College Transition Advisor

KIPP • Houston, TX

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The College Transition Advisor helps high school seniors successfully transition to college, training, careers, or another postsecondary pathway of appropriate rigor. The role provides students with information, guidance, and coaching to support their postsecondary goals, working closely with seniors and the college and career counseling team throughout the school year and through students’ first semester after high school. Responsibilities include student outreach, advising, progress monitoring, enrichment opportunities, summer enrollment support, and targeted outreach during alumni’s first college semester. The advisor maintains a student caseload, collects and tracks data, and works to prevent summer melt as students matriculate and enroll.

The position supports KIPP Forward’s work to close information gaps related to college admissions, financial aid, and career success. Through individualized meetings, group workshops, seminars, and family education events, the advisor helps students and families navigate admissions, enrollment, financial aid, and persistence challenges.

The role requires regular travel among school sites, offices, and local college or career-training campuses. Work locations vary by season: from August through September 30, the role reports to a school or central office site Monday through Friday, with work at college campuses, SSP offices, and high schools as requested. From October through June 30, the schedule includes three days per week at a high school, one day at an SSP office, and one day at a college campus during the fall only.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution.
• Prior experience working with college students and helping them achieve academic success, particularly first-generation, minority, and low-income students.
• Strong active listening and coaching skills.
• Knowledge of and respect for the cultures of the community served.
• Growth mindset and openness to inquiry and feedback.
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple tasks and projects while meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to collaborate and build relationships with stakeholders across functional and organizational lines.
• Professional demeanor, self-confidence, and initiative.
• Interpersonal skills to work with teachers, parents, students, alumni, corporate partners, vendors, and admissions personnel.
• Knowledge of college admissions and persistence.
• Knowledge of financial aid processes.
• Proficiency using online databases to track student data.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and planning skills.
• Comfort using data dashboards.
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Drive, and previous experience with a database such as Salesforce.
• Proficiency using computers, printers, copy machines, fax machines, scanners, and telephones.
• Strong command of the internet and social media websites.
• Ability to move about inside and outside the school throughout the workday.
• Ability to attend conferences, meetings, and training sessions virtually and in person within the region.
• Reliable transportation for travel between campuses.
• Ability to maintain emotional control under stress and work with frequent interruptions.
• Ability to travel to KIPP campuses, local college and university campuses, and other career or training campuses as needed.

Nice To Haves

• Professional development courses provided by the KIPP Foundation and other college and career readiness partners.

Responsibilities

• Oversee high school seniors’ successful transition into college, training, and careers.
• Build positive, appropriate, and meaningful relationships with students, parents, college and financial aid advisors, staff members, and teachers.
• Support a college-going culture during the fall of senior year through small-group pull-outs and Passion, Purpose and Planning advising.
• Conduct one-on-one conversations with seniors about postsecondary plans and assist with enrollment, orientation, financial aid verification, loan counseling, SAP eligibility, graduation requirements, and registration.
• Plan and execute college exposure visits for juniors and seniors.
• Plan and execute parent and family education nights in the fall and spring.
• Develop and deliver college and career transition lessons to seniors during senior seminar.
• Collect and track matriculation steps and critical forms, including financial aid award letters, final high school transcripts, FERPA forms, and DD4 forms.
• Support a caseload of alumni during their first semester of college.
• Conduct consistent outreach to students and alumni to confirm and verify fall enrollment.
• Visit one college campus per week during the fall semester to check in with alumni in person.
• Advise and coach alumni on challenges faced when enrolling in college and training programs.
• Update and maintain the alumni database.
• Maintain records of student contact information changes, coaching calls, pulse-checks, matriculation steps, and enrollment verification in Salesforce or the alumni database.
• Assist with data collection for the annual report and program evaluation.
• Support facilitation of one to two family education events between the fall and spring semesters.
• Host two college exposure visits for the Classes of 2025 and 2026 by May 31.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans with coverage options for employees and their families.
• Competitive vacation and flexible paid time off policies.
• Paid family leave.
• Flexible spending account or high-yield HSA.
• Employee assistance programs.
• Employee-paid legal plans, LifeLock identity protection, life insurance, and disability insurance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level