Deputy Executive Director 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 60% of Breakthrough students graduate from college, compared to 15% of low-income students in our region. Our work has resulted in more than 550 college graduates, with more than 3,700 on their way, positively impacting families for generations and our region’s ability to provide education opportunities for all young people.

Why Work at Breakthrough Central TexasBy 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 role

Breakthrough Central Texas seeks a strategic, systems-oriented leader to serve as Deputy Executive Director (DED), responsible for organization-wide leadership of Breakthrough’s program strategy, execution, and outcomes. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the DED manages four Chief Program Officers: the Chief Middle School Programs Officer, Chief High School Programs Officer, Chief College Access Officer, and Chief College and Career Success Officer. Collectively, this team oversees Breakthrough’s Program Team of more than 80 staff and AmeriCorps members serving approximately 3,700 students from middle school through postsecondary completion.

This is a pivotal moment for Breakthrough as we continue to scale our impact, strengthen outcomes across the full student experience, and deepen partnerships across Central Texas. As a critical leader in shaping Breakthrough’s next chapter, the Deputy Executive Director will ensure that Breakthrough’s full continuum of services operates as a cohesive, high-performing system that delivers strong, measurable outcomes for students. This role will translate organizational strategy into aligned programmatic execution, build the leadership capacity of senior program leaders, and ensure that systems, structures, and partnerships are in place to support scale, quality, and sustainability. The DED will operate at the intersection of strategy, people leadership, and performance management—driving clarity, alignment, and results across multiple teams, functions, and external partnerships. Specific responsibilities include:Program-Wide Strategy and Alignment

Partner with the Executive Director to define and execute Breakthrough’s programmatic strategy across the full student continuum—from middle school through college and career success Ensure alignment across program models, teams, and student pathways so that services are cohesive, complementary, and responsive to student needsTranslate strategic priorities into clear operating plans, performance metrics, and cross-team systems that enable effective execution

Leadership of Program Team Performance

Supervise and coach four Chief Program Officers, supporting them to lead high-performing teams and deliver strong student outcomesLead through layers by establishing clarity in roles, expectations, and accountability across the Program TeamBuild leadership capacity at the senior level, ensuring Chiefs effectively develop their own teams and sustain strong team cultureStudent Outcomes, Data, and Continuous ImprovementDevelop and oversee program-wide systems for tracking student outcomes, program performance, and organizational impactEnsure that data, evaluation, and learning cycles inform decision-making, program refinement, and resource allocationSet clear goals for short-term and long-term measures tied to postsecondary attainment, and support and hold program leadership accountable for resultsCross-Functional and Organizational LeadershipPartner closely with other leaders across departments to align resources, systems, and priorities in support of organizational successServe as a key advisor and thought partner to the Executive Director, supporting priority-setting, resource allocation, and organizational decision-makingHelp steward Breakthrough’s culture, ensuring alignment with organizational values, talent philosophy, and commitment to equityPartnership Development and External LeadershipCultivate and steward strategic partnerships with school systems, higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, and community stakeholdersOversee the development and implementation of partnership models that support student success and reduce systemic barriersRepresent Breakthrough in external settings, including with funders, partners, and community leaders, and contribute to organizational storytelling, fundraising, and policy advocacy efforts

About YouYou are a strong candidate for the Deputy Executive Director role if, above all, you are deeply committed to expanding social and economic mobility through educational attainment. You believe in the power of long-term investment in young people and are driven by the opportunity to deliver measurable outcomes at scale. In your day-to-day work, you value bringing clarity to ambiguous situations, aligning priorities across teams, and making thoughtful, high-impact decisions that balance near-term execution with long-term sustainability. You bring an ability to translate vision into action, ensuring that strategy, systems, and resources are aligned to achieve strong outcomes for students. In addition, you are an experienced people leader who invests in developing senior leaders, sets high expectations, and creates the conditions for teams to operate with accountability, collaboration, and a strong sense of purpose. Across teams and with external partners, you build trust and foster relationships that enable meaningful impact. You will bring experience or demonstrated capacity in the following competencies:

Student-Centered Impact Orientation. Demonstrates dedication to supporting all students’ growth and postsecondary success by setting and achieving ambitious, measurable goals and ensuring that organizational strategy, systems, and outcomes remain centered on student impact.Inclusive Communication. Operates with cultural humility and demonstrates written, verbal, and digital communication skills across a range of settings, fostering an inclusive environment that effectively engages stakeholders across diverse identities and experiences.Relationship Building. Builds trusting, effective relationships that enable collaboration, productive dialogue, and authentic partnership with colleagues, students, families, community partners, institutional stakeholders, and other key constituents.Continuous Learning and Improvement. Embraces and applies feedback, demonstrates curiosity and a growth mindset, and leads a culture of continuous learning and improvement that strengthens individual performance and organizational outcomes.Prioritization and Resourcefulness. Effectively allocates time, attention, and resources to the highest-impact priorities, leveraging networks, tools, and innovative approaches to achieve outcomes in complex environments.Managing Complexity. Exhibits sound judgment and inclusive decision-making in highly complex and ambiguous situations, responding with flexibility, adaptability, and a bias toward thoughtful action.Strategic Thinking. Aligns program and organizational strategy with Breakthrough’s mission and long-term vision, translating strategic priorities into clear direction, systems, and measurable outcomes across teams and functions.Cross-Functional Leadership. Leads collaboratively across departments and functions to ensure strategic alignment, operational coherence, and meaningful impact, while stewarding organizational culture and effectiveness.Talent Development. Coaches and develops senior leaders, ensuring they set priorities, build skills, meet goals, and grow toward professional aims while strengthening leadership capacity across the organization.Managing Through Layers. Supports and develops senior leaders to effectively lead their teams, engaging in skip-level leadership when appropriate to ensure clarity, alignment, strong supervision, and consistent staff support across all levels of the organization.Data Tracking and Evaluation. Ensures that systems for data collection, tracking, and analysis are accurate, comprehensive, and used with fidelity to drive decision-making, inform program design, and strengthen student outcomes at scale.Campus, Institutional, and System Navigation and Partner Cultivation. Works effectively across school systems, higher education institutions, and community organizations, cultivating and stewarding partnerships that support students in navigating systems, accessing resources, and achieving their goals.Student Pathway Strategy and Program Expertise. Demonstrates deep understanding of the student pathway from middle school through postsecondary success. Uses this expertise to guide strategy, evaluate programs, and coach leaders to deliver aligned, high-impact services.

Reporting and Supervising Relationships

The Deputy Executive Director will report to the Executive Director. Direct reports are the Chief Middle School Officer, Chief High School Officer, Chief College Access Officer and Chief College and Career Success Officer. As a member of the Breakthrough Leadership Team, the role will also work closely with the Chief Development and Communications Officer and the Chief Operations Officer.

Compensation and Benefits

Competitive salary between $130,000 and $160,000 depending on experience.Health, dental and vision insurance (Breakthrough pays 100% of employee premiums)Life insuranceMatching 401K retirement planThirty days of PTO annually, with immediate accrual, recognizing that staff have lives outside of workAdditional leave benefits, including company holidays and FMLA eligibility (varies by year)Annual professional development fund

TO APPLY

To apply, visit Breakthrough’s career page: www.breakthroughctx.org/careers.

Breakthrough Central Texas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability.