Operations / Administration Senior Program Manager
Job Description
Organization Profile:
Founded in 1999, BUILD’s mission is to use entrepreneurship to ignite the potential of youth in under-resourced communities and equip them for high school, college and career success. BUILD’s mission is to ignite the power of youth in under-resourced communities to build Career success, Entrepreneurial mindsets, and Opportunity.
BUILD’s unique program offers students in middle and high school access to engaging entrepreneurial experiences designed to develop 21st Century Skills and motivate student engagement in school. Through these experiences, BUILD helps students become the CEO of their own lives.
We are building entrepreneurial mindsets and skills for youth in communities that are underserved, overlooked, and underestimated. With a 20-year proven track record of providing an award-winning, innovative entrepreneurship program, BUILD is uniquely positioned to build a new generation of entrepreneurs.
Students engage with BUILD through the design challenge or in school in an entrepreneurial course. After completing the intro entrepreneurship programs, students can access opportunities and programs at BUILD to grow their businesses, explore college and career options, and work through the college application process.
BUILD currently serves thousands of high school students annually at programs located in our legacy regions of San Francisco Bay Area, Washington DC, New York City and Boston. Generation Entrepreneur (Gen E) is how BUILD is pushing for an equitable society to build leaders and change makers across America through digital acceleration, geographic expansion and systemic change.
Our Culture:
BUILD believes in the potential of every student and is dedicated to breaking down the educational, economic and social barriers that stand in the way of their long-term success. The remarkable young men and women whom we serve are at the center of everything we do. We are intentional about our culture so that we can best support them. Our culture thrives by embracing diversity, equity and inclusion, including cross-cultural understanding. We work in a collaborative environment where flexibility, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit are encouraged and celebrated. Kindness, empathy and respect are at the forefront of the way we treat each other, our students, our teachers and our supporters.
Position Summary:
Reporting to the Program Director, BUILD Boston, the Senior Program Manager (SPM) will play a leading role in developing strong school partnerships and high quality teacher and volunteer training for our school partners in Boston. The SPM will provide instructional and programmatic leadership, training, coaching, and relationship management. The SPM will liaise with multiple teams and stakeholders at BUILD to cultivate a culture of teamwork, excellence, collaboration, and learning among existing and future BUILD sites and community partners. Working in collaboration with other program staff, the Director of Mentor and Community Engagement, Regional Executive Director, and other BUILD staff, the SPM will ensure that each site is operating effectively and meeting the needs of students in alignment with BUILD’s mission and values. In addition, the SPM will support the cultivation and maintenance of new school partnerships. This role serves as the lead for balancing program quality, consistency, cost-effectiveness, and student-centered innovation.
Position Responsibilities:
Teacher and Volunteer Training
- Provide coaching and professional development, ensuring program excellence, to BUILD Boston teachers and partner facilitators.
- Collaborate with BUILD staff locally and nationally to provide trainings in using effective instructional practices for virtual and blended learning with under-resourced youth
- Develop and maintain relationships with BUILD Boston teachers, facilitators, volunteers, staff, and board members by demonstrating care, respect, and high expectations
School & Community Partnerships
- Foster a culture of belonging, trust, effective communication, perseverance, collaboration, and overall excellence across partner sites
- Support regional team in developing and managing partnerships with new schools to ensure effective and sustainable implementation of BUILD offerings
- Support the identification and selection of new school partners in collaboration with the Regional Executive Director, Directors and school and district leadership
Program Implementation, Evaluation & Development
- Utilize data to identify promising practices, celebrate successes, surface areas of improvement, and recommend strategies to promote organizational growth nationally
- Support the creation, implementation and improvement of BUILD curriculum digitization and development
Team Management
- Effectively supervise and coach the Program Manager to successfully fulfill their duties as described in the Program Manager job description (link).
- Identify professional development needs and opportunities for the Program Manager and, when appropriate, other members of the program team.
Qualifications:
- BA or BS degree in education or youth development, or related field or commensurate experience required. Master’s degree preferred.
- 5+ years of classroom teaching experience or direct service working with youth.
- Experience with entrepreneurship education and experiential education preferred; partnership development and volunteer management a plus.
- High cultural competence with experience serving diverse populations and students from under-resourced communities.
- Self-starter, thrives in a fast-paced environment and has a sense of humor
- Capable of moving about in a fast-paced office environment.
- Fluency in one of the 5 main languages spoken in Greater Boston is a plus (Spanish, Haitian Creole, Chinese, Portuguese/Cape Verdean Creole, Vietnamese).
Successful candidates will demonstrate the following competencies through a combination of previous education/work experiences:
BUILD’s Core Values:
- Keep Students at the Center – As BUILDers, we hold an unwavering passionate commitment and belief in the power and potential of youth. Our organization exists to serve students. We seize each opportunity to contribute to the foundation of knowledge, skills, and networks from which students can build extraordinary lives. Our operating principles and decisions focus on what is in the best interest of our students.
- Bring the Spark – As BUILDers, we excel in the entrepreneurial Spark Skills that we teach our students – Communication, Collaboration, Problem Solving, Innovation, Grit and Self-Management. We communicate through transparent and honest dialogue. We cherish teamwork, tenacity, and thinking outside the box. We demonstrate a relentless pursuit of excellence and approach work with a positive can do attitude. When we bring the spark we achieve great things together, and we model the way for our students.
- Bridge Communities – As BUILDers, we develop and foster relationships in service of creating access and opportunities for our students, staff, and stakeholders. We value all who come to the table as partners to maximize our collective impact. By connecting the communities in which we work, we build empathy, equity, and social capital.
- Promote Diversity and Social Action – As BUILDers, we understand that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion matters, but what matters even more is Action. We strive to create equity of voice, access, influence and power across lines of difference – both in and beyond BUILD, specifically for groups that have been historically denied social and economic justice. If we are not part of the solution, then we are part of the problem. We welcome, celebrate, and embrace the unique expressions and contributions of us all – our backgrounds, race, ethnicity, gender, language, sexual orientation, and social class.
Role Specific Competencies:
- Strategic Thinking – Take into account and analyze various points of view and pieces of data to form a perspective appropriate to a particular context.
- Relationship-Building/Relationships Management – Utilize effective interpersonal skills and techniques to reach mutually beneficial goals over time.
- Entrepreneurialism – Demonstrate comfort with risk- and initiative-taking in order to achieve unique and aggressive goals.
- Creativity/Innovation – Envision new ideas that transcend traditional approaches and practices to move work forward.
- Qualitative Analysis – Review non-numeric, often subjective, data sets in order to recognize patterns, identify additional information or data needed, and draw conclusions.
- Time Management – Effectively prioritize and execute projects based on time estimates and relative importance.
Position Details:
- Full-time/exempt position
- Location: BUILD Offices, Boston, MA
- Frequent travel between local sites is required so employees should have their own vehicle for transportation (valid proof of insurance required). Mileage for work-related travel beyond the normal commute will be reimbursed at the stipulated IRS rate.
- Occasional travel is required during the year for college tours and visits to BUILD sites and gatherings nationally.
Compensation:
The salary for Sr. Program Manager ranges from $70-75k in accordance with BUILD’s equity focused salary bands. BUILD offers a competitive benefits package for eligible employees. This includes employer paid medical, dental & vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, employer paid life insurance, and a 403(b) plan with match. In addition, eligible BUILD employees qualify for generous vacation, sick time, paid Federal holidays, and a flexible work environment.
