Schoolwide Postsecondary Programs: Student Advising and Program Coordinator

School wide Postsecondary Programs:
Student Advising and Program Coordinator

Breakthrough Central Texas, Austin, Texas, United States

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.

The Student Advising & Program Coordinator leads critical advising services and programs for 11th‑ and 12th‑grade high school students on their path to postsecondary success through matriculation at one of Breakthrough’s partner schools. The Student Advising & Program Coordinator provides critical support within Breakthrough’s school‑based model, a new organizational strategy to increase postsecondary attainment rates among students in Central Texas. The school‑based model will create impactful and sustainable results by blending direct service to students with capacity‑building support for the high schools they attend.

The primary responsibility is to provide high‑quality academic advising and support, career and postsecondary pathway advising, and college access support to 11th‑ and 12th‑grade students, ensuring they meet crucial college access milestones. In addition, the Student Advising & Program Coordinator designs and leads engaging school‑based programs that provide students and their families with learning about the path to and through college, and is part of a high‑performing team.

The role includes both supervisory and team collaboration responsibilities.

• Provide timely, high‑quality academic advising and mentoring to an average caseload of 50‑55 students.
• Develop and maintain relationships with a diverse group of students and their families, teachers, and other key stakeholders to support their success by adhering to advising standards of service and conducting holistic check‑ins.
• Meet and communicate with guardians/families on student progress.
• Support students in taking academic and non‑academic steps necessary to prepare for postsecondary pathways, including college and career exploration, college readiness testing, SAT/ACT testing, post‑high school plans, college list creation, all steps of college application submissions, and all aspects of financial aid application submission and tracking.
• Track student progress and identify critical needs to provide timely and appropriate interventions.
• Continue advising 12th‑grade students after graduation and through the summer to support Breakthrough’s postsecondary enrollment efforts, known as Summer Success work.

• Design, plan and lead campus‑based programming during or after school to promote school success and foster a culture that promotes postsecondary education options.
• Support program evaluation efforts and make continuous program improvements to achieve outcomes.
• Participate in committees and work groups to engage in team planning, organizational change work, as needed.
• Manage large groups of students to build a positive learning community aligned with Breakthrough’s core values and college‑going culture.

• Supervise, support, develop and evaluate an Ameri Corps fellow(s) to ensure highest performance and optimal student outcomes.
• Manage and support volunteers assigned to students or…