SLI Program Director

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Full Time San Jose, CA, US

4 days ago Requisition

Salary Range: $ To $ Annually

The 49ers STEM Leadership Institute (SLI), created in partnership with the San Francisco 49ers, Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF), and the Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD), is a six-year program that will prepare students with high academic potential to be outstanding.

SLI began in Summer 2014 with a cohort of 60 incoming seventh grade students. A new cohort of 60 incoming seventh graders is selected through a competitive application process each year, and students advance with their cohort to the next grade level. By the end of the six-year rollout process, there will be a total of 360 students from grades 7 – 12 involved in the program, located at two state of the art digital fabrication labs at Cabrillo Middle School and Santa Clara High School in the Santa Clara Unified School District.

Students complete a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, engage in STEM projects and competitions, and participate annually in 300+ hours of additional learning time.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF), the Program Director provides strategic, operational, and programmatic leadership for the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute (SLI). The Director oversees the program in its entirety across grades 7–12 and works closely with SVEF leadership, Program Managers, Program Coordinator, SCUSD administrators and teaching staff, the 49ers Foundation, corporate and university partners, students, and families.

The Program Director serves as the central point connecting the many organizations and individuals involved in SLI and is responsible for ensuring that the program remains student-centered, operationally strong, financially sustainable, innovative, and aligned with the goals of SVEF, SCUSD, and the 49ers Foundation.

Own the overall strategy, direction, priorities, and continuous improvement of SLI.

Translate SVEF and partner priorities into actionable annual and multi-year program plans.

Evaluate existing programming and identify opportunities to continue, improve, expand, redesign, or discontinue initiatives based on impact and available resources.

Develop and refine the student journey from 7th through 12th grade, ensuring intentional progression in STEM skills, leadership, design thinking, project-based learning, career exploration, and student development.

Identify emerging STEM, technology, education, and workforce trends and determine how they should influence SLI programming.

Contribute to SVEF organizational strategic planning and represent the needs, opportunities, and priorities of SLI.

Oversee the day-to-day operation of the entire SLI program across middle and high school.

Develop and maintain sustainable policies, SOPs, workflows, calendars, systems, and accountability structures.

Coordinate school-year programming, Extended Hours, Open Lab, workshops, field experiences, competitions, showcases, partner programs, and special initiatives.

Ensure Fab Lab operations, equipment access, safety expectations, training, scheduling, materials, and replenishment support program needs.

Identify operational risks and resolve issues before they significantly affect students, families, teachers, or partners.

Ensure institutional knowledge and critical processes are documented rather than dependent on individual staff members.

Lead and support Program Managers, Program Coordinator, and other program staff.

Establish clear responsibilities, priorities, deliverables, and expectations.

Conduct regular team meetings, individual check-ins, coaching, performance reviews, and professional development.

Delegate program ownership while maintaining appropriate accountability and oversight.

Identify staffing needs and participate in recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, and succession planning.

Build staff capacity so that program operations do not become overly dependent on the Director.

Serve as a primary liaison between SVEF/SLI and Santa Clara Unified School District.

Maintain relationships with district leadership, school administrators, principals, counselors, teachers, and other school personnel.

Partner with SLI teachers on curriculum…