Alumni Counselor

Christ The King Jesuit College Preparatory School•Chicago, IL

19h•$52,000 - $62,000

About The Position

The Alumni Counselor plays an essential role in ensuring all Christ the King students are on track for post-secondary success. The primary aim is to support the matriculation, persistence, and completion efforts of alumni as they enroll in college and complete their degree. In addition, the position supports alumni who ultimately pursue other pathways to post-secondary success, including the military and the trades. The position requires an extraordinary commitment to serving diverse students of limited economic means - most of whom will be the first in their family to pursue a degree – through the implementation of a comprehensive alumni advising program. The position requires extensive experience with college admissions, matriculation, and financial aid processes, a strong sense of low-income students’ and family needs in preparing for college, an openness to learning the alternative pathways to post-secondary success, and the ability to manage key relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders. Candidates should be prepared to work closely with Salesforce and integrate it into the workflow of their caseload management. The Alumni Counselor reports directly to the Vice President of College & Career Initiatives to help ensure alumni success in college and the career world. This is a year-round position.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited 4-year college or university is required, Master’s degree is preferred
3+ years of college counseling, college admissions, classroom teaching, or experience in related fields is preferred
Demonstrated commitment to the Cristo Rey Network mission, with a belief in the potential for all students to succeed in college and career
Demonstrated success in teaching, counselling, coaching, and/or advocating for young people from under-resourced communities
Cultural competence in addressing complex issues and a demonstrated commitment to promoting inclusion, equity, diversity, and accessibility
Strong understanding of the academic, financial, and social barriers to college access for underrepresented, first- generation students
Highly collaborative, autonomous, and dynamic leader with the ability to manage a large number of professional relationships with a variety of stakeholders
Relentless focus on results, high level of accountability, self-starter, and willingness to do “whatever it takes,” including flexibility around scheduling, travel, and ability to work some evening hours and or travel to assigned colleges
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to manage professional relationships across diverse stakeholders
Strong technology skills including proficiency with MS Office Suite (excel, word, ppt) and database management

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of social media platforms, event planning, and database management a plus

Responsibilities

College Matriculation, Persistence, and Completion Serve as principal advisor and thought leader on best practices in college matriculation, persistence, and completion
Set vision for alumni programming, including: Conducting college campus visits according to school budgets and strategic prioritization of alumni caseload Assisting students through college matriculation, course sequencing, financial aid, and transfer processes as needed Planning and leading workshops for alumni and key stakeholders (parents, administrators, etc) on topics related to college matriculation and persistence processes Identifying and working with struggling students to assess their needs and recommend individualized resources and solutions Ensuring students take advantage of special opportunities made available to low-income college enrollees (e.g. emergency funding, travel grants, etc) Communicating with alumni via telephone, text, email, videoconference, and social media platforms, leveraging Salesforce to maximize efficiency of tracking information Creating and sharing resources for students that promote college success, career readiness, and job placement Coordinating multiple events per year for alumni to build community and access programming
Work closely with four-year college enrollees to ensure degree completion and with students enrolled in two-year colleges to support a successful transition into a four-year program.
Create lesson plans, invite speakers, and teach post-secondary transition topics to seniors in College Prep and College 101.
Develop collaborative partnerships with colleges alumni attend, creating capacity to link students to college/university resources that support their successful enrollment and retention
Build and celebrate a school wide college-going culture for 9th-12th grades (e.g. publicly posting college graduations, hosting alumni panels, connecting prospective applicants to alumni in college, and promoting Cristo Rey Alumni Association, etc.
Alternative Pathway Success Serve as the principal thought leader on the College Initiatives team to understand alternative pathways to post- secondary success and use that knowledge to advise students on viable pathways
Develop authentic partnerships with local trade unions, manufacturing associations, and other entities which will help CTK leverage those partnerships for current students and alumni
Team Collaboration & Data Management Track alumni college enrollment, retention, persistence, and completion using National Student Clearinghouse data, social media and other relevant platforms
Develop post-secondary success reports to track and communicate latest trends and progress to developed school goals
Collaborate closely with the College Counseling team to: Support seniors in making their college selection, learn about the alumni program prior to graduation, and identify key trends in enrollment and completion data Develop authentic preparations and supports for students to successfully: complete the FAFSA, evaluate financial aid award letters, decide on a college, register and enroll in college and prepare for scholarship opportunities.
Provide regular information, contact, and support to the parents of the seniors
Build positive, professional relationships with senior students
Lead assigned schoolwide events/programming – such as college application bootcamp, college exploration day, schoolwide testing, career day, signing day, etc.
Additional Responsibilities Participating in professional development opportunities offered by the Cristo Rey Network’s national office
Attend and participate in grade level team meetings, as assigned
Support the work of the CTK admissions office through participation in Open House, Family Interview Days, and other admissions-focused events
Participating in information programs hosted by colleges and universities in the region
Representing Christ the King at local, state, and national college admissions conferences (College Board, NACAC), college fairs, and college tours
Participating in professional development opportunities offered by local college access / admissions organizations (i.e. Association of College Admissions Counselors)
Other duties, as assigned