Director of Student Life, BEAM Discovery

Director of Student Life, BEAM Discovery

BEAM is seeking a Director of Student Life for our BEAM Discovery campuses this summer. Each one will be part of a leadership team along with a Site Director, Associate Site Director, Academic Director, one guidance counselor, and a full complement of seasonal staff (23-29 counselors, 7-8 faculty, 1 nurse).

BEAM Discovery is a cornerstone of BEAM’s 10-year Pathway Program, providing a residential math experience where students grow as problem solvers, learners, and community members.

As the Director of Student Life, you will help students discover powerful mathematical ideas, build confidence, and see themselves as mathematicians.

Learn more about our 10-year program.

Responsibilities 

Pre-Program Preparation

In the months leading up to the camp, the Director of Student Life will engage in comprehensive preparation to ensure a successful summer program. This preparation will set the foundation for a smooth and impactful camp experience for both students and staff. 

Self-Preparation and Planning 

• Complete required BEAM onboarding, including background checks and a mix of asynchronous and synchronous virtual training.
• Read and internalize the BEAM Leadership Handbook, BEAM DoSL manual and engage with BEAM’s full-time staff in virtual meetings to understand the various components of running a BEAM camp. The Leadership team is allowed to make selected customizations for their camp and are expected to create a site-specific Leadership Handbook that documents such customizations and can be shared with the other leaders. The Director of Student Life is expected to support Site Directors in these customizations.
• Participate in virtual meetings with the other members of the Leadership Team to start building a collaborative leadership community and to prepare for “Pre-camp week”. The “Pre-camp week” represents the days when leaders and staff meet for training and logistical preparation before students arrive at camp (2-3 meetings of 1 hour each).
• In collaboration with the members of the Leadership Team, plan the content, staff training, and schedule of the “Pre-camp week” based on templates and guidance from BEAM. More details in the next section. Leaders are expected to start planning virtually and finalize the plan during the  “Leadership Retreat” (Pre-camp Leaders only days). 
• Support Site Directors in planning the schedule for the “Leadership Retreat” based on templates and guidance from BEAM.

Leadership Retreat: (Before summer staff arrive)

In partnership with the leadership team, the Director of Student Life will:

• Align on leadership roles and responsibilities, and site-specific operational policies.
• Establish a set of working norms and communication expectations among leadership and staff.
• Plan team-building activities or social events.
• Train for the role.
• Refresh on changes to BEAM policies and systems.
• Prepare to implement training.

During the Summer:

• Managing the counselor team:
• Train counselors using BEAM-provided scripts in the days before the program.
• Supplement provided materials with additional systems and training as needed.
• Provide coaching and supervision during the first few days of camp, while counselors are learning their roles.
• Coordinate special counselor duties and assign responsibilities as needed.
• Briefly check in with each counselor regularly, and be present to answer any questions or address concerns.
• Provide mid-program feedback to counselors and follow up with written summaries to document anything that may affect rehire decisions.
• Coordinate coverage in the event of counselor absences.
• Coordinating program activities:
• Supervise morning transportation.
• Manage field trip logistics and delegate student supervision responsibilities to counselors.
• Plan activities using counselor preferences and assign counselors accordingly.
• Train counselors on grouping students into activities and overseeing proper supervision.
• Track inventory and coordinate the purchasing of necessary supplies and snacks.
• Ensure activities run smoothly and provide a positive, engaging experience for the students.
• Oversee the planning and execution of special events, such as talent shows.
• Assist with set up and end-of-day clean up of common areas and academic areas.
• Behavior Management
• Collaborate with the site leadership team to review student behavior reports via the CARE system.
• Handle routine follow-up and escalate serious infractions to the Site Directors.
• Communicate with parents about any issues at the program with guidance from  the site leadership team. 
• Leadership 
• Model program values by balancing academic and social leadership, treating students with respect, and centering students as doers of mathematics in the classroom.
• Participate in the leadership decision making process, along with co-SDs and the guidance counselor.
• Carry out miscellaneous roles as needed to ensure smooth program operations.

Post Camp Wrap Up:

• Support Site Leadership in completing the SD clean-up checklist.
• Complete staff evaluations and 1:1 debriefs.
• Support the process of updating the BEAM storage inventory with an end of camp detailed list of items. 
• Attend the BEAM-led multi-site Summer Camp step-back meeting.

If you are interested in further prep OR wrap-up work, please talk to us about this as we may have additional prep or wrap-up work to send your way, with BEAM paying you an hourly rate for that work.

Qualifications

To be considered for this role, you must have served as staff at an in-person BEAM Discovery site for at least one summer and must have been offered a multiple-year rehire offer at that time.

In the case of multiple individuals interested in the role, BEAM will decide who to hire taking into account the following:

• Preference given to those who have been a BEAM Discovery counselor for multiple years.
• Preference given to those with experience working at the specific site of the role.
• Preference given to those with past leadership and/or administrative experience.
• Preference given to those with multiple years experience working at BEAM.

Application Process and Deadline:

• The initial step is to submit your application, including an unofficial transcript, resume, and responses to some short application questions, via our online portal. 
• If you are interested in being considered for multiple locations, you only need to complete one application. 
• Candidates will be asked for their location preference.
• When your application is complete, we will follow up with next steps. The final step of the process is an interview with an experienced BEAM staff member.
• For accommodation requests related to the job application process, please contact HR at accommodations@beammath.org.

Details

Dates/Location

BEAM Discovery LA

• Staff (Leaders: 32 work days, Staff: 30 work days)
• Leadership Retreat: 06/15
• All Staff Pre-camp Training: 06/16 - 06/18 (Juneteenth Observed)
• Camp: 06/22 - 07/24
• Staff Wrap-up: 07/27 - 07/28
• Leadership Wrap Up: 07/29

BEAM Discovery NY

• Staff (Leaders: 32 work days, Staff: 30 work days)
• Leadership Treat: 6/29 
• All Staff Pre-camp Training: 6/30 -  07/02
• Camp: 07/06 - 08/07
• Wrap-up: 08/10 - 8/11
• Leadership Wrap Up: 8/12

Compensation

• $32.50 per hour for Pre-Camp work.
• $8,750 for Camp and Wrap-up.

Benefits

BEAM provides a number of benefits, including: 

• Lunch and snacks, with options for dietary restrictions on weekdays through all training and camp days.
• 2-3 staff dinners during camp to relax, connect, and celebrate together 
• Limited, assigned parking is available (Los Angeles)