Senior Director of College, Career, & Military Readiness

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Location: In-person / CIST Administrative Office / Austin, Texas

Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt

Reports to: Regional Director of Programs

Starting Range: $6,250 monthly (contingent on experience)
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About Communities In Schools

Rooted in community for over 40 years, Communities In Schools of Central Texas (CISCT) is a sophisticated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Austin, Texas. Communities In Schools (CIS) is a national organization that ensures every student has what they need to realize their full potential in school and beyond. At CISCT, our mission is simple: surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
We are a nearly $24 million nonprofit organization with diverse sources of funding.

Position Summary

This position is supervised by a Regional Director unless otherwise designated by the Chief Executive Officer. This position supervises 3 positions: 2 Male Student Achievement Program Directors and the Program Director for CCMR & Workforce Development. This position may supervise Fellows, AmeriCorps members, interns, and/or volunteers as necessary.

The Senior Director of College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) provides strategic leadership for Communities In Schools of Central Texas’ continuum of programs that prepare students for success beyond high school. This role brings together CIS’s college and career readiness initiatives—spanning K– 12 curriculum, high school mentorship, and alumni support—into a coordinated vision known as CIS Launch, Lift, Lead.
Through these interconnected programs, the Senior Director ensures students are equipped to explore their goals, navigate transitions, and thrive in college, career, or military pathways.

Programs Under Leadership

CIS Launch: Ready to Rise – K–12 curriculum and experiences that help students explore careers, set goals, and build academic and social-emotional skills for life after graduation.
CIS Lift: Young Men Rising (Male Student Achievement Program) – mentorship and leadership development for high school boys and young men, supporting academic achievement and postsecondary readiness.
CIS Lead: Next Step – alumni and postsecondary transition support for recent graduates pursuing college, career, or military paths.
Partnership with CIS Lift: College Together – collaboration with the postsecondary persistence team to ensure continuity of support for CIS alumni in college.

What You’ll Do

Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement multi-year strategic and sustainability plans for all CCMR programs within the Launch, Lift, Lead continuum.
• Ensure alignment across K–12, and postsecondary programs to create a seamless pathway of support.
• Champion data-driven improvement and program excellence rooted in CIS’s relationship-based model.

Program Management & Quality

• Supervise and coach program directors and managers leading Ready to Rise, Young Men Rising, and Next Step.
• Oversee program design, implementation, and evaluation to ensure measurable outcomes in academic achievement, college readiness, and postsecondary success.
• Lead workforce development initiatives and manage relationships with key partners and vendors.

Partnership & Collaboration

• Collaborate with the Postsecondary Support Team, district partners, higher education institutions, and community organizations to expand access to postsecondary opportunities.
• Represent CISCT’s CCMR vision in external networks, partnerships, and funding opportunities.

Innovation & Culture

• Foster a culture of continuous learning, creativity, and responsiveness.
• Establish short and long-range priorities, objectives and goals that lead to high-quality, year- round workforce development and post-secondary support services for students
• Collaboratively create the CIS CCMR strategic plan and oversee implementation and sustainability plans for college, career, and military readiness services and workforce development programs and college-based programs and services.
• Establish short and long-range priorities, objectives and goals that lead to high-quality, year- round post-secondary readiness opportunities for students
• Manage contracts, create reports for funders and assist in grant writing efforts
• Ensure CCMR and MSAP Program Directors and other supervisees maintain compliance with contractual requirements and agency policies and procedures
• Lead Program Director team meetings and workshops, facilitating appropriate decision-making processes and creating a team culture
• Identify and implement program targets, goals and work plans
• Work with the accounting department and program directors to develop and implement CCMR & MSAP budgets, monitor expenditures, and authorize purchases
• Keep current in state and federal rules, regulations, and policies related to the area(s) of college and technical education (CTE), CCMR, training practices and trends in the labor market
• Participate in the CIS team approach to service delivery and problem-solving
• Promote and maintain agency culture, values, and systems
• Perform other activities and duties as required by the Regional Director or Chief Executive Officer

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree with a major in social work, higher education, youth development, and education, or a related field. An advanced degree is preferred.
• 5+ years of experience related to any of the following areas: workforce development, post-secondary success, public education, educational program administration, policy analysis, or project management relevant to secondary and/or post-secondary education
• Demonstrated ability to strategize, design, implement, and evaluate programs to drive impact and improve postsecondary outcomes
• Knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local laws, guidelines, and procedures relating to college, career, and military readiness
• Working knowledge of Texas Education Agency College, Career, and Military Readiness Indicators
• Skilled in strategic planning with schools, colleges, and communities to close gaps and achieve measurable improvements, specifically increasing high school graduation rates and post-secondary attainment
• Strong verbal, written, and visual communication skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines
• Demonstrated experience leading change management initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain positive and productive relationships to effectively collaborate with CIS staff, school personnel and community partners
• Demonstrated ability to support and further a data-informed culture

Why Join CIS?

• Mission-driven work – Be part of a team that changes the trajectory of students’ lives.
• Professional growth – Ongoing training, supervision, and career pathways into director-level roles.
• Community impact – Build partnerships that extend beyond the classroom.
• Generous paid time off: 4+ weeks of holidays, 2 weeks of vacation time, personal days and sick days
• Comprehensive Health Coverage: 100% employer-paid employee medical plan available, plus family subsidies, dental, vision, life, disability insurance, and 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• Community-centered culture focused on impact, growth, and connection

Communities In Schools of Central Texas is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.