What are the responsibilities and job description for the AmeriCorps Program Support Fellow position at HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM INC?
Job Details
Description
POSITION OVERVIEW:
- Start Date: anticipated to start September 3rd, 2025
- Supervisor: Director of Program Operations
- Directly Manages: n/a
- Works closely with: Learning Directors, Executive Director – DC Metro, Mentor and Volunteer Manager
- Position Status: The Program Support Fellow is a full-time stipend volunteer position, made available through partnership with the AmeriCorps Program.
- Duration: The term of service will begin on September 3, 2025, and end on August 31, 2026, with the option to renew for a second term. To successfully complete the AmeriCorps program, the individual must complete 1700 service hours.
- Remote Status: hybrid (In-person for all center operational hours, for 2 in-office days and for any mission critical activities and relationship building events)
- Schedule/Hours: Works Monday through Friday. Occasional weekend availability is required.
- Hours During Afterschool Academy program: Programming Days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays - on average 11:00 am to 7:00 pm schedule; Non-program days: Monday & Fridays - a standard business schedule, 9:00 am- 5:00 pm.
- Hours During the Summer: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am- 5:00 pm on average.
- All staff currently enjoy early closures on Fridays, a benefit approved on a year-to-year basis.
- Location: This position must be within commuting distance of our DC Metro Higher Achievement office.
- Travel: Candidate must have the ability to travel in between main office and Achievement Center(s) on a daily basis via reliable transportation and attend events in the location area on a regular basis. Candidate will be supporting 2-3 Achievement Centers in the DC Metro area and must have the ability to travel to those locations on a regular basis. Occasional weekend availability is required, as well as availability for one annual three-day overnight college trip each summer.
- Compensation and Benefits: The Achievement Fellow will receive a living allowance of $25,500 designed to help meet the necessary living expenses incurred while participating in the AmeriCorps Program. Upon successful completion of 1700 hours of service, the Member will receive an education award in the amount of $7,395. Higher Achievement offers competitive benefits, including:
- Medical, dental, life insurance, long and short-term disability insurances,
- Vision, critical illness and accident insurances- employee paid
- Paid holidays each calendar year
- Paid Annual Breaks and Early Closures Fridays
- Paid annual leave per fiscal year that can be used for vacation, sick, or personal days
- 403 (b) retirement plan
- Tuition Advancement funds and Professional Development funds
- TO APPLY: Interested applicants must apply through the AmeriCorps website, eGrants. This position can be found by searching "Program Support Member – Higher Achievement 2025-2026” in eGrants. Apply here: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=126163&fromSearch=true
Summary: We are seeking an individual that is creative and solutions oriented, personable, has strong communication skills and willing to learn! The position includes both direct involvement with scholars, and administrative tasks, to support Higher Achievement’s progressive, skills-based cultural and academic model. Reporting to and working closely with the Director of Program Operations, Learning Directors and Learning Coordinators, the Program Support Fellow will manage relationships and operations necessary to run a successful Achievement Center, providing year-round academic programming for up to 70 middle school students.
Responsibilities will focus on following key areas at 2 –3 sites:
- high school placement
- communication with teachers and families
- scholar recruitment
- external partner communication
- data collection
- event support
AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT
Outcome(s): 90% of scholars are accepted into one of the high schools they applied to; 100% of our scholars will enroll in high school by Washington, DC’s designated deadline.
- Track region-wide scholar progress towards completing high school applications by entering data into
- Support center specific lead on the high school placement process for all 8th grade scholars
- Manage scholars’ high school placement portfolios including 7th and 8th grade report cards and test scores
- Through trainings, serve as on-site “expert” in high school placement process
- Serve as liaison for families regarding high school placement process
- Support High School Fair
- Co-lead individual parent/guardian meetings with placement scholars
- Create opportunities to build relationships with staff at key high schools through visits, meetings, and field trips for scholars
- Support managing relationships with key partners in school districts through
- Communicate updates to staff about the high school placement process
- Support MVM with directing 8th grade mentors, setting up for mentoring, and serving as an 8th grade mentor as needed
COMMUNICATION WITH FAMILIES, TEACHERS, AND STAFF
Outcome(s): Higher Achievement maintains strong and consistent communication with schools, teachers, and families so that strategies are sought, and scholars’ needs are adequately met.
- Serve as lead expert in High School placement with families and schools; collaborate to lead meetings and support high school placement mentors
- Keep in constant contact with families on high school application progress and enrollment progress
- Support with entering scholars’ report cards into Salesforce for data analysis
- Track scholar progress with high school placement process; communicate progress to Learning Director
- Communicate with 8th grade scholars’ teachers and families when concerns or successes arise
- Participate in Center Staff meetings; discuss individual scholar needs and map plans to ensure scholar progress.
- Support Higher Achievement staff with ideas and creative problem-solving support
SCHOLAR RECRUITMENT
Outcome(s): Full rosters (50 scholars or more) to during Afterschool Academy
- Support new scholar recruitment
- Schedule/conduct presentations to scholars and families, conduct scholar interviews and new family outreach.
- Support LD in building relationships with feeder schools
- Attend PTA meetings, community meetings, and other events as a representative of Higher Achievement
- Organize and track scholar paperwork as it pertains to recruitment
- Support with planning and implementing Back to Higher Achievement Night (B2HAN)
SUMMER ENGAGEMENT:
Outcome(s): Scholars and families are offered engagement with the program during the summer to propel forward progress towards high school placement goals. Scholars feel supported and excited by field trip opportunities and extracurricular engagement.
- Support high school field trips and discussions for scholars, particularly 7th and 8th grade scholars
- Foster relationships with rising 8th grade scholar families and make outreach calls on a regular basis to determine the support they will need the following year
- Support in leading High School Readiness Academies in late July for scholars at your center
- Scholar Recruitment: attend summer bridge opportunities that schools host for rising 6th graders and present about Higher Achievement
- Attend a day trip to a local college with staff and scholars and supervise groups of up to 20 scholars during the trip as they meet with professors and students, and learn about the college
- Attend and co-lead summer engagement opportunities for scholars that your center is offering (field trips, scholar/family retention events, etc)
- Support team in the planning and preparation for the following Afterschool Academy’s high school placement priorities
- Potentially supporting on other supplemental projects both related to center and AmeriCorps
OTHER DUTIES
- Support Learning Blocks as needed, to include leading during staff shortages, and creating/finding supplemental activities for Learning Blocks, particularly 8th grade that will support their progress in the high school placement process
- Reporting and communicating High School Placement and recruitment data and updates to all key stakeholders (staff, etc.)
- Attend all required trainings
- Assist in administrative duties, such as data entry as needed
Qualifications
KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- High school or GED
- Citizenship or proof of legal residency
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience preferred
- Dynamic, flexible, culturally sensitive applicants with positive personalities required
- At least one year’s experience working with middle school aged students strongly preferred
- Strong classroom management skills, preferred
- Familiarity with middle school curriculum, preferred
- Proficient in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, Outlook, and Word
- Bilingual speakers, particularly Spanish, encouraged to apply
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORK ENVIRONMENT:
Work is regularly performed in an office environment and a school setting, with occasional trips off-site to parks, museums, etc. Employee may spend long periods of time sitting, standing, and walking. Must be able to walk from one part of the worksite to another and climb stairs. Employee regularly lifts, carries, and positions objects weighting up to 20 pounds. Position involves regular use of a computer and keyboard, telephone, and face-to-face communication in small and large group settings with youth and adults; employee must be able to communicate clearly and professionally in all of these situations. Employee must have visual, auditory, and physical ability to respond quickly to critical incidents involving students and act in an emergency situation.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Background Check & Clearance Requirements:
If selected, the applicant must agree to undergo the National Service Criminal History Check, which includes: state criminal history registries for state of residence and Washington, DC; FBI fingerprint check; and National Sex Offender Public Registry. Candidate must be able to pass all additional clearance requirements as mandated by school districts and state/local municipalities. Higher Achievement pays for all clearance steps for its employees.
Core Competencies & Core Values: Higher Achievement values our core competencies and Core Values, and as such, we expect that competitive applications will be able to demonstrate strengths in these areas:
- Competencies: Relationship Building; Candid Communications; Pursuit of Excellence; Growth Mindset; Solutions-Oriented
- Values: Scholar-Centricity, Striving for Excellence, Power of Community, Voice and Inclusion, Racial Equity
TO APPLY: Interested applicants must apply through the AmeriCorps website, eGrants. This position can be found by searching "Program Support Member - Higher Achievement (2025-2026)” in eGrants. Apply here: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=126163&fromSearch=true.
The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.
Higher Achievement is a proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an workplace where opportunities are available to all team members and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to building a team that represents diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better we will be.
Salary : $25,500