Associate Director of College and Career Success in Austin, Texas at Breakthrough Central Texas

About Breakthrough Central Texas

Breakthrough is the leading college access and success nonprofit in Central Texas. For more than 20 years, we have partnered with thousands of middle and high school students who aspire to be the first in their family to graduate with a degree or certificate. We make a radical, long-term commitment to students, to and through college, unlocking the power of education and a lifetime of opportunity. We support the whole student with personalized services, work closely with community partners, campuses, and employers, and advocate for our students with lawmakers. Breakthrough students attend 60+ public schools and persist at nearly 100 colleges and universities. The result is that 55% of Breakthrough students graduate from college, compared to 17% of low-income students in our region. Our work has resulted in more than 550 college graduates, with 4,000 on their way, positively impacting families for generations, our region’s educational access, and the Central Texas economy.

Why Work at Breakthrough Central Texas
By working for Breakthrough Central Texas, you will help hundreds of students achieve their dreams of success and receive the high-quality education they deserve. Breakthrough is an organization committed to its students and recognizes that our greatest resource to support them is our dedicated and talented staff. If you believe all young people deserve the opportunity to achieve postsecondary success and you desire to work at an organization committed to its employees and building the strongest team culture anywhere, then join us!

ABOUT THE COLLEGE & CAREER SUCCESS TEAM:

Breakthrough recognizes the value and need of high-quality advising services to students after high school graduation. In this model, we directly serve students through six years of their post-secondary endeavors, with a heavy focus on the first year after graduation from high school. The overall goal of the program is to increase post-secondary attainment rates among students participating in Breakthrough.

ABOUT THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS

The Associate Director provides critical leadership to the college team, helping train and support this high-performing team to implement best practices in advising college students and high school graduates on their path to attain a bachelor’s degree, associate degree, or credential/certificate while pursuing their passions and preparing for their career. While the Director is responsible for setting the strategic vision of the team, the Associate Director is responsible for the execution of key parts of this strategy. To achieve the above, the Associate Director will:

Team Leadership and Culture

• Directly supervise up to four program coordinators who work with students primarily at universities or community colleges, pursuing associate or certificate pathways or seeking to transfer, as well as students who are not currently enrolled in postsecondary education, but hoping to re-enroll after stopping out
• Help lead the continuous refinement and improvement of Breakthrough’s programs and services to support students towards postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion
• Co-lead the team’s efforts to support all Breakthrough students to submit financial aid applications and clear orverification hurdles to successfully receive financial aid awards
• Contribute to strategic planning for the future of the College and Career Success Team
• Support the build-out of training and materials to continuously improve our onboarding and ongoing training of program coordinators and AmeriCorps members on the team

Partnership Development

• Develop and lead our partnership with key institutional contacts and offices for expanded student support at campuses with large student populations

Data Tracking and Evaluation

• Along with the Director, help co-lead the team in the collection and analysis of college enrollment, persistence, and completion data to determine trends, barriers, and student needs, and utilize learnings to inform and improve our programs and services.
• Design and provide timely reports regarding program outputs and outcomes to drive continuous improvement

Student Advising and Support

• Manage a caseload of students to support them to take academic and non-academic steps necessary to achieve postsecondary success
• Develop and maintain relationships with a diverse group of students and families
• Meet regularly and work collaboratively with other staff members in order to support students and families
• Travel to campuses around Central Texas and across the state (caseload dependent) to meet face-to-face with students and campus partners

Relationship Building

• Foster the healthy culture of the College & Career Success team and of the entire organization
• Ensure that the College and Career Success team’s advising and programming practices are aligned with Breakthrough’s values and priorities
• Perform other job-related duties as required

ABOUT YOU

• Postsecondary Advising: Skillfully supports young adults in navigating the transition to and through postsecondary education by providing individualized guidance on institution and degree program fit, financial aid, registration and enrollment processes, degree progress, career exploration, and re-enrollment pathways. Coordinates support systems and campus resources to help students persist, address barriers, and maintain continuous enrollment, including applying the CASVE model when relevant.
• Student Advising: Demonstrates advising behaviors that build trust and foster student and family engagement, including active listening, effective goal-setting, and culturally competent delivery of high-quality postsecondary guidance. Manages an advising caseload with consistency and accountability while coordinating with teammates, volunteers, and campus partners to support student persistence and achievement of advising milestones.
• Data Tracking and Evaluation: Submits timely, accurate, and comprehensive case notes and program data while tracking and analyzing trends to inform student support strategies, improve program delivery, and ensure progress toward advising, persistence, and team goals. Uses data to prioritize action, strengthen operational effectiveness, and support continuous improvement efforts.
• Campus, Institutional, and Systemic Navigation and Partner Cultivation: Works effectively within schools, postsecondary institutions, and community systems to support student success. Establishes, manages, stewards, and addresses challenges with mission-critical external partnerships that sustainably enable Breakthrough’s work at institutions of higher education and in the community.
• Operational and Project Management: Ensures systems and resources are aligned to support success, organizes projects to stay in scope to meet outcomes, and adapts quickly and learns new skills as needed to ensure impact.
• Effective Collaboration: Works with colleagues across teams to improve outcomes, resolve conflicts, and use meeting time purposefully (including managing time toward clear agendas), while ensuring all participants in collaborative efforts are included and engaged.
• Managing Complexity: Exhibits sound judgment and inclusive decision making in ambiguous situations, responding with flexibility, agility, and a bias toward action.
• Talent Development: Coaches, provides effective feedback and training, and supports direct reports to set priorities, build skills, meet goals, and grow toward professional aims.
• Team Leadership and Culture: Sets priorities, delegates effectively, manages conflict, promotes inclusion, stewards team culture and climate, and coaches the team to ensure steady progress toward goals while maintaining a sense of belonging and connection.
• Strategic Thinking: Aligns team strategy with organizational goals and vision and navigates internal and external change with creativity, clarity, confidence, and compassion.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP

The Associate Director of College and Career Success will report to the Director of College and Career Success, Community College and Non-Traditional Pathways.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Competitive salary between $72,000-$91,000, depending on experience and qualifications
• Health, dental, and vision insurance; Breakthrough provides a zero-cost plan option
• Long-term disability and life insurance
• Matching 401K retirement plan
• Thirty days of annualized PTO

At Breakthrough, we want to support growth within our team. For this role, internal candidates will be reviewed first. Please note that the selected candidate for this role will begin employment on August 24, 2026.

Breakthrough Central Texas is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its relations with its applicants, staff members, and families, without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender identity and gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. People of diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.