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 Advising Mentor Specialist is the primary relationship, college advisor, and college-going culture builder for students in grades 9–12. Under the FY26/27 restructure, this role operates as the senior site-based leader for daily programming — present on campus every day, owning the daily IYT experience for students, and serving as the consistent human connection between students, their families, and the college-going path ahead.

Key Responsibilities:

Mentorship & Daily Student Support

• Serve as the senior site-based leader for daily IYT programming; maintain consistent, visible presence on campus every school day.
• Deliver 1:1 mentorship to all grade levels on the site roster. 

Open Study Hall

• Own and operate open and structured study hall on dedicated programming days keeping the space welcoming, structured, and purposeful.

Structured Programming

• Led structured programming at the site: own the full Brotherhood experience including rituals (Brotherhood Clap, Creed, Family Love, announcements, energizer) and the Member Development Workshop.

Family Engagement

• Conduct a family touchpoint after every mentorship session — affirm student growth, share a win, or invite the family into an upcoming opportunity.
• Led quarterly family engagement touchpoints throughout the year (Q1 Orientation/Welcome, Q2 Milestone, Q3 Mid-Semester, Q4 Celebration).

Academic Monitoring & College Readiness

• Monitor student GPA, A–G/college eligibility progress, and attendance across assigned caseload.
• For 12th graders, coordinate FAFSA/CADAA timelines, college applications, and senior readiness with the College Completion Mentor Specialist.
• Introduce each senior to the College Completion Mentor Specialist by spring semester — this warm handoff is a required deliverable.

Data & Documentation

• Log all mentorship sessions, programming attendance, and family touchpoints in Salesforce within 24 hours of occurrence.
• Maintain up-to-date academic records for each student on caseload — including GPA, A–G/college eligibility progress, attendance, and D/F flags — and surface concerns to the Associate Program Director in a timely manner.
• Track and document all grade-level milestones, including FAFSA/CADAA completion, college applications, intent-to-enroll, orientation, registration, declared major, education plan, and counselor connection for 12th grade students.
• Maintain accurate intervention notes and academic recovery plans for students carrying D/F grades or falling below a 2.0 GPA, documenting follow-up actions and progress.
• Complete end-of-week Salesforce logging and review students not yet seen to ensure no member falls through without contact or a scheduled follow-up.
• Document the warm handoff to the College Completion Mentor Specialist for each 12th grade student, ensuring the introduction and transition are recorded before graduation.
• 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 will be required.

Work Location:

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

Pay Rate:

• $21.50 – $29.25/hr DOE and based on assigned caseload.

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

• Demonstrated commitment to equity and to supporting young men of color.
• Strong relationship-building skills; ability to connect authentically with students, families, and school partners.
• Commitment to meeting students where they are and building relationships before asking for anything.
• Strong case management instincts: ability to track, follow up, and document on a rolling caseload.

Preferred

• Bilingual in Spanish strongly preferred.

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university is required. Preferably in education, social work, youth development, or a related field.

Computer Skills:

• G-Suite
• Microsoft Suite
• Zoom
• Salesforce