Schoolwide Postsecondary Programs: Student Advising and Program Coordinator

Breakthrough Central Texas • Austin, TX

5d • $56,000 - $74,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Student Advising & Program Coordinator leads critical advising services and programs for 11th- and 12th-grade high school students on their path to postsecondary success through matriculation at one of Breakthrough’s partner schools. The Student Advising & Program Coordinator provides critical support within Breakthrough’s school-based model, a new organizational strategy to increase postsecondary attainment rates among students in Central Texas. The school-based model will create impactful and sustainable results by blending direct service to students with capacity-building support for the high schools they attend. The primary responsibility is to provide high-quality academic advising and support, career and postsecondary pathway advising, and college access support to 11th- and 12th-grade students, ensuring they meet crucial college access milestones. In addition, the Student Advising & Program Coordinator designs and leads engaging school-based programs that provide students and their families with learning about the path to and through college, and is part of a high-performing team. The role includes both supervisory and team collaboration responsibilities.

Requirements

• Champion for closing the opportunity gap and increasing social and economic equity and mobility through educational attainment.
• Servant leader, feels at their best in a deep relationship with the communities in which they serve.
• Passionate about building authentic relationships with students, family members and caregivers, and educators.
• Content expertise in youth development, college access, supervision and team development, and in event or program operations.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity in High School Success & College Access Advising: Ensures strong high school course selection and academic progress, meeting testing requirements, and envisioning a career pathway, and successfully navigating the college/postsecondary application process including applying to strong “fit” programs, securing funding, finalizing housing and lifting holds.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity in Direct-to-College Enrollment Advising: Provides highly individualized support to ensure high school graduates who are college-bound remove typical barriers to enrollment (testing, financial aid, housing, etc.) quickly enough to enter fall programs.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity in Student Advising & Relationship Building: Provides high-quality advising services to students, with a focus on building authentic relationships and a skill at advocating for the student’s success in school and other settings. Demonstrate advising behaviors that build trust and foster student and family engagement.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity in Family Navigation & Caregiver Engagement: Builds trusting relationships and works effectively with caregivers to provide information, guidance, and resources so that students stay engaged and thrive.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity in Program Design and Delivery: Uses age-appropriate content knowledge to design programs that support postsecondary success, maximizes program design by delivering experiences that achieve program outcomes, and inspires and engages groups of varying sizes.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity in Inclusive Communication: Approaches conversations about identity, power and privilege with awareness, humility and a quest for greater understanding. Tailor communication to meet the needs of a variety of audiences including students, families, staff members, school personnel, and individuals who speak a language other than English.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity in Data Tracking & Evaluation: Submits timely, accurate, comprehensive case notes and other information and tracks/analyzes data with fidelity to drive action that supports student success, informs program design, and ensures meeting team, advising and persistence goals.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity in Continuous Learning & Improvement: Embraces and applies feedback, demonstrates curiosity, creativity, and a growth mindset, and pursues opportunities to strengthen individual performance and team/organizational outcomes.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity in Talent Development: Coaches, provides effective feedback and training, and supports direct report(s), and others on the team who supervise others, to set priorities, build skills, meet goals, and grow toward professional aims.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity in Prioritization & Resourcefulness: Effectively puts time and effort where it is needed the most, asks for help, maximizes resources, and envisions innovative solutions to reaching outcomes. Prioritizes multiple tasks and deliver commitments in a timely manner, and possesses a disciplined, strong work ethic and comfort with working non-standard hours (some weekends and evenings).

Responsibilities

• Provide timely, high-quality academic advising and mentoring to an average caseload of 50-55 students.
• Develop and maintain relationships with a diverse group of students and their families, teachers, and other key stakeholders to support their success by adhering to advising standards of service and conducting holistic check-ins.
• Meet and communicate with guardians/families on student progress.
• Support students in taking academic and non-academic steps necessary to prepare for postsecondary pathways, including college and career exploration, college readiness testing, SAT/ACT testing, post-high school plans, college list creation, all steps of college application submissions, and all aspects of financial aid application submission and tracking.
• Track student progress and identify critical needs to provide timely and appropriate interventions.
• Continue advising 12th-grade students after graduation and through the summer to support Breakthrough’s postsecondary enrollment efforts, known as Summer Success work.
• Design, plan and lead campus-based programming during or after school to promote school success and foster a culture that promotes postsecondary education options.
• Support program evaluation efforts and make continuous program improvements to achieve outcomes.
• Participate in committees and workgroups to engage in team planning, organizational change work, as needed.
• Manage large groups of students to build a positive learning community aligned with Breakthrough’s core values and college-going culture.
• Supervise, support, develop and evaluate an AmeriCorps fellow(s) to ensure highest performance and optimal student outcomes.
• Manage and support volunteers assigned to students or events.
• Strategically develop relationships with key partners, including teachers, school administrators, district leaders, counselors, recruiters, and leaders of other community-based organizations on campus.
• Meet regularly and work collaboratively with other staff members and volunteers in order to support students and families.

Benefits

• Health, dental and vision insurance (Breakthrough pays 100% of employee premiums)
• Life insurance
• Matching 401K retirement plan
• Thirty days of PTO annually, with immediate accrual
• Additional leave benefits, including company holidays and FMLA eligibility

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed