top performing sites to observe and document best practices.
• Conduct formal site audits to assess program fidelity and ensure alignment with IYT’s standards and college access best practices.
• Co-develop and execute strategies with regional leaders to drive improvement in key performance indicators, including:
  • Program dosage and after school attendance
  • Member recruitment and retention
  • Reduction in D’s and F’s
  • A–G course completion
  • FAFSA/CADAA completion and college application submission
• Partner with RPDs to pilot and scale new initiatives that enhance college access outcomes.

Additional duties as assigned 

Qualifications:

Must Haves

• Deep commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Improve Your Tomorrow.
• Proven experience managing teams and delivering training programs.
• Demonstrated experience designing curriculum and programming focused on youth development and college readiness, particularly for young men of color.
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and analytical skills.
• Familiarity with educational technology, Salesforce, Microsoft Suite, and Google applications.
• Ability to work flexible hours including occasional evenings and weekends as needed.
• Ability to travel frequently up to 25% of the time to IYT sites in and out of state.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university required 
• Master's degree in education or related field preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum 3-5 years experience in education, curriculum development, and/or staff training.
• 3-5 years experience in non-profit/organizational youth development or education required.

Computer Skills:

• Comfortable using Windows and/or Mac OS operating systems.
• Competency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets for data tracking, analysis, reporting, and visualization.
• Experience with CRM or student management software such as Salesforce, or similar platforms for tracking students' academic progress and interactions.
• Familiarity with Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail, Calendar, Meet).
• Comfortable managing email communications and maintaining professional etiquette.
• Skilled in creating visually engaging and informative presentations using tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Canva.
• Proficiency in conducting virtual meetings or webinars using Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Webex.
• Experience using project management applications like Monday.com, to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and tasks.

Schedule:

Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm, some weekends, evenings and organization-wide events are required.

Pay Rate:

$85,000-$110,000/Annually DOE

Benefits:

Benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision, Life AD&D, Voluntary Life AD&D, EAP and a 403(b) retirement with 3% employer match after one year of employment. We also provide 2 weeks of accrued paid vacation and paid time off for school breaks.

Location: 

IYT National Headquarters in Sacramento, CA. Frequent travel may be required from time to time. A valid driver's license, insurance and vehicle are required. Mileage is reimbursable.

*Clearance from background checks is required for employment, with fingerprinting expenses covered by the employer.*

IYT is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

Salary : $85,000 - $110,000