Program Director, Breakthrough NKU

Northern Kentucky University; Cold Spring (KY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Kentucky University is seeking a Program Director for Breakthrough NKU to lead the four-year summer program and related school-year activities. You will supervise Teaching Fellows, coordinate curriculum and supports, and ensure high-quality, mission-aligned programming for River City students and college student educators.

You will collaborate with NKU staff, Breakthrough Collaborative teams, schools, and partners to plan, implement, and evaluate programming, using data to guide

Qualifications

• Experience supervising, coaching, and developing staff.
• Ability to design and manage high-quality programs for youth.
• Strong collaboration with schools, families, and partners.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for Breakthrough NKU’s summer and school-year programming.
• Recruit, train, and supervise Teaching Fellows and staff.
• Develop and monitor curriculum, instructional quality, and student outcomes.
• Coordinate with NKU faculty and partners to align program goals with Breakthrough standards.
• Ensure data-informed decisions and continuous program improvement.

Skills

People management

Data-driven decisions

Stakeholder collaboration

Curriculum alignment

Communication

Education

Master’s degree in education or related field

PhD/EdD preferred but not required

Tools

Salesforce (Breakthrough)

Slate CRM

Job description

Position Title:

Program Director, Breakthrough NKU

Position Type:

Regular

About the Role:

The Program Director is a key member of the leadership team at Breakthrough NKU, responsible for ensuring that students and Teaching Fellows experience high-quality, engaging, and mission-aligned programming throughout the program. Hosted by NKU and affiliated with Breakthrough Collaborative, Breakthrough NKU works with students beginning in 6th grade through 9th grade in the River City schools to support their academic growth, personal development, and path toward postsecondary success while preparing talented college students to become the next generation of educators and leaders.

The Program Director leads the design, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of Breakthrough’s student and TeachingFellow programming. The Program Director manages and develops program staff, establishes strong systems for program delivery, uses data to guide decisions and interventions, and ensures alignment between school-year and summer programming.

This role requires a highly collaborative leader who combines strong educational judgment with excellent people management and execution. The Program Director should be able to build trust with students and families, coach staff toward ambitious goals, strengthen curriculum and instructional practices, develop productive relationships with schools and community partners, and turn ideas into effective systems and high-quality experiences for students.

The Program Director works closely with the Executive Director, fellow program staff, NKU colleagues, school and community partners, and Breakthrough Collaborative to ensure that programming reflects Breakthrough’s mission, meets the needs of the local community, and contributes to strong student and Teaching Fellow outcomes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Program Leadership, Planning, and Quality

• Provide leadership for Breakthrough NKU's four-year summeracademic program and any associated school-year activities, establishing clear priorities, implementation plans, and measuresof success aligned with organizational goals and BreakthroughCollaborative standards.
• Translate strategic priorities into high-quality programming that advances Breakthrough NKU's dual mission of supportingstudents on the pathway to postsecondary success while developingfuture educators and leaders.
• Lead comprehensive program planning, including staffingstructures, timelines, training schedules, program resources, andoperational systems that support effective implementation.
• Maintain an active presence throughout summer programming,monitoring program quality, supporting staff, and addressingemerging challenges to ensure a consistent and positive experienceacross classrooms and grade levels.
• Evaluate and communicate program effectiveness and incorporatefeedback from students, families, Teaching Fellows, and staff tostrengthen program rigor, relevance, and responsiveness.

2. Personnel Leadership and Teaching Fellow Development

• Lead the recruitment, selection, onboarding, supervision, andevaluation of Teaching Fellows and seasonal program personnel,including instructional coaches, AmeriCorps members, and otherinstructional and support staff.
• Establish clear expectations, roles, and accountabilitystructures while fostering a collaborative team culturecharacterized by high expectations, belonging, trust, and sharedresponsibility for student success.
• Design and coordinate meaningful training, coaching, andprofessional development that prepare Teaching Fellows and staff todeliver effective instruction, manage classrooms, and supportstudent learning.
• Provide ongoing supervision, feedback, and performance support,developing staff members' capacity to solve problems, use data,lead others, and contribute to continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with NKU faculty, experienced educators, andprogram partners to strengthen the Teaching Fellow experience andencourage continued interest in education careers.

3. Curriculum, Instruction, and Academic Enrichment

• In partnership with the Breakthrough Collaborative NationalOffice, lead the development, selection, review, and continuousimprovement of academically rigorous, engaging, and developmentallyappropriate curriculum aligned with student needs, educationalstandards, and effective instructional practices.
• Collaborate with instructional coaches, program leaders, andBreakthrough Collaborative resources to establish instructionalexpectations, teaching supports, and consistent practices acrossclassrooms and grade levels.
• Monitor instructional quality through classroom observations,staff feedback, student performance, and other evidence, usingfindings to strengthen instruction and professionaldevelopment.
• Integrate college exploration, career awareness, leadershipdevelopment, and other enrichment experiences that broadenstudents' educational aspirations and prepare them for futureopportunities.
• Ensure that summer instruction and school-year academicsupports are intentionally connected and responsive to identifiedstudent needs.

4. Student Success, Family Engagement, and Educational Pathways

• Lead student recruitment, enrollment, retention, andprogression efforts in collaboration with participating schools,families, and community partners.
• Ensure that Teaching Fellows are prepared for a variety ofstudent needs, including academic, social, emotional, physical, andmental health.
• Establish a supportive, challenging, and inclusive learningenvironment that promotes academic growth, student confidence,belonging, engagement, and preparation for future educationalopportunities.
• Develop and maintain effective systems for student attendance,academic support, mentoring, behavior expectations, andindividualized responses to student needs.
• Build strong relationships with students and families, ensuringaccessible communication, meaningful engagement, and opportunitiesfor family perspectives to inform program decisions.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director and other NKU programleaders to connect Breakthrough experiences with broader grades6-12 enrichment opportunities and pathways toward high school andpostsecondary success.

5. Assessment, Accountability, and Continuous Improvement

• Establish and monitor measurable outcomes for studentachievement, academic preparedness, engagement, persistence,Teaching Fellow development, and overall program quality inalignment with Breakthrough Collaborative expectations.
• Maintain accurate and confidential student and program records,including effective use of Breakthrough's student and program datasystems (BTSP) and other applicable assessment tools.
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data throughout theprogram cycle with the Executive Director to identify trends,assess effectiveness, and guide timely adjustments to instruction,staffing, student supports, and program operations.
• Engage program staff in regular reflection, evaluation, andimprovement processes, using evidence and stakeholder feedback toinform future program planning.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director to prepare programreports, communicate outcomes, and support organizational planning,grant reporting, and national affiliate requirements.

6. Organizational Collaboration and Program Operations

• Collaborate with the Executive Director, NKU colleagues, andexternal partners to coordinate program implementation, alignresources, and support the broader mission of educational pathwaysand regional engagement.
• Manage day-to-day program operations, including facilities,technology, transportation, food services, instructional resources,scheduling, and other logistical requirements.
• Develop and maintain effective operational procedures,communication systems, and documentation that support consistentprogram delivery and responsible resource management.
• Ensure that staff and program activities comply with applicableNKU policies, Breakthrough Collaborative requirements, and studentsafety, supervision, and risk management expectations.
• Anticipate operational needs and challenges, communicateresource requirements proactively, and work collaboratively withinstitutional partners to develop appropriate solutions.

QUALIFICATIONS

Strong candidates will demonstrate many of the following qualifications. We encourage candidates to apply even if they do not meet every listed criterion.

Education & Experience

• At least 4 years of progressively responsible experience in education, youth development, college access, teacher development, nonprofit programming, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coaching, and developing staff.
• Experience designing, managing, or leading high-qualityprograms for young people.
• Experience managing complex projects involving multiple staffmembers, deadlines, priorities, and stakeholders.
• Experience with curriculum development, instructionalleadership, teacher preparation, or student support stronglypreferred.
• Experience working with students and families from communitieshistorically underrepresented in higher education is stronglyvalued.
• Experience building and maintaining relationships with schools, school districts, colleges, universities, or communityorganizations preferred.
• Experience recruiting, training, or supporting collegestudents, educators, or seasonal staff is an asset.
• Master’s level degree in education or related field isrequired; terminal degree (Ph.D. or Ed.D) is preferred but notrequired.

Knowledge & Skills

• Deep commitment to Breakthrough NKU's dual mission and beliefin the potential and brilliance of all students.
• Understanding of the systemic barriers that can affectstudents' access to and success in postsecondary education and acommitment to partnering with students and families as theynavigate their individual paths.
• Strong people-management skills, including the ability toestablish expectations, coach toward improvement, develop emergingleaders, provide feedback, and hold people accountable.
• Ability to build authentic and productive relationships acrossdifferences in identity, background, experience, role, andinstitutional context.
• Cultural humility, curiosity, self-awareness, and the abilityto listen and adapt.
• Strong understanding of high-quality student programming andthe ability to translate educational goals into effective programexperiences.
• Strong project-management skills and the ability to buildsystems, workflows, and collaborative processes that move complexwork forward.
• Ability to use quantitative and qualitative data to evaluateprogress, identify needs, and develop solutions.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and interpersonalcommunication skills.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the judgment to knowwhen and how to engage colleagues, families, institutional leaders,and external partners.
• Collaborative approach to leadership combined with a strongsense of ownership and accountability for results.
• Comfort operating in a dynamic environment with significantseasonal changes in workload, staffing, and priorities.
• Experience with Salesforce (Breakthrough) and Slate (CRM) ordemonstrated ability to learn and use data systemseffectively.
• Sound judgment, flexibility, resilience, initiative, and asolutions-oriented approach.

EARLY INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

• Demonstrated ability to plan, coordinate, and successfullylaunch Breakthrough NKU's inaugural summer 2027 program, includingthe recruitment and preparation of River City middle schoolstudents, Teaching Fellows, Instructional Coaches, and otherprogram personnel.
• A safe, well-organized, academically engaging summer programthat meets Breakthrough Collaborative standards and NKU operationalrequirements.
• Successful student recruitment, enrollment, and attendance,with plans to establish sustained engagement throughout thefour-year Breakthrough NKU experience.
• Well-prepared, supported, and coached Teaching Fellows whodemonstrate growth in instructional practice, professionalconfidence, and interest in education careers.
• Effective communication and engagement with students, families, participating schools, university partners, and program staff.
• Timely collection and use of student, Teaching Fellow, andprogram data to assess quality, document progress, and identifyopportunities for improvement.
• Productive working relationships with the Executive Director,NKU colleagues, Breakthrough Collaborative personnel, externalpartners, and school partners that support effective coordination,problem-solving, and program success.

Posted Salary:

$80,000 - 85,000, commensurate with experience

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

• This is a full-time, year-round on-site position based at NKU(with Flexwork if approved by the supervisor).
• The role requires regular in-person engagement with students,staff, families, Teaching Fellows, and partners.
• On-site presence is required during summer programming,including regular observation and coaching.
• Periodic evening and weekend work is required for studentprogramming, family events, staff training, and other programactivities.
• Local travel between NKU, schools, colleges, and communitypartner locations may be required.
• Some national travel for Breakthrough Collaborative meetings,training, or conferences may be required.
• Employment is with NKU and is subject to the institution's employment policies, required background checks, student-safetyrequirements, and other applicable employment conditions.