Overview
Youth Development Specialist, Alpha – $100,000/year USD Jobs in Houston, TX at Crossover
Title: Youth Development Specialist, Alpha – $100,000/year USD
Company: Crossover
Location: Houston, TX
- On-site at one of three Houston-area locations: Central Houston, South Houston, or The Woodlands (relocation assistance available)
- $100,000 annual salary paid weekly, with health, dental, and vision coverage beginning day one
When a student reaches 99% of their target, the most meaningful thing you can do is refuse to accept it as complete. If that principle feels too rigid, this position won't suit you. If it resonates because you understand that maintaining high expectations is how you communicate belief in a student's capability, read on.
Alpha operates outside the traditional school model. Students complete a full academic day in approximately two hours using adaptive technology. There are no lectures or textbooks. Your responsibility centers on what software cannot replicate: developing life skills in students from Pre-K through 8th grade—skills like public speaking, concentration, and constructive feedback exchange. You'll spend half your time facilitating structured, hands-on workshops guided by detailed playbooks and narrative techniques. The remaining time is devoted to one-on-one and small-group sessions where you analyze student performance in adaptive platforms using Coachbot analytics and hold them accountable to reaching 100% of their weekly objectives. Mastery is verified through Test2Pass assessments, not attendance or effort metrics.
During your first year, you'll take ownership of a student cohort and become fluent in Alpha's methodology: life skills facilitation, motivational coaching, and mastery-based evaluation. Once you demonstrate consistent success in guiding every student to full goal completion while maintaining satisfaction ratings above 90%, advancement to Lead Guide becomes accessible—a role where you mentor fellow Guides while continuing direct student engagement. Top performers in this position don't merely impact individual trajectories; they influence campus-wide operations and culture.
If your background includes years of coaching, counseling, or mentoring young people and you've longed to eliminate traditional instruction in favor of genuine developmental work, this opportunity aligns with that vision.
What You Will Be Doing
- Facilitating one-hour life skills workshops for Pre-K through 8th grade students covering public speaking, focus, collaboration, and feedback exchange (project-based and interactive)
- Conducting daily one-on-one and small-group coaching sessions to review individual student progress in adaptive learning platforms (via Coachbot analytics), establish objectives, and ensure 100% weekly goal attainment
- Overseeing and assessing Test2Pass evaluations to validate genuine mastery of each life skill rather than simple participation
- Adjusting your coaching approach across developmental stages, from Pre-K learners requiring high energy and physical engagement to 8th graders needing direct conversation and firm accountability
- Cultivating authentic connections with each student so they trust your guidance through moments of resistance, distraction, and uncertainty
What You Won’t Be Doing
- Providing lectures or traditional academic instruction (core content is delivered through adaptive applications, not by you)
- Developing original lesson plans or curriculum (Alpha supplies structured life skills playbooks; your role is to execute them with presence and narrative skill)
- Handling parent communication or administrative duties (Campus Leads manage those areas; your focus remains on students)
- Evaluating homework or preparing students for standardized tests (these elements are not part of the model)
- Operating independently (you collaborate within a campus team that includes Lead Guides, Campus Leads, and colleagues who provide mutual feedback and accountability)
Youth Development Specialist Key Responsibilities
Ensure that every student in your cohort develops a love for learning, achieves mastery of critical life skills, and reaches 100% of their academic objectives through adaptive learning technology.
Basic Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in any discipline
- Minimum 3 years of direct experience working with Pre-K through 8th grade students (in teaching, coaching, counseling, or youth program leadership roles)
- Demonstrated experience motivating or coaching Pre-K–8 students toward academic, behavioral, or extracurricular objectives, with at least one concrete example you can articulate (including the objective, your actions, and the result)
- Current daily use of generative AI platforms (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude)
- Availability to work on-site at Alpha's Central Houston, South Houston, or The Woodlands campus (relocation assistance provided)
- Authorization to work in the United States without requiring visa sponsorship
Nice-to-have Requirements
- Background in youth sports coaching, camp leadership, or after-school programming where you held direct accountability for motivating children to achieve defined objectives
- History of personal achievement at a high level (academic distinctions, competitive athletics, or leadership positions demanding sustained excellence)
- Innate storytelling capability: you can command the attention of a room full of 12-year-olds for an hour without elevating your voice
- Success motivating disengaged or reluctant students and converting them into active, invested participants
About Alpha
Want to join a learning rebellion that’s transforming the traditional classroom?
Alpha School is on a mission to reshape education with a bold approach that harnesses AI to accelerate learning and unleash student potential.
They don’t play by the old rules.
Alpha is creating a new paradigm where students master core academics in just two hours a day, freeing up time for hands-on, passion-driven learning that truly prepares them for the real world.
Alpha School is rewriting the rules of education.
Sounds too good to be true? It’s not.
There is so much to cover for this exciting role, and space here is limited. Hit the Apply button if you found this interesting and want to learn more. We look forward to meeting you!
Working with us
This is a full-time (40 hours per week), long-term position. The position is immediately available and requires entering into an independent contractor agreement with Crossover as a Contractor of Record. The compensation level for this role is $50 USD/hour, which equates to $100,000 USD/year assuming 40 hours per week and 50 weeks per year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.
Crossover Job Code: LJ-5767-US-Houston-YouthDevelopme.003
