High School Success Advisor

Steppingstone Foundation Inc.•Boston, MA

7d•$55,000 - $60,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Join a mission-driven team supporting and empowering future college graduates! At Steppingstone, our mission is to prepare students from under-resourced communities to access, navigate, and graduate from college. Through the Scholars Program in Boston, we provide academic, social-emotional, and college readiness programming from as early as fifth grade and continuing through college graduation. Through the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA), we connect the people, practices, and innovations essential for eliminating barriers to college and career success. The High School Success Advisor role is a strong fit for an emerging professional who is passionate about educational access, loves working with high school age students, and is committed to making a lasting impact on Scholars’ lives. In this role you will develop deep knowledge of the Boston educational landscape and resources available to assist students and families in navigating their journey to college. The ideal candidate will have the skills to excel in a multi-faceted role that blends supporting the academic and social-emotional needs of Scholars through individual advising, as well as through leading, implementing, and contributing to a large number of department-wide events and projects that offer support to larger groups of Scholars and families.

Requirements

Demonstrated commitment to educational access and success
Experience working with individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences
Experience working with high school students, in a classroom or out-of-school time setting, working to support and challenge each student appropriately
Orientation towards continuous learning for self and others, particularly within the field of college access and success, and career readiness
Experience as an effective team member in a changing environment; ability to manage multiple projects and priorities
Strong relationship-building and group facilitation skills across differing stakeholders; resolves conflicts constructively and respectfully
Demonstrated initiative, flexibility, and independent problem-solving capabilities
Clear written and verbal communication style; ability to adapt communication style to different audiences
Ability to make a minimum two-year commitment required. Two years allow Advisors to fully dive into our work and provide consistency for Scholars and families.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of independent schools and/or Boston Public Schools is a plus
Preference given to candidates who are bilingual in Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, Haitian Creole, or Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese). Employees may be asked to provide translation services for members of the Steppingstone community and may be eligible to receive a stipend for their assistance.

Responsibilities

Develop meaningful one-on-one relationships with a caseload of Scholars with varied academic profiles and their families in order to support each Scholar’s individual needs, personal growth, and post-secondary success, often referring them to resources and recommending opportunities available to them both in and out of their school settings.
Advise and maintain ongoing contact through emails, texts, phone calls, and virtual or in-person meetings with a caseload of 100 Advisees in order to ensure a smooth transition and adjustment to their next grade level and to provide guidance and assistance around academic progress, social-emotional well-being, and college and career readiness
Develop and maintain knowledge of resources and opportunities relevant to Scholars in order to ensure their success in school and in the college application and financial aid processes
Support grade twelve Scholars and their families through the college, financial aid, and scholarship application process
Collaborate with program staff to identify strategies that support Scholars’ academic and social growth
Offer families resources to support student development
Collaborate with the team to develop and implement curriculum and activities for our college and career readiness programming for Scholars and their families through small group facilitation, workshop development, and the management of other projects
Support the development of Scholars’ social emotional learning and foundational skills in a restorative community with high expectations
Maintain knowledge of resources and opportunities relevant to Scholars to ensure they apply to, persist, and are successful in college
Contribute to the team’s communication and relationship with a group of schools in order to support Scholar success, including visiting Scholars regularly at their schools
With the assistance of program leadership, use effective systems to track and analyze student progress and program results, including a database and data-tracking tools. This includes entering qualitative and quantitative Scholar and family notes in Salesforce.
Prepare for the administration and recruitment of, and participate in the selection of Steppingstone’s annual scholarship program
Support the admission of new students and families to the Steppingstone Scholars Program