Chief College Access Officer

Breakthrough is the leading college access and success non profit 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 nearly 60% of Breakthrough students graduate from college, compared to 15% of low-income students in our region. Our work has resulted in more than 350 college graduates, with nearly 3,500 on their way, positively impacting families for generations, our region’s educational access, and the Central Texas economy.

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!

The Chief College Access Officer (CCAO) is the lead for all college access services offered to youth in Breakthrough’s programs at the 11th and 12th grade of high school and through the summer after graduation until enrolling in higher education. Central to this role, the CCAO is directly responsible for the execution of Breakthrough’s school-based, college-advising model called Breakthrough’s School wide Postsecondary Advising Program, or Breakthrough’s School wide Program for short.

This organizational strategy, first launched in 2020 at a Title I high school, Manor New Tech HS, is now at a second campus called Eastside Early College HS. The program is collectively serving more than 600 students each year at the 11th and 12th grade level, and has several classes of HS graduates who are matriculating into college and persisting at significantly higher rates than similar peers.

The School wide Program creates impactful and sustainable results by blending direct advising service to students with capacity‑building support for the high schools to integrate best practices of college access into the school structures. The CCAO supervises the Associate Directors of the two School wide locations and oversees their teams of Advising and Program Coordinators as well as Ameri Corps Members.

• Oversee the implementation of the School wide model at two locations to support every student on the path to postsecondary success.
• Guide the development of the tools, frameworks, curriculum, and resources the team uses to implement advising services and programs at the School wide locations.
• Build an evaluation and reporting process, alongside Breakthrough’s data and research team, on the impact of the School wide program on student success.
• Oversee the integrity, accuracy, and usefulness of all School wide data, including enrollment data, application data, financial aid information, transcripts, case notes, and student progress indicators.
• Lead the plan to determine the feasibility and pace of expansion of the School wide program to a new school.
• Foster productive relationships, along with the Associate Directors of School wide Advising, with school leaders at the School wide locations, including principals, counselors, and other administrators.
• Liaise with district leadership such as superintendents, CCMR directors, or others who oversee our partnership and contract.

• Supervise,…