About SquashBusters
SquashBusters is a 28-year-old sports-based youth development program that uses a combination of squash, fitness, academic support and enrichment, community service, and mentoring to improve the lives of youth in Boston, Lawrence, and Providence. SquashBusters’ mission is to challenge and nurture youth with need in these cities – as students, athletes, and citizens – so that they can recognize and fulfill their greatest potential in life. SquashBusters currently serves 400 middle school, high school and post-secondary students. Middle and High School Students practice at least three days a week throughout the school year and participate in weekend practices, tournaments, and summer opportunities. After high school graduation, students join the Post- Secondary Services Program, and a dedicated staff team supports them in their chosen post-secondary path, and provides career development, internship placement, and employment opportunities. In Boston, programming takes place at the Badger-Rosen SquashBusters Center located on Northeastern University’s main campus. In Providence, we work and play out of the Gorgi SquashBusters Center on the campus of Moses Brown School. In Lawrence, we are in the process of designing a facility, in partnership with the City of Lawrence and others, that will literally break new ground for the urban squash movement by placing SquashBusters directly inside a beautiful, new, 80-unit affordable housing complex on the banks of the Merrimack River in downtown Lawrence. Our core values are: Love, Honesty, Attention to Detail, Teamwork and High Standards. Do these match yours?
Position Summary
The SquashBusters Post-Secondary Program is led by a dedicated team of professionals responsible for supporting students from all three sites (Boston, Lawrence & Providence) persist through a formal post-secondary educational opportunity that prepares them for a meaningful, life-sustaining career. SquashBusters aims to ensure that its graduates (1) enroll in and successfully complete college or other post-secondary formal education; (2) understand and embrace life-long habits of health and wellness; and (3) develop a deep sense of character and personal integrity.
In collaboration with each site Program Director, the Post-Secondary team will indirectly support sites’ Academic Staff as they guide high school seniors through post-secondary planning and the application process. The team will directly support post-secondary students as individuals and/or groups, as appropriate, on “persistence,” which includes financial aid guidance, academic and career planning, and social-emotional support. As students move towards embarking on full-time career pathways, the team will coordinate with the Post-Secondary Career Success Director (DCS) who holds primary responsibility for this transition. All staff challenge, nurture, and hold SQB participants accountable so that they recognize and fulfill their potential, and are on a trajectory to be happy, healthy, and financially independent upon graduation from the Post-Secondary Program.
This role is ideally based out of SquashBusters’ Boston Office with some travel required to our Lawrence and Providence sites and local college campuses.
Responsibilities
Program Delivery
- Directly support a caseload of approximately 70 post-secondary students across the academic, financial and wellness pillars of the SQB post-secondary program.
- Monitor students’ progress in their post-secondary opportunity, and ensure students are on-track to persist and graduate or maintain upward mobility in their chosen post-secondary path.
- Support students with the financial aid renewal process, and ensure students and families understand their financial aid award and have a sustainable plan for payment.
- Meet in-person with post-secondary students, one-on-one or in groups as appropriate.
- Collaborate with Program Directors and Academic Coordinators to embed post-secondary readiness and persistence prep work into E-HS programming to increase those students’ knowledge and understanding about post-secondary education.
- Administer the SQB Scholarship Program, which includes three distinct scholarship opportunities for SQB students.
- Serve as a staff liaison for Alumni Committees.
- Provide thought partnership and general support to Academic Staff as they work with 12th grade students to solidify their post-secondary plans.
Outreach and Engagement
- Build understanding of and connection with campus resources to make referrals to these services whenever appropriate.
- Support DCS to connect students to appropriate opportunities such as external summer programs, internships, and full-time employment.
- Connect students to mental health counselors, social workers and/or other resources as needed.
Special Event Management
- Coordinate and implement impactful events, team trips, summer opportunities, and other special programming to maintain student engagement in the Post-Secondary Program.
- Plan and execute team building and social events for SQB post-secondary students in conjunction with Program staff team and SQB Alumni Committees.
- Collaborate with DCS to organize career related events and visits.
Administration Responsibilities
- Organize schedules and materials and collect and enter student data in a Salesforce database.
- Support management of the Post-Secondary Program budget and accurately track spending.
- Assist with implementation of program analysis evaluation (T-Reports).
- Plan general weekly/monthly schedule with colleagues and keep appropriate calendars updated.
Relationships
At the heart of SQB mission is the power of transformative relationships (adapted from the Search Institute). Thus, Post-Secondary Team Members should:
- Express care by believing in and encouraging youth and being a dependable, warm source of encouragement.
- Challenge growth maintaining high expectations and holding youth accountable.
- Provide support by empowering youth and providing guidance and advocacy.
- Share power by respecting, including, and collaborating with youth.
- Expand possibilities by connecting youth to opportunities and inspiring and broadening horizons.
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor’s Degree with 2 years of relevant experience
- Valid driver’s license with clean driving record and a willingness to drive students to and from SQB events in a company van as needed
- A willingness to travel to different campuses multiple times per week
- Ability to work occasional events during evening or weekend hours
- Knowledge and understanding of the post-secondary and financial aid application processes
- Knowledge and understanding of the post-secondary landscape, including 4-year and 2-year colleges and universities, trade and vocational programs
- Ability to relate effectively to diverse groups of people from a variety of backgrounds
- A passion for educational opportunity, and a belief in the potential for athletic participation to both drive academic excellence and expand opportunities for success in school and beyond
- Enthusiasm for working with young people and experience developing trusting relationships with youth and families
- Ability to work with young people who have experienced trauma
- Ability to work independently and thrive in a fast-paced environment
- Strong teamwork, organization, communication, and group facilitation skills
- A willingness to engage in physical activity with students
- Spanish language proficiency, and prior recent participation in formal diversity training, a plus
Compensation and Benefits
- Annual salary between $50,000 – $60,000, commensurate with experience
- Retirement plan with employer matching
- 5 paid company holidays and days off plus an additional 16 vacation days
- Subsidized health, dental, and vision insurance available
- Life and disability insurance benefit, cell phone subsidy, and public transportation subsidy available
To Apply
Please email a resume and brief letter of interest to recruiting@squashbusters.org, addressed to the attention of Mai Mitsuyama, Director of Post-Secondary Success.
SquashBusters is an equal opportunity employer and strives to reflect the diverse community it serves. SquashBusters is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion and looks to all its staff members to foster and promote its values. We believe in an intersectional approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion, where all of the various forms of oppression are addressed, challenged, and dismantled. Our primary focus is on racism because we live in a society that is so resistant to, and uncomfortable with, discussions of racism.