Job Description

Uncommon Schools is committed to ensuring that its graduates both enter in to and graduate from a four-year college or university. This fulfills our mission of seeing students to and through college, thus closing the achievement gap between low-income students and their wealthier peers. Under the supervision of the Senior Associate Director of College Completion, you will support our high school graduates in achieving their post-secondary goals. As an Alumni Success Coach, you will focus on providing counseling and programming, identifying the changing needs of alumni and the potential risk factors to their success, connecting alumni to campus or local resources, and increasing student independence in managing their post-secondary plans.

Core Duties & Responsibilities

Building & Maintaining Relationships

• Develop a personal, professional relationship with each student
• Use all possible forms of communication to stay in close contact with each student including in-person meetings, e-mail, phone, text messaging, social media, etc. to increase student accountability and success
• Be available to students during the evening and weekends to discuss any issues that may arise
• Serves as the primary liaison between Uncommon, its alumni, and college administrators
• Research and meet key individuals (e.g. deans, admissions counselors, financial aid officers, special program directors, EOP officials, R.A.’s, professors, etc.) on assigned campuses who will advocate for and support students
• Help connect students to resources on campus including study abroad opportunities, academic help centers, writing centers, advisement offices, mental health offices, etc.
• Contact the parents/families of alumni, when necessary (e.g., after loss of contact, concerned for students’ well-being, etc.)

Counseling & Programming

• Advise students on academic issues including choosing a major, building relationships with professors, study habits, time management, etc.
• Make individualized academic plans with each student reflecting on strengths and weaknesses and setting appropriate goals to push student’s growth
• Help students take full advantage of their post-collegiate experience; meet each student where they are and then push each to work towards next steps in his/her personal progress.
• Assist with re-enrollment and transfer processes
• Plan winter and spring alumni events to foster continued community; send care packages during exam season

Administrative & Maintenance

• Maintain an up-to-date record of each interaction, obstacles, and academic progress in the alumni database
• Manage and report accurate post-secondary data of caseload to direct manager and assigned school team
• Continually assess the potential that alumni will complete college based on their academic, financial, socio-emotional and personal well-being; prioritize support for students at the greatest risk of stopping out
• Ensure accurate contact information is maintained in database
• Send routine emails/text messages to all alumni with study tips, words of encouragement, opportunities and other relevant messages
• Contribute to network-wide alumni communication (e.g., alumni website and newsletter)
• Make travel arrangements and submit all receipts for eligible travel reimbursements

Qualifications

• Passion for and alignment to the mission of Uncommon Schools
• Demonstrated college knowledge (e.g., college application process, financial aid process, general college knowledge and policies, etc.)
• Effective public relations and networking abilities
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Self-starter with strong prioritization skills
• Excellent organization, time management, and tenacious follow-up skills; ability to prioritize and demonstrate an appropriate sense of urgency

Educational Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required

Experience Requirements

• 4+ years of professional work experience required
• 2+ or more of direct experience in academic/student support services required
• Experience in higher education preferred

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at a time
• Must be able to climb up to 4 flights of stairs while carrying items such as boxes, chart paper or computer

Travel Requirements

• Must be willing to travel via car, bus, train, and/or plane for up to 8 weeks a semester to visit alumni on their college campuses in the assigned caseload region.

Other Requirements

• Valid driver’s license
• Personal vehicle for travel (mileage for campus visit travel is reimbursed according to published IRS mileage rates)

Additional Information

Our people are what make us uncommon. It’s important to us that our compensation practices align with our values and enhance our ability to attract and retain talent. Our compensation philosophy is focused on equity and fairness, retaining our talented staff and valuing their expertise, and transparency and clarity.

Compensation for this position: The starting compensation for this role based in New York, and is between $74,000k - $87,000k and generally, we expect that qualified candidates in this location will be made an offer between $74,000k and $78,300k. The starting pay will depend on a variety of factors that may include but are not limited to experience, education, training, certification, and location. Because we value staff staying in their roles over time, we do not currently cap salary ranges.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building a talented team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. At the same time, we work to ensure an inclusive community through creating a space for important dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.

We also ensure that individuals with disabilities receive all privileges and benefits associated with employment and are provided reasonable accommodations for the interview process and to perform core job functions. If you would like to request an accommodation, please email recruitment@uncommonschools.org.