Academic Director, BEAM Summer Away

Role Overview: Instructional Leadership

The Academic Director is the instructional leader for a BEAM site, responsible for ensuring high-quality, student-centered math instruction and supporting faculty growth. As Academic Director, you will guide the academic vision for your campus, support faculty growth, and ensure that BEAM’s inquiry-based, student-centered math instruction comes to life every day.

BEAM Summer Away 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.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Ensure high-quality, inquiry-based math instruction aligned with BEAM’s mission and values.
• Coach, support, and evaluate faculty, including Junior and Senior Faculty.
• Facilitate collaboration spaces that promote shared learning and instructional coherence.
• Align academic goals with site operations in partnership with site leadership.

The Academic Director partners closely with the Site Director, Associate Site Director, Director of Student Life, and Guidance Counselor as part of a cohesive leadership team. While the primary focus is academic excellence and faculty development, the role also supports site-wide operations as needed to ensure a strong student experience.

Key Responsibilities:

I. Pre-Program Preparation

Your work before camp ensures that faculty arrive prepared and that the academic program launches smoothly.

Self-Preparation and Planning:

• Complete BEAM’s Leadership and Faculty Coach training.
• Review the Site Leadership Handbook and align with program expectations.
• Participate in virtual leadership team meetings.
• Support final hiring or placement decisions for faculty.
• Support student course assignment processes.
• Attend synchronous faculty training sessions and the virtual course planning retreat.

Pre-Camp Week (On-Site):

• Leadership Retreat: Align with the leadership team on roles, academic expectations, and camp-wide goals; contribute to planning team-building activities and culture-setting norms; assist in preparing classroom spaces, materials, and logistics.
• All Staff Pre-Camp Training: Lead all faculty-specific training, including academic modules; facilitate prep time, course refinement, and problem-solving planning for faculty; assign and review academic training tasks or modules; confirm completion of HR onboarding for faculty.

II. During Camp

Academic Leadership (Primary Function)

• Observe each faculty member across three full observation and feedback cycles.
• Provide individualized coaching and implement BEAM’s coaching and feedback structures.
• Co-facilitate twice-weekly collaboration spaces with senior faculty focused on lesson planning, math content, pedagogical strategies.
• Guide faculty on best practices for Open Math Time, problem-solving pedagogy, and student discourse.
• Provide and record formal summative feedback for all faculty.
• Support new faculty in understanding BEAM’s teaching philosophy.

Site Leadership (In partnership with the Site Director)

• Serve as the primary translator of academic needs within the leadership team.
• Participate in daily and weekly leadership check-ins.
• Communicate academic updates, shifts, or faculty needs.
• Troubleshoot classroom or scheduling issues in partnership with leadership.
• Provide emergency class coverage if needed.
• Support decision-making conversations when academic or student needs intersect.

Community Leadership

• Ensure classrooms reflect BEAM’s commitment to safety, belonging, inquiry, and student ownership of math.
• Support faculty in implementing student accommodations and engagement strategies.
• Address escalated academic or classroom-based student behavior concerns.
• Model academic and social leadership aligned with BEAM’s values.

Operational and Logistical Support

(The Academic Director is not the primary logistics manager, but supports key pieces that intersect with academics.)

• Manage petty cash and supplies related to instruction.
• Support planning and staffing for field trips and academic extensions.
• Supervise Open Math Time.
• Coordinate math circles or enrichment events for students and staff.
• Participate in occasional evening responsibilities as aligned with leadership team norms.

III. Post-Camp Wrap Up

• Complete summative faculty evaluations and lead all faculty debrief conversations.
• Support Site Director in completing the end-of-camp checklist.
• Contribute academic insights to BEAM’s multi-site step-back meeting.

Qualifications

• Experience:  At least 2 years as Academic Dean or 4+ years in an instructional leadership role.
• Preferred Experience: Worked with middle school and/or high school students.
• Leadership: Demonstrated success coaching teachers or leading instructional teams.
• Content Expertise: Deep comfort with middle school math content, problem-solving pedagogy, and inquiry-based teaching.
• Coaching Skills: Skilled at providing clear, actionable feedback and building trusting coaching relationships.
• Professional Development: Experience leading professional development or collaborative planning spaces.
• Soft Skills: Strong communication, organization, and partnership skills.
• Values: Commitment to equity, inclusive practices, and student-centered learning.

Why You’ll Love Working Here

• Room and board is covered by BEAM for the duration of the summer program.
• Travel from and to the camp site is covered by BEAM within BEAM’s approved travel guidelines.
• Small classes with 10-15 students and 2 adults.
• An opportunity to truly get to know the extraordinary students.
• Professional development before camp to set you up for success.
• A collaborative, supportive team of educators and staff from diverse backgrounds.

Location

• BSA CA: Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA)

Program Dates (PY26)

Compensation: The compensation is $9,750 for the main camp period as Academic Director, and a contract at an hourly rate for any preparatory work before camp starts as a pre-summer set up associate.

Application Process

First Round Interview  → Project  → Final Interview  → Reference checks & offer!

For more information and the application, contact us at hiring@beammath.org. For information on our residential summer camps, check out our BEAM Summer Away postings!

BEAM Summer Away Faculty

BEAM Summer Away 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 a faculty member, you will help students discover powerful mathematical ideas, build confidence, and see themselves as mathematicians.

Learn more about our 10-year program.

What Our Classrooms Look Like

Our classrooms are student-centered, lively, and discussion-rich. Students explore patterns, debate conjectures, justify their reasoning, and collaborate on open-ended problems. Teachers guide thinking through purposeful questions, models, and structures that promote productive struggle. We affirm students’ strengths and identities and help them grow as confident, capable problem solvers.

About the Courses You Will Teach

Faculty teach courses in one of BEAM’s four signature areas:

• Pure Topics: Abstract ideas such as graph theory, combinatorics, number theory, tessellations, and symmetry. Focus is on reasoning, proofs, and stretching mathematical imagination.
• Applied Topics: Connect math to the real world through circuits, programming, data, voting theory, or modeling. Show students how math explains and solves practical challenges.
• Strategic Math Thinking: Contest-style puzzling that builds creative problem-solving techniques, pattern recognition, and systematic reasoning.
• Solving Big Problems: Deep, collaborative problem sets that build endurance, pattern hunting, case analysis, and introductory proof structures. (This is BEAM’s only semi-scripted course.)

About the Role

We are looking for math and STEM educators who love working with middle schoolers and are excited to join a residential community. This role encompasses teaching, community engagement, and partnership with counselors and site leadership. Faculty design and teach their own courses, participate fully in camp life, collaborate with academic coaches, and help maintain a supportive, structured environment.

Core Responsibilities (You Will…)

Instruction and Curriculum Design

• Design engaging, student-centered math courses aligned to BEAM Summer Away offerings.
• Prepare daily lesson plans, problem solutions, and materials in advance.
• Adapt instruction for the specific learners in your classroom.
• Incorporate practices that support multilingual learners using visuals, structured reasoning, and language-accessible explanations.
• Maintain pacing expectations and collaborate with coaches when adjustments are needed.

Classroom Leadership

• Establish and maintain classroom norms and routines that promote student inquiry, persistence, and collaboration.
• Use restorative, respectful redirection aligned with BEAM’s behavior expectations.
• Partner with TAs during class for student support, behavior management, and transitions.
• Apply the BEAM behavior escalation process and involve leadership when needed.

Collaboration and Coaching

• Participate in coaching cycles including observations, debrief meetings, and implementing feedback.
• Attend academic collaboration sessions to align on pacing, goals, and instructional priorities.
• Work closely with TAs, Academic Director, and faculty peers to create a coherent and supportive learning environment.

Student Support

• Identify academic or social-emotional concerns and communicate them to the appropriate leadership team member following documentation protocols.
• Build positive relationships with students through classroom interactions, meals, activities, and trips.

Community and Camp Life

• Support evening free time, independent study, relays, and other activities at least 5 days per week.
• Attend meals with students to foster community.
• Attend assigned field trips such as hiking, field day, or regional excursions.
• Participate in 2 to 3 weekly staff meetings for PD, alignment, and community building.
• Provide emergency coverage for supervising students as needed.

Training, Wrap Up, and Communication

• Attend all pre-camp training sessions and complete required pre-work.
• Participate in camp wrap-up sessions including feedback surveys, reflection activities, and documentation.
• Use BEAM communication tools such as radios, shared drives, and schedules.

What You Bring (You Have…)

• Course Design Experience: Experience designing inquiry-based lessons where students take the lead in exploring and justifying mathematical ideas.
• Preferred Experience: Worked with middle school and/or high school students.
• Classroom Leadership Experience: At least 3 years as a primary instructor in schools, enrichment programs, colleges, math circles, or similar settings.
• A Commitment to Equity: You create affirming, rigorous classrooms where all students, including multilingual and historically marginalized learners, can grow as mathematicians.
• STEM or Mathematical Expertise: A strong understanding of mathematical reasoning, proofs (for pure classes), or applied mathematical contexts (for applied classes).
• Growth Mindset and Collaboration Skills: Openness to feedback and enthusiasm for working with a diverse team of educators.
• Clear, Compassionate Communication: Ability to communicate expectations, redirect calmly, and collaborate effectively with counselors, faculty peers, and camp leadership.

Requirements

• Authorized to work for any employer in the US.
• International graduate students with CPT or OPT are welcome to apply.

Exceptional candidates will have:

• Experience teaching enrichment math or science.
• Experience working with low-income or historically marginalized students.
• Experience supporting multilingual learners or students with diverse needs.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a seasonal employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this role:

• Frequent sitting, talking and listening and occasional walking, bending, stooping, and pulling.
• Ability to handle and operate computers, tools or controls.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Moderate noise level.
• Work in an indoor classroom environment that may not have air conditioning in the summer.
• For residential roles: live in a dormitory at the campus in which the program takes place.

Why You’ll Love Working Here

• All-Inclusive Stay: Room and board is covered by BEAM for the duration of the summer program.
• Travel Covered: Travel from and to the camp site is covered by BEAM within BEAM’s approved travel guidelines.
• Small Class Sizes: Enjoy small classes with 10–15 students and 2 adults.
• Deep Connections: The camp setting allows you to truly get to know the extraordinary people that students are.
• Support & Growth: Professional development is provided before camp to set you up for success.
• Curriculum Freedom: The opportunity to teach exciting math to middle school students, with the freedom to design your own curriculum, set the arc and goals for your class, and explore student ideas deeply as they arise.
• Collaborative Team: A collaborative, supportive team of educators and staff, bringing together diverse backgrounds—academia, middle school, high school, and more—to create an environment where everyone learns and grows together.

Locations

• BSA CA: Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA)
• BSA NY: Marist College (Poughkeepsie, NY)

Program Dates (2026)

Compensation

$6,500 for the duration of the program.

Application Process

1. First Round Interview
2. Project 
3. Final Interview 
4. Reference checks & offer!

For more information and to apply, please contact us at hiring@beammath.org.

BEAM Summer Away, Senior Faculty

BEAM Summer Away 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 a Senior Faculty member, you will teach dynamic, inquiry-driven math classes and serve as an instructional leader and mentor for Junior Faculty. You will help ensure classrooms are consistent, joyful, and mathematically rich for every student, while shaping students’ mathematical identities and supporting the growth of emerging educators.

Learn more about our 10-year program.

What Our Classrooms Look Like

Our classrooms are student-centered, lively, and discussion-rich. Students explore patterns, debate conjectures, justify their reasoning, and collaborate on open-ended problems. Teachers guide thinking through purposeful questions, models, and structures that promote productive struggle. We affirm students’ strengths and identities and help them grow as confident, capable problem solvers.

The Type of Math You Will Teach

Senior Faculty design and teach a course from one of the four class types:

• Pure Topics: Explorations in abstract mathematics (e.g., graph theory, combinatorics, number theory, symmetry, or tessellations).
• Applied Topics: Math connected to real-world phenomena (e.g., circuits, programming, biology, astronomy, voting theory, or data).
• Strategic Math Thinking: Contest-style and puzzle-based problems that build flexible strategies (e.g., casework, invariants, pattern recognition, and divisibility).
• Solving Big Problems: A semi-scripted course where students grapple with deep, multi-step problems that require stamina, collaboration, and proof-style reasoning.

The Role: Senior Faculty

We are seeking experienced educators with strong instructional skills, a deep commitment to equity, and a track record of supporting other teachers. Senior Faculty in BEAM Summer Away design and teach dynamic, student-centered math classes while serving as mentors and instructional leaders for Junior Faculty. In addition to instructional leadership, this role plays a key part in shaping a cohesive residential community and partnering closely with counselors and site leadership to support students’ academic and personal growth.

Core Responsibilities

Instruction and Curriculum Design

• Design and teach rigorous, student-centered math courses aligned to BEAM’s Summer Away offerings.
• Prepare complete lesson materials (problems, examples, pacing plans, and solutions).
• Adapt instruction to student needs while maintaining the integrity of the course arc.
• Incorporate support for multilingual learners using visuals, structured explanations, and reasoning scaffolds.
• Use diagnostic listening and formative assessment to adjust instruction.

Mentorship and Coaching

• Mentor one Junior Faculty member through regular check-ins (at least every other day).
• Observe your mentee’s teaching and provide specific, actionable feedback tied to BEAM’s instructional vision.
• Model structures, routines, questioning techniques, and problem-solving facilitation in your classroom.
• Support your mentee in lesson planning, classroom culture, pacing, and student engagement.

Supporting Collaboration Spaces

• Co-facilitate one to two collaboration sessions each week with the Academic Director for faculty and Junior Faculty.
• Contribute to productive professional conversations about lesson planning, pacing, student misconceptions, and student work.
• Foster a collaborative environment where teachers feel supported, curious, and aligned.

Classroom Leadership and Culture

• Set clear expectations and norms for inquiry, collaboration, and respectful engagement.
• Use calm, restorative redirection aligned with BEAM’s behavioral expectations.
• Follow and model the camp’s behavior escalation ladder and partner with TAs and Academic Director on classroom culture.
• Communicate proactively with leadership about academic or behavioral concerns.
• Set clear expectations for TA roles in supporting group work, engagement, and transitions.

Community and Camp Life

• Help cultivate a joyful, consistent camp experience by engaging in the community outside of class.
• Support evening free time, independent study, relays, and other activities at least five days per week.
• Eat meals with students and colleagues to build relationships and foster a welcoming environment.
• Attend field trips (hiking days, field days, or amusement park trips).
• Participate in staff meetings two to three times per week.
• Provide emergency coverage for supervising students as needed.

Training, Communication, and Wrap Up

• Attend all pre-camp training sessions and complete onboarding requirements.
• Use BEAM communication tools (radios, shared schedules, and shared drives).
• Participate in end-of-camp wrap-up, including reflections, documentation, and curriculum archiving.

What You Bring

• Curriculum Design Expertise: Experience crafting inquiry-driven, student-centered lessons that promote deep problem-solving and mathematical reasoning.
• Classroom Leadership Experience: At least five years as a primary instructor in a school, enrichment, university, or math circle environment.
• Coaching and Mentorship Experience: At least two years supporting other educators through coaching, department leadership, mentorship, or similar roles.
• Commitment to Equity: A strong belief that mathematical brilliance exists in every community and that inclusive structures help students thrive.
• Mathematical Readiness: A strong understanding of the mathematics relevant to BEAM Summer Away courses.
• For Pure and Problem Solving courses: Comfort with proof and reasoning structures.
• For Applied courses: Ability to connect mathematics to real-world contexts.
• Growth Mindset: A reflective teaching practice and openness to implementing feedback.
• Effective Communication Skills: Skill in facilitating groups, giving clear feedback, and building supportive, trust-based relationships.
• Preferred Experience: Worked with middle school and/or high school students.

Employment Requirements

• Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the US.
• We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas.
• International graduate students able to obtain CPT or OPT are welcome to apply.

Exceptional Candidates Will Have

• A background in teaching enrichment math or science.
• Experience working with low-income students or from historically marginalized communities, including Title 1 schools.
• Experience supporting multilingual learners or students with diverse needs. 

Why You’ll Love Working Here

• Room and board is covered by BEAM for the duration of the summer program.
• Travel from and to the camp site is covered by BEAM within BEAM’s approved travel guidelines.
• Small classes with 10-15 students and 2 adults.
• The opportunity to build deep relationships with extraordinary students in a camp setting.
• Professional development before camp to set you up for success.
• The freedom to design your own curriculum, set the arc and goals for your class, and explore student ideas deeply as they arise.
• A collaborative, supportive team of educators and staff from diverse backgrounds.

Details & Logistics

Program Dates Breakdown:

Compensation: $8,500 for the duration of the camp and $32.50 per hour for pre-work as Pre-Summer Set Up Associate.

Application Process

1. First Round Interview
2. Project 
3. Final Interview 
4. Reference checks & offer!

For more information and to apply, please contact us at hiring@beammath.org.