Program Specialist

Position Overview The SVUDL Program Specialist role is key to the delivery, growth, and impact of the SVUDL program in our partner schools, helping build and implement a shared vision among all stakeholders, including youth, teachers, administrators, SVUDL staff, volunteers, and the school community. In this role, you will be responsible for recruiting, supporting, and collaborating with Teacher Coaches at 2 schools by providing professional development and support to coaches, developing programming opportunities for students, and measuring and evaluating program effectiveness. Your goal will be to build strong programs that can eventually operate independently. The Program Specialist works directly with the Program team to manage and execute several competitive debate tournaments, workshops, and events each year. The SVUDL Program Specialist is also key to the delivery, growth, and impact of Debate Centered Instruction (DCI) in SVUDL partner schools, working closely with the Director of Education to support teachers in bringing DCI activities into their classrooms. The Program Specialist is responsible for supporting the preparation and delivery of professional development workshops, helping teachers identify opportunities to integrate DCI activities into their subject area curricula, and providing classroom based support as teachers implement those activities with students. This includes observing DCI lessons, offering clear and constructive feedback to teachers, sharing instructional resources and best practices, and helping assess the effectiveness of DCI implementation across partner schools. Through this work, the Program Specialist helps strengthen teacher practice, expand student access to rigorous discussion and argumentation, and support the continued growth of Debate Centered Instruction as a core element of SVUDL's school-based programming. You will spend approximately 85% of your working hours in the field visiting school sites and attending practices to provide training and oversight to teacher coaches as scheduling permits, and 15% of your working hours at the SVUDL office in San Jose or remotely. You will be an active member of the Program team, working collaboratively with other Program Specialists, Teacher Coaches, administrative staff, the Director of Programming, the Director of Education, and the CEO. Community organizing is essential for building sustainable programs. While coaching can exist without program development, creating lasting institutions requires intentional community-building. Program Specialists will focus on creating and building relationships while equipping stakeholders with the knowledge and skills needed for SVUDL's success. Program Specialists will also work closely as a team, sharing responsibility for program design, event execution, and student experience across partner schools. The Program Specialist reports to the Director of Education. What You'll Do Build and Sustain School-Based Relationships and Program Presence

• Maintain a consistent on-site presence at each partner school, including visiting each school at least once per week during active programming.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with Teacher Coaches, students, and school staff through regular interaction, visibility, and follow-up.
• Conduct ongoing student recruitment efforts, including classroom visits and outreach during the school day to ensure consistent participation throughout the year.
• Support the implementation of Debate Centered Instruction in classrooms at partner schools in coordination with the Director of Education.
• Attend and support team practices regularly, providing coaching, observation, and feedback to Teacher Coaches to strengthen practice quality and alignment with SVUDL's model.
• Maintain relationships with school administrators by sharing program updates and student successes at least once per semester, and identifying opportunities for increased visibility and support.
• Represent SVUDL as a consistent and trusted presence on campus, building relationships that support long-term program sustainability. Develop Teacher Coaches Toward Independent Program Leadership
• Provide ongoing coaching and support to Teacher Coaches through weekly 1:1 meetings and inpractice guidance, with the goal of developing independent practice leadership over time.
• Train Teacher Coaches to use SVUDL's skills progression to plan practices, assess student development, and support both novice and experienced students.
• Support Teacher Coaches in leading inclusive, team-based practices that avoid siloing students and promote shared skill development and team cohesion.
• Develop Teacher Coaches' ability to recruit and retain students, facilitate engaging practices, and build strong team culture.
• Support Teacher Coaches in preparing students for tournaments, including managing logistics, communication, and expectations.
• Monitor Teacher Coach progress and identify areas of growth or stagnation. Collaborate with the Director of Programming to adjust support, address challenges, or plan transitions when necessary.
• Contribute to a broader community of Teacher Coaches across schools to support peer learning and long-term program sustainability. Deepen Student Experience and Skill Development
• Support the delivery of high-quality team practices that build student engagement and skill development.
• Collaborate with the Program team to introduce and promote diverse formats and activities that broaden student exposure and maintain engagement.
• Create and support opportunities for students to apply and demonstrate their skills, including showcases, events, and other presentations.
• Coordinate enrichment opportunities such as field trips, guest speakers, and partnerships that deepen student learning and connection to the activity.
• Ensure programming evolves to meet the growing skill levels and needs of students, increasing rigor and independence over time.
• In some cases, the Program Specialist will be called to teach and/or coach students. Create Quality Competitive Experiences
• Collaborate with the Program team to plan and execute tournaments and events, contributing to logistics, preparation, and on-site coordination.
• Ensure assigned schools are registered for tournaments and that student participation is accurately tracked.
• Support Teacher Coaches in preparing students for tournaments, including communication, logistics, and readiness.
• Contribute to judge recruitment and training efforts in collaboration with the Program team.
• Support event logistics, including setup, materials, and coordination with staff and volunteers.
• Ensure students, teachers, and judges from assigned schools are prepared and present for tournaments. Support Debate Centered Instruction Professional Development
• Prepare teacher-facing materials for professional development workshops, including sample lesson plans, activity instructions, facilitation guides, discussion protocols, graphic organizers, and reflection tools.
• Assist with the design, preparation, and facilitation of workshops that introduce teachers to DCI as a classroom based instructional method that uses structured academic discourse, evidence-based argument, and collaborative reasoning to deepen student learning across subject areas.
• Assist with follow-up communication after professional development sessions, including sharing resources, gathering teacher feedback, documenting next steps, and helping maintain updated DCI materials for participating teachers. Support Teachers in DCI Implementation
• Work directly with teachers to help them integrate DCI activities into their existing curricula. Meet with teachers individually or in small groups to help identify appropriate units, texts, topics, essential questions, or standards where DCI activities can strengthen student engagement, academic discourse, evidence-based reasoning, and analytical writing.
• Support teachers in adapting DCI activities to their classroom goals, student needs, subject matter, pacing calendars, and instructional routines.
• Use observation cycles to support high-quality implementation of DCI, including pre-observation planning conversations, classroom visits, post-observation reflection, and follow-up support.
• Model facilitation strategies when appropriate, including how to introduce an activity, frame a debate question, support evidence use, structure student talk, manage time, and debrief student learning.
• Support teachers in troubleshooting implementation challenges, including uneven participation, student reluctance to speak, classroom management during debate activities, insufficient evidence use, or difficulty connecting discussion to writing.
• Help teachers build confidence and independence over time so that they can implement DCI activities with increasing consistency, quality, and ownership. Build Teacher Capacity and Community
• Contribute to the development of a community of practice among teachers implementing DCI across SVUDL partner schools. Support regular opportunities for teachers to share lesson ideas, reflect on implementation, discuss student outcomes, troubleshoot challenges, and learn from one another's classroom practice.
• Assist with maintaining and improving shared DCI resources, including workshop materials, classroom activities, model lessons, teacher examples, and implementation tools.
• Support the continuous improvement of DCI programming by helping identify teacher needs, implementation barriers, successful activities, and opportunities for additional professional development or coaching. Support Program Growth, Evaluation, and School Partnerships
• Help maintain strong relationships with teachers using DCI activities, instructional coaches, department leads, administrators, and other school partners to ensure effective DCI implementation.
• Support communication with school leaders about DCI goals, professional development opportunities, classroom implementation, teacher needs, and program impact.
• Assist in collecting and organizing evidence of program implementation and effectiveness, including teacher participation, workshop feedback, classroom observation notes, teacher reflections, student work samples, and examples of DCI activities in practice.
• Contribute to reports, summaries, and updates that communicate the progress and impact of Debate Centered Instruction to SVUDL staff, school partners, funders, and other stakeholders.
• Develop strategies to enhance the recruitment of students from DCI classrooms to afterschool programming at SVUDL partner schools. Measure and Communicate Program Effectiveness
• Track and maintain data on student attendance, recruitment and retention, and tournament participation.
• Monitor overall program health at assigned schools, including engagement and consistency of participation.
• Assess and communicate Teacher Coach development and readiness.
• Document and share student achievements and program stories, collaborating with the Marketing team as needed.
• Provide regular updates to the Program team on progress, challenges, and needs.
• Communicate key updates to school administrators, including program progress and student successes.

Your Experience The ideal candidate brings a combination of experience in high school Speech and Debate, education, and relationship-driven program work, along with the ability to operate independently in a dynamic, school-based environment. In addition to competing or coaching high school Speech and/or Debate, other qualifications considered are:

• Bachelor's degree with a strong academic record, or equivalent.
• 2-5 years of relevant professional experience, including experience in education, youth development, coaching, or program implementation.
• Direct experience working with teachers, administrators, and public school districts - urban public school experience is a plus.
• Experience working in school-based or youth-serving environments, with an understanding of the dynamics of public schools (urban public school experience is a plus).
• Experience crafting professional development materials for teachers interested in using Speech and Debate in the classroom is a plus.
• Ability to work independently and manage time across multiple sites, maintaining organization and follow-through across competing priorities. 5
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to coach, give feedback, and facilitate conversations with both students and adults.
• Comfort working in a highly relational, field-based role that requires consistent on-site presence and proactive engagement.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively and independently in a diverse work environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to adapt to changing needs and situations in a school environment.
• Basic proficiency with data tracking and organization (e.g., attendance, participation, program updates).
• Experience supporting or managing programs across multiple sites or stakeholders.
• Experience using data to monitor program performance and inform decision-making.
• Experience working with historically underserved or underrepresented student populations.
• Proficiency in computer skills, including Word, Excel, and internet-based programs.

The wage range for this position is commensurate with experience, ranging from $25.75 per hour to $27.75 per hour. This position is non-exempt, and the employee will be paid on an hourly basis and is eligible for overtime. Generous paid time off, health, and retirement, benefits package offered.

Applying for the position:

Please send a resume, cover letter, and recent writing sample to: jobs@svudl.org with "SVUDL Program Specialist" in the e-mail subject line. In your cover letter, please share why you are interested in the job, and why you believe your experiences and skills are a good fit for the position. If you have questions that would affect your interest in applying, please e-mail jobs@svudl.org and we can set up a time to talk. The Silicon Valley Urban Debate League is deeply committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, because we believe in the value of different experiences, skills, and voices in strengthening our work and achieving our mission. We also strive to have our team reflect the ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic diversity of the communities we work with and for. Because of this, we especially want to encourage people of color to apply for the position. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, pregnancy, childbirth, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic as established by applicable federal, state, or local law.