Program Director Jobs in Pearl, MS (NOW HIRING)

Company Overview:

Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT) was founded in 2013 with the mission to increase the number of young men of color (YMOC) to attend and graduate from colleges and universities. We envision a world where men of color are overrepresented in higher education, underrepresented in the criminal justice system, and leaders in their communities. By embodying our core values of Character, Service, Teamwork, and Liberation we work to combat academic inequities and build a college-to-community pipeline.

Position Overview:

The College Access Mentor Specialist is the primary relationship-builder and college-going culture anchor for students in grades 6–8. As a full-time, single-site leader, this role delivers bi-weekly mentorship, identity-centered programming, open study hall, and family engagement designed to build the Brotherhood foundation that sustains students through high school and into college. The Mentor owns the site culture, leads programming, and is the consistent adult presence students expect to see.

Key Responsibilities:

Mentorship & Student Development

• Deliver 1:1 mentorship sessions focused on identity, belonging, brotherhood, confidence, study habits, goal setting, and early college aspiration.
• Build trusting, consistent relationships with students that set the foundation for long-term IYT engagement.

Programming & Study Hall

• Lead open and structured study hall by  keeping the space open, welcoming, and purposeful; ensure students sign in and identify what they are working on.
• Prioritize students carrying D/F grades or below a 2.5 GPA during study hall; track who is present, who is absent, and follow up with students who are not attending.
• Led the structured programming day — facilitate Brotherhood rituals (Brotherhood Clap, Creed, Family Love, announcements, energizer) and support delivery of the Member Development Workshop.
• Deliver developmentally appropriate Brotherhood programming focused on identity, belonging, confidence, study habits, goal setting, and early college aspiration aligned to the middle school program design philosophy.
• Support 8th grade transition readiness by incorporating high school readiness conversations and college exposure into programming throughout the year.
• Debrief with the Associate Program Director at the close of each structured programming day to identify student follow-up priorities for the coming week.

Family Engagement

• Conduct family touchpoints after mentorship sessions, centering on student strengths and progress.
• Led  quarterly family engagement touchpoints/moments (Q1 Orientation/Welcome, Q2 Milestone, Q3 Mid-Semester, Q4 Celebration).

Data & Documentation

• Log all mentorship sessions, programming attendance, and family touchpoints in Salesforce within 24 hours.
• Own the 8th grade pipeline handoff process: ensure student data, relationship context, and engagement history transfer directly to the High School College Advising Mentor Specialist before end of year.
• Capture and submit regular site content — photos, short videos, student stories, and impactful program moments to the Associate Program Director, with all required consent and release documentation on file.

Additional Duties as Assigned

Schedule:

• Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm; some weekends, evenings, and organization-wide events are required.

Location:

• Field-based — This position works out of an assigned local school campus.

Pay Rate:

• $18.25 – $21.50/hr

Benefits:

IYT also offers the following Benefits:

• Medical 
• Dental
• Vision
• Life AD&D (with additional voluntary options)
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
• 403(b) retirement plan with 3% employer match after one year of employment. 
• Sick Leave
• 2 weeks of accrued paid Vacation Leave
• 8 Paid Holidays
• Additional paid time off during select school breaks (about 3 weeks of additional PTO in total)

Must Haves:

• Commitment to the mission, vision, and values of IYT.
• Ability to self-motivate to achieve results.  
• A multi-tasker with a solid ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines, and produce quality results. 
• Excellent communication and management skills that can both inspire and push others to accomplish their goals.  
• Ability to operate with an appropriate, responsible level of transparency and vulnerability, engendering confidence and trust. 

Experience:

Required

• Patience, warmth, and genuine enthusiasm for working with middle or high school-age youth.

Preferred

• Tutoring, mentorship, or youth development experience.
• Bilingual in Spanish

Education

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university is required

Computer Skills

• G-Suite
• Microsoft Suite
• Zoom
• Salesforce