College Advising Manager

About Breakthrough Silicon Valley

Breakthrough Silicon Valley launches talented students who have been historically excluded from higher education on the path to college, and inspires high school and college students to become the next generation of leaders, advocates, and educators. BTSV’s seven-year college access and success program, which supports students from 7th grade to first year of college, has proven to be effective in preparing these students for college: a stunning 99% of BTSV graduates attend college immediately after high school.

BTSV’s tuition-free program provides year-round out-of-school time academic support, counseling, and advocacy for a diverse group of talented students, most of whom come from under-resourced communities and will be the first generation in their family to go to college. Through our students-teaching-students model, BTSV also provides a consummate professional development experience providing talented high school and college students the opportunity to understand the K-12 system and the drivers of educational inequities, and to design and teach classes under the direction of seasoned educators.

Located in San Jose, California, Breakthrough Silicon Valley is an affiliate of The Breakthrough Collaborative, a leading national service organization that acts as the national voice for 25 Breakthrough sites across the country.

The Position

The College Advising Manager leads BTSV’s 11th and 12th grade team. You’ll manage three AmeriCorps members serving as Academic and College Planning Advisors, plan and lead student programming, advise a cohort of students, and serve as the college access and financial aid expert at BTSV.

The College Advising Manager reports to the Director of College Access and Success (DCAS).

You’ll grow your own leadership skills as you support the professional growth of the AmeriCorps members you manage, as they learn college advising techniques, take on their own cohorts of students, and support the delivery of workshops.

Working in collaboration with the DCAS, you’ll fine-tune BTSV’s college access programming, which combines college advising, academic support, and family education. You’ll work closely with students and families as they navigate the final high school years, ensure they are prepared for the college application and enrollment process, and hold students to high academic and community standards.

You will oversee advising for the 11th and 12th grade cohort and serve as the primary advisor to about 40-60 students. This includes tracking students' academic progress to ensure they’re on track with UC, CSU, and private college admissions requirements, as well as CalGrant eligibility; guiding them through all steps of the college research, application, and decision process; and building relationships with students’ families and actively identifying ways to involve them throughout the process.

You’ll design and lead workshops on topics like building college lists, navigating financial aid offers, major and career connections, and more. You’ll help students find their best fit colleges by leading field trips to campuses, including the signature three-day “SoCal Trip” for juniors. You’ll also maintain and grow relationships with partner organizations and college admissions representatives, to help your team stay current on trends in college access and to provide our students with access to external resources and opportunities.

Throughout the year, you’ll work with the DCAS to create and maintain systems to evaluate and improve program effectiveness, not only tracking college eligibility, application completion, admissions, and financial aid data, but also analyzing program attendance and engagement data to ensure we’re retaining students and effectively meeting their needs.

What background and skills do you have?:

At least three to five years of academic advising and/or college counseling experience, particularly at a school or organization focused on college access for aspiring first-generation college students and/or students of color.
Knowledge of public school districts, course sequencing, high school graduation and college admissions requirements.
Nuanced understanding of financial aid, including FAFSA, CADAA, California state aid programs including Cal Grant, and university-specific aid packaging policies and processes (especially for CSUs and UCs).
Comfort with public speaking and the ability to deliver workshops and engage with families. Bilingual (Spanish or Vietnamese) speaking skills are highly desirable but not required.
Experience developing engaging curricula for workshops, covering a range of college-readiness topics
Comfort with data collection and analysis, student assessment, and program evaluation.
Strong project manager with the ability to prioritize, meet deadlines, and delegate when needed while executing multiple time-sensitive priorities.
“Breakthrough Spirit”: You’re a collaborative team player who is committed to excellence and open-minded, demonstrates a growth mindset, thinks creatively to solve problems, and works with a sense of humor and humility.
Commitment to Breakthrough Silicon Valley’s mission and goals as well as a passion for educational equity.
Bachelor’s degree.

Bonus points if you have:

Experience in admissions at a four-year college or university.
College counseling certification or another relevant advanced degree.
Experience leading project teams and/or managing interns or other direct reports.
Experience with Salesforce.

We know that many strong candidates will not have all the skills we list. That’s OK. What else do you bring to the table? Please tell us!

Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time, exempt position.
The salary range for manager-level positions at BTSV is $65,000-$80,000. When making salary offers, BTSV takes into consideration the candidate’s qualifications, our budget, and internal equity.
Health benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with 100% of employee premiums and 75% of dependent premiums covered by BTSV.
Retirement Benefits: 401(k) plan with immediate, fully vested 3% company match.
Paid time off: 15 days of PTO, plus 11 holidays and two “shut-down” weeks.
Professional development fund for professional association memberships and to pursue growth and learning opportunities.

Location and Hours

BTSV maintains two offices in San Jose:

Bridges Academy: 1702 McLaughlin Ave, San Jose, CA 95122
Herbert Hoover Middle School: 1635 Park Ave, San Jose, CA 95126

Since you will be regularly meeting with students and conducting workshops, this is primarily an in-person position. You will have occasional flexibility to work from a home office when in-person work is not required. As BTSV is an “out of school time program,” occasional evening and weekend work, as well as travel to offsite programs and events in the San Jose area, are also required.

The position is available now; if you are currently in a school-based role and plan to finish out the school year, the latest start date we can accommodate is June 10, 2024.

COVID-19 Information

BTSV is continually monitoring the COVID-19 situation locally and will continue to comply with all state, county, city, and/or school district directives on PPE, social distancing, vaccination, and remote work as they evolve.

Application Process

Apply through this site and attach your resume and cover letter as PDFs. Please indicate where you heard about the position in your cover letter. We will review applications on a rolling basis.

BTSV engages with individuals of all backgrounds and we are committed to embracing diversity within our organization, including developing a team who represents the communities we serve.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, BTSV is committed to providing employment opportunities to all individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

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