2026 SMASH Academy - Residential Director (Northeastern)

Smash Residential Director

SMASH is committed to increasing racial equity in K-12 STEM education and the next generation of our workforce by building interest, knowledge, and aspirations in computing among underrepresented identities in the field. After operating for more than 20 years and inspiring thousands of students of color to pursue careers in STEM, the SMASH Board has spent the better part of 2022-2023 reimagining SMASH in alignment with educational and economic shifts. In this next phase of the organization, SMASH aspires to engage even more students from underrepresented backgrounds through a more intensively STEM-focused curriculum and across a wider variety of formats. Innovative in-person and virtual programs aim to provide early exposure to STEM concepts and careers to students of all ages, with deep-impact programming specifically for high school students.

Programming will continue to center on SMASH Academy, a three-week, cost-free, residential on-campus summer experience which helps students develop critical thinking, civic and social awareness, and leadership skills. Initially available at five partner sites across the country, this next phase of Academy supports rising 11th and 12th graders in developing STEM skills and credentials. With the support of partners, SMASH plans to offer additional in-person experiences for high school and college students with Hackathons and Open Innovation Challenges, which will provide early exposure to STEM, empower youth to address pressing community challenges through STEM, design thinking, and rapid prototyping. To bring the SMASH experience to a national audience, we also plan to develop digital programs to support students nationwide in developing their STEM knowledge and support their college and career navigation journey. SMASH digital resources will be open to students nationwide, while in-person programming serves students throughout the Bay Area, greater Atlanta, Detroit, and Boston regions.

This is a pivotal time for SMASH as SMASH builds on the success of our programs. Working at SMASH is about rapid growth, grit, personal commitment, accountability, and courage to challenge the status quo. If you have what it takes to change the STEM landscape, we want to hear from you. SMASH is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization operating under the umbrella of the Kapor Center family of organizations.

Position Description

The SMASH Residential Team is composed of the Residential Director (RD) and Residential Advisors (RAs). The Residential Director manages the RAs. The RD requires a part-time commitment prior to SMASH Academy and a full-time commitment during the summer program. Prior to SMASH Academy launching, in collaboration with the Program Director (PD), the RD is responsible for pre-launch essential duties including : recruiting, hiring, and onboarding a residential team, planning residential team training, attending weekly meetings and supporting their respective Site Management Team (SMT).

Upon launch of SMASH Academy, this position becomes a full-time position with the RD being the primary director and supervisor of the Residential Team and Program. The RD is responsible for a) the schedule, planning, and delivery of SMASH residential programming and curriculum and b) the wellness and youth development of ~100 high school students living on campus. The RD fosters a clean, safe, positive, and inclusive environment that encourages SMASH scholars to develop their full potential. The RD also acts as a leader and role model for both scholars and staff defining culture, norms, activities and interactions that assure an enriching and socially just experience conducive to scholar success in STEM. In summary, the individual will plan for and oversee all residential and youth development components of SMASH Academy.

This assignment is a part-time position starting on March 28, 2026, then moving to a full-time engagement starting June 29, 2026. As this role has a virtual component, we expect staff to provide their own personal computer (desktop or laptop) that has a working webcam, speaker and microphone for video conferencing capabilities (i.e. Zoom, Google Hangouts, Cisco Webex); reliable Internet connection (at least 25 Mbps download speed); and quiet work space for virtual programming. If you cannot provide your own equipment, please speak with your Program Director. All staff and scholars will be required to comply with the SMASH COVID-19 policy for in-person programming. Currently, staff working in-person are expected to test at least once each week they are working in-person with colleagues. Additionally, we encourage testing before and after in-person company and non-company sponsored events and travel. All staff and scholars must also comply with any site specific COVID-19 requirements. Site specific requirements will be shared as they become available and are subject to change. If a quarantine mandate is enforced by local government, university, or SMASH, all SMASH Academy programming will be held virtually. SMASH reserves the right to revise, delete, and add to its COVID-19 policy at any time, with or without notice. Nothing in the SMASH COVID-19 policy creates a contract or changes the nature of the at-will employment relationship.

You must be available for all training and program dates.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to those listed below.

Residential Team Management

• Lead the Residential Team of RAs
• The RA team is responsible for the supervision of ~100 high school students (minors) in residence at all times (number is site dependent)
• Serve as a role model for responsible behavior and personal integrity
• Head the SMASH residential program, including directing and scheduling the work of RAs
• Manage the performance of RAs (number is site dependent), including coaching and performance evaluation
• Lead the team on the organization, planning, and delivery of programming and workshops
• Oversee the Residential team shift schedule and requests for time off or shift swaps
• Coordinate and ensure completion of team deliverables
• Conduct workshop observations
• Complete RA performance evaluations during the last week of SMASH Academy program
• Develop a strong sense of community and teamwork amongst the residential team to ensure strong scholar support
• Continuously develop personal leadership and teamwork skills to ensure the whole team functions at a high-performing level
• Adhere to COVID-19 safety precaution protocols put in place

Residential Programming + Facilitation

SMASH Site Leadership

Scholar Support + Safety