SMASH Academy - Program Coordinator; Berkeley

About SMASH

SMASH is committed to increasing racial equity in K-12 STEM education and the next generation of our workforce by building interest, knowledge, and aspirations in computing among underrepresented identities in the field.

After operating for more than 20 years and inspiring thousands of students of color to pursue careers in STEM, the SMASH Board has spent the better part of  reimagining SMASH in alignment with educational and economic shifts.

In this next phase of the organization, SMASH aspires to engage even more students from underrepresented backgrounds through a more intensively STEM-focused curriculum and across a wider variety of formats. Innovative in‑person and virtual programs aim to provide early exposure to STEM concepts and careers to students of all ages, with deep‑impact programming specifically for high school students.

Programming will continue to center on SMASH Academy, a three‑week, cost‑free, residential on‑campus summer experience which helps students develop critical thinking, civic and social awareness, and leadership skills. Initially available at five partner sites across the country, this next phase of Academy supports rising 11th and 12th graders in developing STEM skills and credentials.

With the support of partners, SMASH plans to offer additional in‑person experiences for high school and college students with Hackathons and Open Innovation Challenges, which will provide early exposure to STEM, empower youth to address pressing community challenges through STEM, design thinking, and rapid prototyping.

To bring the SMASH experience to a national audience, we also plan to develop digital programs to support students nationwide in developing their STEM knowledge and support their college and career navigation journey. SMASH digital resources will be open to students nationwide, while in‑person programming serves students throughout the Bay Area, greater Atlanta, Detroit, and Boston regions.

This is a pivotal time for SMASH as SMASH builds on the success of our programs. Working at SMASH is about rapid growth, grit, personal commitment, accountability, and courage to challenge the status quo. If you have what it takes to change the STEM landscape, we want to hear from you.

SMASH is a 501(c)(3) not‑for‑profit organization operating under the umbrella of the Kapor Center family of organizations.

As a member of the Site Management Team, the Program Coordinator (PC) plays a critical support role to the Program Director and liaison to SMASH National team. Working with the instructional and residential teams to support the successful delivery of the SMASH Academy by performing duties related to planning, directing, and coordinating both the programmatic and operational activities of the program is essential.

In this position, the Program Coordinator will play a key role in the success of SMASH scholars and staff through effective implementation of administrative processes, communication with scholars and families, and leading logistics for program events. As a Program Coordinator, you will work closely with the Program Director and staff to manage the programmatic, operational, and tech customer support aspects of the SMASH program.

As this role has a virtual component, we expect staff to provide the following – their own personal computer (desktop or laptop) that has a working webcam, speaker and microphone for video conferencing capabilities (i.e. Zoom, Google Hangouts, Cisco Webex); reliable Internet connection (at least 25 Mbps download speed); and quiet workspace for virtual programming. If you cannot provide your own equipment, please speak with your Program Director.

All staff and scholars will be required to comply with the SMASH COVID‑19 policy for in‑person programming. Currently, staff working in‑person are expected to test at least once each week they are working in‑person with colleagues. Additionally, we encourage testing before and after in‑person company and non‑company sponsored events and travel. All staff and scholars must also comply with any site specific COVID‑19 requirements.

Site specific requirements will be shared as they…