About this role
GRANT FUNDED Primary Purpose: The 21st CCLC After-School Program Director is responsible for planning, developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the 21st CCLC after school program for Rio Grande City Grulla ISD. The director leads the development of 21st CCLC related grant applications, submits state and federal reports, and prepares and monitors the 21st CCLC budget. Serves on district and department leadership teams, as appropriate. Qualifications: Education/Certification: A Bachelor's degree and/or established, successful work experience in an educational, youth development, or after-school programming environment is preferred. Scheduling Flexibility: Must demonstrate a willingness and ability to work flexible hours, including afternoons, evenings, and occasional weekends as needed to supervise the center's operational hours.
• Clearance Requirements: Must successfully pass a comprehensive criminal background check and district fingerprinting process.
• Logistics: Must possess a valid driver's license and current personal vehicle insurance.
• Program Knowledge: Strong understanding of after-school and summer program operations, theory, and implementation strategies, including compliance frameworks governing state and federal grants.
• Fiscal Management: Knowledge of public-school finance, budget administration, procurement practices, and fiscal reporting procedures.
• Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal, public speaking, and written communication skills. Proven ability to communicate effectively with a diverse audience, including rural community members, external evaluators, and leadership across RGCG ISD.
• Leadership & Organization: Demonstrated management and organizational skills, including strong analytical capacities, team-building capability, conflict resolution, and leadership during evening operational hours.
• Professional Development: Ability to design and facilitate effective professional development for Site Coordinators, instructors, campus administrators, community/higher-education partners, and the Board of Trustees.
• Efficiency under Pressure: Proven ability to work effectively under pressure, manage competing priorities, adapt to mid-cycle data reviews, and meet established state and federal deadlines.
Preferred:
• Specialized Education: An Associate or Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Education, Public Administration, Educational Leadership, or a related field.
• Certification: Possession of a valid Texas Teacher or Administrative Certificate.
• Extended Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of experience administering, designing, or operating comprehensive out-of-school-time (OST) programs.
• Grant Governance: Extensive background in state/federal grant administration, with a focus on Texas Education Agency (TEA) processes.
• 21st CCLC Expertise: Specific operational knowledge of the Federal Nita M. Lowey 21st CCLC / Texas ACE program guidelines and data entry systems (TX21st).
Additional Job Information
• Language Proficiency: Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District employees must possess the ability to read, write, and communicate effectively in English to collaborate with school staff, coworkers, and the general public. Employees must also possess the ability to comprehend and execute oral and written instructions and understand English documents. (Note: Proficiency or fluency in bilingual Spanish communication is highly preferred for community outreach in this program).
Essential Job Functions
• Program Setup & Daily Operations: Establish and supervise daily after-school learning centers across district following 21st CCLC grant guidelines to provide supplemental, TEKS-aligned academic support for struggling students. Ensure all centers deliver structured blocks containing academic enrichment, high-impact tutoring, hands-on STEAM/project-based learning (including robotics and drones), physical activities, and wellness programs.
• Summer & Transitional Programming: Plan, establish, and oversee the 21st CCLC summer programming component designed as a 4-to-6-week academy to prevent summer learning loss. Deliver full-day, transitional project-based learning opportunities supporting language arts and STEAM activities for elementary, middle, and high school students. Develop and implement fall transition programs for students moving into middle and high school based on available funding and technical assistance.
• Committee Coordination & Leadership: Establish and manage the representative grant steering committee and all necessary working subcommittees to guide program development, delivery, evaluation, and advocacy. Maintain effective relationships with school-day staff and local providers while working closely with each Site Coordinator and their respective campus advisory boards.
• Partnership Management: Formulate and maintain strong collaborative relationships with key community entities—including South Texas College, UTRGV, Workforce Solutions, RGV Vocational Staffing LLC, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, The Public Library and Region One ESC—to uphold shared programmatic and safety goals. Draft, establish, and monitor compliance for all formal partnership agreements and contracts following district policy.
• Site Planning & Protocol Handbooks: Develop individualized school site plans in coordination with campus Principals and Site Coordinators to integrate all grant assurances into daily operations. Author and update the annual 21st CCLC Coordinator Handbook, ensuring all program personnel are properly oriented to district protocols and continuous quality improvement (CQI) expectations.
• Public Relations & Community Outreach: Create and implement comprehensive marketing materials, social media campaigns, and public presentations to highlight program accomplishments, special events, and seasonal activity guides. Coordinate closely with the district's Communications and Technology departments to distribute press releases and maintain transparent community information platforms.
• Personnel Management & Training: Recruit, hire, support, and evaluate all after-school and summer Site Coordinators (with administrative input from campus Principals), lead coordinators, and support staff. Coordinate and deliver continuous professional development focusing on small-group instruction, safety onboarding, and compliance protocols.
• Cross-Departmental Synchronization: Partner with the district's Transportation Department to manage safe student transit and late-route schedules. Coordinate with Nutrition Services to align USDA-approved food programs with after-school dismissal times. Collaborate with Risk Management and Nursing Services to ensure facility safety, regular emergency drills, student care plans, and comprehensive compliance reporting.
• Fiscal Accountability & Purchasing Compliance: Analyze and approve all purchasing requests from individual sites to ensure absolute alignment with state, federal, and local guidelines. Review quarterly budget expenditures and ensure grant funds are braided appropriately without supplanting the traditional school day. Serve as the primary point of contact for grant audits.
• Grant Reporting & Data Governance: Monitor, verify, and input regular program data (attendance, student demographics, service hours, and academic benchmarks) into the secure TX21st system on a weekly basis. Timely prepare and submit all required federal and state reports, budget revisions, and continuation applications.
• Evaluation & Quality Improvement: Coordinate regularly with the third-party external evaluator to fulfill the annual evaluation timeline. Schedule campus site observations twice per year, facilitating follow-up data reviews with Principals and Site Coordinators to implement mid-cycle academic or staffing adjustments if quantifiable benchmarks lag.
Non-Essential Job Functions
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned by the supervisor.
Equipment Used
• Standard office equipment including a personal computer, printer, calculator, copier, and interactive flat panels/digital instructional tools used within the centers.
Independent Decisions
• Makes day-to-day programmatic decisions following supervisor directives.
• Make collaborative administrative decisions with participating campus Principals, directors, and the steering committee.
• Follows all district, state, and federal policies.
• Exercises independent decision-making to efficiently handle student, staff, and safety issues that arise during evening hours and summer programming in the absence of other daytime administrators.
Primary Working Contacts
• Extensive contact with the RGCG ISD administrative teams, Site Coordinators, campus Principals, general public, higher education partners (STC, UTRGV, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension), and local community/public safety partners.
Responsibility for Cash, Equipment, Safety
• Responsible for fiscal oversight and monitoring of the total grant award requested of $2,000,000.
• Accountable for all program supplies, technology, and enrichment equipment (including robotics kits, drones, and VR learning packages).
• Ensures student safety during evening hours, regular programming, and off-site educational or career exposure trips.
Safety Enforce safety standards that conform with state, federal, and insurance regulations and develop a program of preventive safety. Assess road conditions and hazards and advise administration about inclement weather conditions that may result in delayed starts or the closing of schools. Investigate school bus accidents and student safety violations. Maintain safety standards in conformance with federal, state, and insurance regulations. Organize and conduct training programs to promote a safe work environment. Ensure transportation equipment is in excellent operating condition. Follow district safety protocols and emergency procedures. Other
• Equal Opportunity Employer: The Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• Funding & Grant Alignment: This position is 100% funded by the Federal Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) / Texas ACE Cycle 13 Grant Program, administered through the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and authorized by the U.S. Department of Education. Continuation of employment is contingent upon the availability of grant funds.
• Reasonable Accommodations: The Rio Grande City Grulla Independent School District is committed to providing reasonable accommodations, in accordance with applicable state and federal laws, to all individuals with qualified physical or mental disabilities.
• Working on-site is an essential part of your job function.
Supervision Received and Exercised
• Receives oral and/or written instructions, guidance, and evaluation from the designated RGCG ISD Superintendent or designee.
• Exercises direct supervision and evaluation over 10 Site Coordinators, the Family and Community Engagement Specialist, instructional staff, and administrative support personnel.
Unusual Working Conditions
• Requires a flexible schedule to accommodate the evening operational hours of the centers (extending until 6:00–6:30 PM), summer programming schedules, family night sessions, and periodic regional travel or steering committee commitments.
Evaluation
• Annual written performance evaluation conducted in accordance with RGCG ISD board policy and grant management success.
Physical and Mental Demands
• Physical Demands: Requires frequent standing, walking, sitting, speaking, and hearing. Daily tasks require near vision to analyze student data dashboards, read printed materials, and operate computer screens. Requires sufficient arm, hand, and finger dexterity to operate a keyboard. Regularly requires reaching, handling office materials, and occasionally lifting items weighing up to 20 lbs. Must be able to use step stools or carts to manage, distribute, or inventory program materials, STEM kits, and learning resources.
• Mental Demands: Must be able to communicate clearly through oral and written means in a professional business manner. Requires high-level cognitive skills to interpret complex state and federal data reports, readily recall compliance facts and program details, productively manage conflict, and make effective, data-driven decisions under pressure during mid-cycle adjustment reviews.
Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors: Tools/Equipment Used: Standard office equipment including computer and peripherals; district vehicle; school bus Posture: Prolonged sitting; frequent standing, kneeling/squatting, bending/stooping, pushing/pulling, and twisting Motion: Frequent walking; regular grasping/squeezing, wrist flexion/extension, and reaching; regular driving Lifting: Regular light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds) Environment: Work outside and inside, on slippery or uneven walking surfaces; frequent exposure to extreme hot and cold temperatures, dust, noise, vibration; exposure to chemical hazards; work around vehicles and machinery with moving parts; regularly work irregular hours; occasional prolonged hours; frequent districtwide travel; occasional statewide travel Mental Demands: Maintain emotional control under stress *To meet the executive exemption test, the primary duty must be management and the employee must supervise at least two full-time employees. This document describes the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.