Summer Program Associate (Temporary)

The Summer Program Associate plays an instrumental role in supporting the planning and execution of summer experiences, winter experiences, and high school program operations. Reporting to the Senior Program Director, this hire will work closely with the full Seattle team and program leadership and provide the crucial behind-the-scenes operations magic that allows our team to smoothly execute excellent programming for the youth we serve. The Summer Program Associate will join a team that is invested in staff wellbeing and growth and is committed to social justice and youth development work. This is a full-time temporary role ending September 30, 2025.

Specifically, the Summer Program Associate will:

Summer and Winter Experience Operations and Logistics:

• Support planning and execution of all logistics for our summer and winter experiences to prepare and send approximately 100+ high school students on 1–4-week summer experiences.
• Support the summer program team with equipment inventory, ordering, and distribution for all Seattle offices for our outdoor adventure experiences.
• Administer student travel, hotel bookings, visa and immunization records, health insurance applications, identification cards, spending money distribution, and other pre-trip requirements.
• Assist with planning of pre- and post-trip student events, such as the annual hike, experience orientations, trip preparation workshops, and post-experience integration events.
• Manage and update CONNECT website content on as-needed basis including Summer Search updates, summer partner updates, and graphics.
• Provide input to the Senior Program Director and Mentoring Program Manager that will support the process of developing, implementing, and evaluating process improvements intended to streamline and scale existing operations.
• Chaperoning summer and winter experiences as needed.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Staff Training and Support:

• Provide mentoring team, other supporting staff, and volunteers with training on equipment use and coordination.
• Track and support communication and coordination around logistical processes for successful student trip send-offs. These logistics include, but is not limited to, day of summer trip pick-up and drop-off coordination, ensuring all mentors, and supporting staff are scheduled and available to support students during their summer trips.
• Assist Senior Program Director in responding to challenges related to trip logistics (e.g., student registration, insurance forms, travel plans), including supporting with required timely follow-up communication with program staff and external program partners as directed by the Senior Program Director.
• Support summer program team in providing ongoing support to program staff to facilitate their involvement in winter experience preparation, summer experience preparation, including creating schedules, workflows, and check lists for key milestones.
• Ensure top quality internal customer service for staff working directly with participants by answering or rerouting questions and requests around summer-related student needs, data needs, and summer programs related tasks.
• Participate in team-wide learning in DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) and contribute to promoting a work environment that operates with an understanding of systemic barriers that impact the low-income communities of color.

Partnerships:

• Ensure that all necessary documents and itineraries are shared with experiential learning partners and summer on call team by deadlines.
• Actively participate in a national cohort of summer program staff, sharing best practices from the Seattle program and contributing to the ongoing improvement of this work.

Data:

• Use Salesforce database to track the student experience application process for all students attending summer and winter experiences and use that data to share timely updates.
• Audit and/or enter outreach and enrollment data around experiential learning programs into Salesforce and share with the program team.

WHO YOU ARE

The Summer Program Associate calls for a highly organized individual who is committed to program quality. Specifically, great candidates will bring:

• EXPERIENCE: This is an entry level position that includes administrative responsibilities. Experience working at youth-serving organizations (especially high-school aged and/or youth from low-income communities) is a plus. Exposure to/familiarity with teen summer programs and/or knowledge of student safety protocols is a plus.
• ADAPTABILITY: Stays productive and solutions oriented in the face of change and unfamiliar scenarios. Remains curious and flexible and demonstrates a willingness to learn new ways to accomplish work. Ability to understand and navigate different perspectives.
• CULTURAL HUMILITY: Maintains an interpersonal standpoint that is other-oriented (or open to the other) in relation to aspects of cultural identity that are most important to the person, fosters inclusivity where diversity and individual differences are valued and leveraged to meet the needs of our communities.
• ACCOUNTABILITY: Holds self and others responsible for process, decisions, actions, and commitments to results and to drive high-quality outcomes for students, is responsive to needs of stakeholders e.g., students, donors, community partners, staff members, alumni, volunteers.
• TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION: Inspires and fosters commitment, connection, enthusiasm, and trust, facilitates cooperation, and motivates staff to accomplish goals, manages and resolves conflicts, and handles interpersonal issues constructively.
• TECHNOLOGY SKILLS: Ability to enter and/or track information with Excel or databases. Experience with data entry and/or tracking in Salesforce or another CRM is preferred.

In addition, all Summer Search staff bring a commitment to our mission of unleashing students’ potential through mentoring and transformative experiences, as well as the ability to thrive in an environment that values excellence, gratitude, well-being, diversity, authenticity, and collaboration.

LOCATION AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

New hires must reside within South King County to support programming across our Seattle offices on an as-need basis. The Summer Program Associate position is a hybrid role working from home, in the office, and occasional in school engagement. Regular work hours are Monday to Friday, 10 am to 6 pm, with occasional weekend and evening special events. There may also be periodic requirements to visit the office in Tukwila for training sessions or team-building activities.

This is a non-exempt position with a starting pay rate of $26.06-$28.14 per hour and this position is full-time (37.5 hours per week). Summer Search is committed to transparent, equitable compensation practices. Salaries are benchmarked using current market data and salary bands are created to demonstrate the growth potential within the band. Typically, offers are made at the starting place of the salary band. The Hiring Manager partners with the Talent Team to ensure offers are appropriate, competitive and maintain internal equity.

Well-being, flexibility, and ongoing learning and development are pillars of our culture. We value our staff and are committed to creating an environment where every individual feels seen, heard and valued. Investments in our staff include:

• Medical insurance with up to 90% employer contribution
• Dental, vision, FSA, life and disability insurance plans
• 401 (K) and Employer Match up to $2,000 annually
• Generous time off including 15 vacation days (annual equivalent; accrued at 4.69 hours per two week pay period), 10 sick days (annual equivalent; accrued at 3.13 hours per pay period), and 18 holidays (2 floating holidays of your choice, a birthday day-off, 10 company-wide holidays, and a 1-week December closure). Plus, Re-Fresh Friday’s - a paid full day off the first Friday of every month!
• A comprehensive Employee Recognition Program (years of service awards, spot awards, and professional development funding).
• A four-week paid sabbatical after five years of continuous employment.
• Individual, local, regional and national training
• A commitment to developing leaders from within the organization.
• An organizational culture that supports staff well-being and holistic self-care/community care
• Ample opportunities to connect with the students and communities we serve.

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

With a staff that cares deeply about social justice and racial justice, we believe that diverse perspectives and backgrounds create a rich work environment and enhance our ability to pursue our mission. We are committed to building an organization with raised consciousness in order to impact how we work with students, as well as how we work together as a team. We hope you will join us as we continue to build a justice-centered organization that fosters a work environment where people from all backgrounds are welcomed and valued.