Job Title: Ace Academy - SITE DIRECTORType: Full TimeReports To: Chief of the Pathway to Post-Secondary Success OVERVIEW OF TENACITY Founded in 1999, Tenacitys mission is to improve the scholastic, character, and physical development of urban youth through a combination of academic instruction and tennis instruction/competition with a focus on life skills. The Ace Academy is an intensive three-year program consisting of academic enrichment, homework help, study/life skills development, and tennis/fitness programming. Working in partnership with the Boston Public Schools, Ace Academy currently delivers an intensive three-year experience for middle school students at four partner schools the Curley K-8 School, Frederick Pilot Middle School, BCLA/McCormack Middle School, and East Boston High School. The ACE Academy currently serves approximately 150 middle school students.The Ace Academy offers an Extended Learning Time model or embedded school day model (based on the partner school site) which integrates academic-based programming and supervised tennis and fitness activities in a structured, supportive environment. The activities focus not only on building academic and tennis skills but promoting resilience and 21st-century skills among young people facing challenges on the path to adulthood. Academic support is guided by Ace Site Directors, who work closely with the teachers at the partner schools to help identify the needs and strengths of each of the students. Ace Academy offers an academic curriculum closely aligned with state and city English Language Arts frameworks and aims to support Tenacity students with academic success. Each Ace Academy student makes a three-year commitment to attend the program three or four afternoons per week for the school year, each of their sixth, seventh, and eighth grade school years. RESPONSIBILITIES, AND DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES: As Tenacity grows to meet the critical needs of Bostons children, it offers a unique opportunity for a talented professional who understands the development of the whole child. The successful candidates will be entrepreneurial, collaborative, possess a commitment to further developing their understanding of how to best support students and families in our communities, willing to go the extra mile, have a strong desire to lead, possess a willingness to accept full responsibility for a site and be deeply committed to enabling Bostons youth to achieve excellence in the classroom and on-court while imparting life skills and promoting character development to lay the foundation for their pathway to post-secondary success.RESPONSIBILITIES: School Site

• Effectively manage all program-related activities.
• Work as a team with other leaders, Tenacity staff, volunteers, and part-time instructors to manage all aspects of the ACE Academy.
• Supervise and evaluate a diverse team.
• Comply with all program requirements including those specified by the Memorandum of Understanding that is set between Tenacity and the partner school.
• Build and manage highly effective relationships with the partner school principal, teachers, and parents to support student program engagement and success.
• Lead student recruitment, selection, and registration into the program to ensure the site is fully enrolled.
• Maintain high student retention rates and site attendance rates.
• Oversee and ensure the effective implementation of and student engagement in Tenacitys tennis and literacy curricula, including:
  • Curricula delivery in an engaging and compelling manner (by either you or other staff members).
  • Curricula lessons are objective-driven.
  • Student growth and development are prioritized and monitored.
  • The development of instructional plans for each grade, based on student instructional goals, assessment data, and needs.
• Ensure students experiencing behavioral, social-emotional, or academic difficulties are supported.
• Participate in school meetings related to the program partnership, program functioning, and student needs.
• Lead the collection of assessment and evaluation data to improve program implementation.
• Support the Family Engagement Coordinator to ensure consistent communication including outreach to families concerning student engagement and progress, as well as to perform in-person family visits.
• In partnership with Tenacitys high school team (College and Career Prep), oversee the execution of Tenacitys high school selection process to ensure every 8th-grade student is fully engaged in the process (e.g. school visits, applications).
• Support staff recruitment and training.

Organization Leadership

• In the summer months, work either in our Summer Tennis and Reading Program or perform preparatory work for next years Ace Program as deemed appropriate by the Chief of the Pathway.
• Assist with the development and implementation of Tenacitys strategic growth objectives, such as:
  • The addition of new teams of students and staff within existing schools.
  • The addition of new school partnerships.
• Perform additional responsibilities in a specific area of focus (e.g. fundraising, administrative, program, instruction, funder visit guiding, etc.) as determined by the Chief of the Pathway.
• Support the planning and facilitation of events and activities (may take place some evenings and weekends).

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES:

• Commitment to ensuring equity in the program implementation to support students in overcoming systemic inequities.
• Experience effectively leading and managing a multicultural team in an urban setting.
• Ability to create and inspire a robust program culture of engagement for all stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, school principal, and others).
• Ability to effectively recruit and retain students and families for the program.
• Experience collaborating with and managing relationships with school personnel and other service providers.
• Significant instructional and program management experience, preferably with middle school-age students including:
• Ability and experience successfully delivering curricula in a classroom or other youth development setting.
  • Classroom management and oversight experience.
  • Behavior management experience.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and verbal/written communication skills.
• Bachelors degree in education, human services, social work, or a related field required. Master's degree in Education or Social Work a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft product suites.Fluency in verbal and written Spanish highly desired.
• Some tennis experience a plus.
• Drivers license desired.
• Consistent access to a car desired.

To apply: send resume and cover letter to apply@tenacity.org We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, age, sexuality, gender identification, or physical ability.