Job Description

POSITION OVERVIEW

The KIPP Forward Team supports KIPP Chicago alumni in developing the tools and knowledge needed to attain a college degree. By offering a mix of programs and services designed to reach every student and family — from one-on-one student meetings, to financial aid counseling, academic advising, life skills training, mentoring, college guidance, and more — KIPP Forward provides KIPP Chicago Schools alumni with the tools for success in high school, college, and the competitive world beyond.

Our KIPP Forward team is hiring a Postsecondary Persistence Advisor to support alumni from two of our middle schools who are currently enrolled in their first and second year of college. This is a mid-level, 12 month position for an experienced professional. The Postsecondary Persistence Advisor is critical to the success of serving two cohorts of alumni ranging from 160 to 200 students per year. To ensure we fulfill our promise to support our KIPP alumni, our model begins during their freshman year of high school and continues through postsecondary plans. Our goal is to guide and equip our bright, motivated, first-generation students of color to and through college, career and beyond. Therefore, the Postsecondary Persistence Advisor will be an individual who embraces innovation, structures, meaningful relationships, improvement, and goes above and beyond to ensure alumni remain on a path to successful careers and lives. The Postsecondary Persistence Advisor will join a growing KIPP Forward team of High School Transition & College Match Advisors.

The Postsecondary Persistence Advisor will perform additional duties and do whatever it takes for ALL students to be successful on their postsecondary journeys. The role of the Postsecondary Persistence Advisor includes, but is not limited to the following responsibilities:

• Caseload Management

  • Manage two caseloads of KIPP alumni who are currently attending/enrolled in their first & second year of college.

  • Data reports and monitors progress towards student centered goals in college persistence and student advising.

  • Maintain regular contact with all students currently enrolled in their first year of college and second year of college.

  • Manage data entry in the Alumni Database.

• Enrollment Support

  • Develop individualized enrollment plans into a college/university, community college, or career technical education (CTE) program for alumni on your caseload.

  • Support enrollment steps into a postsecondary institution that includes:

    • Placement tests (enrollment exams) support - when applicable, assist students in scheduling and preparing for placement tests, including providing practice test resources and helping students identify a plan for timely arrival to the test.

    • Freshman orientation - identify mandatory and optional orientations and support students in scheduling and participating.

    • Course selection - confirm students' course selection and ensure that their courses align with their academic, career and graduation goals. Advisors should always encourage students to connect with their advisors on campus. In some cases, the Postsecondary Persistence Advisor may need to directly support course selection.

    • College pathway review - work with students to backwards plan their college pathway, if they have an identified major, minor, or career interest.

      • For students who don’t have a major or career interest, the Postsecondary Persistence Advisor should help students create a general plan for year one, with a focus on general education requirements and electives (that are of interest to the student).

  • Financial aid

    • Review financial aid award letters with students and families.

    • Create and articulate an out-of-pocket payment plan with students and families to address any additional costs (books, tuition, transportation, room & board, school fees, etc.).

    • Connect students and families to financial aid resources.

• Student Advising

  • Advise students on academic planning.

  • Match and provide guidance to eligible alumni to success programs, employment opportunities and summer internships.

  • Counsel alumni on college transferring if applicable, by providing one-on-one assistance, feedback, and deadline tracking.

  • Advise alumni on college life (homesickness, fitting in/involvement, add/drop deadlines & consequences, study habits and midterms/finals) and support/connect alumni with internships, summer program, summer classes, and scholarship applications by providing one-on-one assistance, feedback, and deadline tracking.

  • Backwards plans outreach efforts to support student passion/purpose/plan, academics, social-emotional and financial challenges.

  • Conduct academic and financial assessments for Y1 & Y2 college enrolled students, including verifying current & overall GPA, credit accrual, award letters, FAFSA renewal, current college balance, etc.

  • Travel and execute local and regional college visits and connect alumni with on-campus or community support resources (mental health, financial, academic, etc).

• Manage Relationships with Stakeholders

  • Build and leverage relationships/partnerships with colleges, universities, outreach programs and scholarship organizations and share these with students.

  • Identify opportunities for strategic partnerships within the community, namely organizations that can help prepare alumni for success in college and career, including academic support, social support, summer opportunities and employment opportunities.

  • Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to support the needs of students.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS

• Fluency in oral and written Spanish (required)

• Bachelor’s degree or higher (required)

• Demonstrated success working with communities historically underrepresented in higher education and commitment to KIPP Chicago’s mission (required)

• At least two years of professional experience managing large caseloads (>150) in student advising, academic advising, college counseling, college access, college admissions, school counseling, college advising, college persistence and/or three years experience teaching (required)

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage competing priorities (required)

• Excellent oral and written communication skills and evidence of strong follow-through, initiative taking, and interpersonal skills

• Evidence meeting/exceeding goals and ability to work under pressure

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and build relationships with diverse stakeholders

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Drive Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides), Salesforce, and able to quickly learn how to use new programs/systems

• Flexibility to work some nights and weekends to connect with KIPP alumni/families and ability to travel around the Chicago-land area to support alumni at various school campuses

• Cleared CPS Background Check before first date of employment

Additional Information

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

KIPP Chicago Schools offers a competitive compensation and benefits package:

• Salaries based experience related to role and responsibilities

• Competitive rates for medical insurance and short-term disability insurance. Dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, and long-term disability insurance are offered at no cost.

• Competitive retirement savings benefits

• For more detail about our Salaries and Benefits at KIPP Chicago, visit our website: https://kippchicago.org/join-our-team/

STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

KIPP Chicago Public Schools is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying for employment. KIPP Chicago does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national or ethnic background. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.