Postsecondary Transition and Career Advisor

KIPP Public Schools Northern California
Oakland, CA

Position SummaryKIPP Public School’s KIPP Forward team is looking for a full time (1.0 FTE) Postsecondary Transition and Career Advisor to work closely with KIPP NorCal students and alumni to prepare them for college, career and beyond. The KIPP Forward department supports high school students and alumni of KIPP Public Schools Northern California to and through postsecondary pathways, including college, vocational programs, and/or career. The Postsecondary Transition and Career Advisor provides support and counseling to KIPPsters graduating from high school (focusing on the transition to postsecondary pathways) and continuing this support through their postsecondary pathway (focusing on persistence, completion, and career readiness).This role will require the candidate to be on site at least 3 days per week, typically to a KIPP local high school (SF/Peninsula), local college campus, or in the Regional Support Office in Oakland. A two-year commitment is strongly preferred to work with the same cohort of students for two years in a row. The Postsecondary Transition and Career Advisor will report to the Associate Director of Postsecondary and Career Success.The ideal candidate for this position will have a deep passion for social justice and educational equity for all children, and has a background in college advising, project management skills, strong follow through and attention to detail, as well as outstanding written and verbal communication skills. They must have a demonstrated interest in serving low-income students and are dedicated to doing whatever it takes to support our students to and through college. Preferred QualificationsExperience & Education:
  • Passion for KIPP’s mission and values
  • Bachelor’s degree (required)
  • 1+ years experience of advising and/or in a counseling for college access
  • Experience working with educationally underserved students and families from historically marginalized communities that have been systematically underserved
  • Experience working with first generation, low income and/or underrepresented students in College Access and College Persistence highly preferred

Competencies Required:Lead Self
  • Seeks feedback; reflects on strengths and growth areas
  • Explores own identity, privilege, and positionality
  • Builds job-specific skills; owns and learns from mistakes
Lead People
  • Leads with integrity; follows through on commitments; contributes to team purpose; brings joy
  • Adapts to change and shifts in the work
  • Receives feedback openly; acts as an accountable team member
  • Collaborates within and across teams; shares information that helps others
Lead Results
  • Manages workload; backward plans; meets deadlines
  • Solves routine problems; escalates appropriately with proposed solutions
  • Delivers quality work on time; distinguishes effort from results
  • Keeps manager informed proactively; asks for help when needed

Knowledge/skills required:
  • Positivity, optimism and a solutions-oriented mindset
  • Practice healthy communication and embrace productive conflict to form trusting relationships, to collaborate, offer feedback and guidance, and to motivate and inspire others.
  • Unquestioned integrity and commitment to KIPP Public Schools’ mission and values
  • Ability to exercise excellent judgment in decision-making; facilitate various size working groups, work collaboratively, and; gather and analyze data, compile information, and prepare reports
  • Extreme flexibility, strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate joining a growing and constantly improving team
  • Self-starter, comfortable in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
  • An achievement orientation: self-directed and results-oriented, demonstrating initiative and follow-through and ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
  • Ability to self-direct and prioritize among competing goals and to initiate process improvements
  • Goal-oriented, with strong initiative and creative problem-solving skills
  • Excellent interpersonal skills: ability to work with a wide-range of people including teachers, counselors, parents, students, and administration teams
  • Outstanding written and oral communication skills
  • Strong working knowledge in all Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Suite
  • Preference for a conversational Spanish speaker given the student populations this advisor will support

Essential Functions and ResponsibilitiesCaseload Management (40%)
  • Manage a caseload of approximately 110 1st year alumni starting second semester of senior year in high school to support the transition from high school to their postsecondary pathway
  • Provide 1:1 advising, guidance, and coaching services focused on transition to postsecondary programs, postsecondary enrollment, college persistence, the transfer process, college completion, and career readiness
  • Track enrollment and persistence steps of alumni to ensure persistence in their selected postsecondary pathways (i.e. financial aid applications, course enrollment, etc.)
  • Analyze and reflect on student data to develop strategies to best outreach and support caseload
  • Provide alumni with consistent information on college scholarships, internships, and organizations focused on college persistence and completion
  • Leverage KIPP Galaxy, ADB, and Advisor/Team trackers to track alumni data and analyze student data [contact information, financial aid, internships, etc.] using the Alumni Services database

Strong Transition Programming (30%)
  • Collaborate with the Match Team such as Director of College Counseling, Senior Counselors and the Postsecondary Match & Career Managers and other KIPP Forward teammates to plan for and execute Strong Transition for 12th grade students attending KIPP San Francisco College Preparatory and KIPP Esperanza High School in East Palo Alto
  • Manage the Tier 3 caseload of current seniors that focuses on guidance preparation to prevent summer melt
  • Track matriculation steps of current seniors in collaboration with the Match Team to ensure students enroll in the fall to their selected postsecondary pathway
  • Support with college essay submissions, financial aid nights, college and CTE tours, and other tasks as needed

Alumni Events & Programming (20%)
  • Join a committee that leads an Alumni Project to support in the planning and executing of that project
  • Actively participate in college and career partnership working groups
  • Develop and maintain contacts at local colleges and universities in order to provide outstanding alumni support and potential alumni clustering
  • Provide KIPP Forward with feedback regarding academic rigor, school culture, and counseling services of the various colleges alumni attend

Cross-Team Collaboration and Operations Support (10%)
  • Serve as a member of the Postsecondary Success team, modeling stellar performance and healthy communication
  • Attend and participate in all KIPP Forward team meetings, including Postsecondary Team Meetings, Professional Development, Regional Support Office team meetings
  • Respond to emails, calls, and texts from staff and students within 48 hours during work week
  • Other duties as assigned

Physical, Mental and Environmental DemandsPhysical: Ability to navigate office and school campuses, and hold meetings in different spaces. Traditionally, much of the day involves sitting. Ability to access and utilize technology. Occasional lifting/carrying of equipment 1-20 lbs. Physical agility to move self in various positions in order to execute duties effectively, which may include kneeling, walking, pushing/pulling, squatting, twisting, turning, bending, stooping and reaching overheadMental: Stress of deadlines and normal work standards, ability to analyze problems and generate alternatives, work with interruptions, concentrate for long periods of time, read, calculate, perform routine math problems, memorize and recall objects and people.Environmental: Office and classroom environment subject to constant interruptions and distractions. (Occasional/frequent) classroom/school environment and travel. KIPP adheres to health and safety guidelines as outlined by the CDC, CDE, and public health agencies’ recommendations.

ClassificationThis is a full-time, non-exempt position based on a full year calendar cycle, based out of our Regional Support Office with frequent travel to schools and districts.This is a hybrid role with the expectation that three days per week be spent onsite at our Regional Support Office in Oakland or at a local KIPP high school or college campus. Must possess a valid California driver’s license and have access to reliable transportation for work-related travel.About KIPP Public Schools Northern CaliforniaWe are a thriving nonprofit network of 23 free, public charter schools open to all students. At KIPP, we believe all children should grow up free to create the future they want for themselves and that schools can and should be a critical factor in making that vision a reality. Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.Our student community consists of nearly 7,000 elementary, middle, and high school students in East Palo Alto, Oakland, San Francisco, San Lorenzo, San José, Redwood City, and Stockton. 81% qualify for free or reduced price lunch, 34% are multilingual learners, and 12% have special needs. We strive to cultivate a representative team of teachers and leaders that reflect our students’ diversity.CompensationKIPP Northern California is dedicated to you and your family's well-being! We offer a competitive salary as well as a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and transportation benefits.We benchmark annually against comparably-sized non-profit organizations in the regions where we operate, to offer competitive wages. The hourly range for this position is between $28.37 - $37.16.How to ApplyPlease submit a cover letter and resume by clicking apply on this page.

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