Director of Undergraduate Career Services, KIPP Forward

Company Description

Location: This position is a remote position, with the expectation of working remotely 80% and traveling  20% to our NYC central office and to program partners throughout the Northeast to support in the execution and facilitation of meetings, training, and other in-person events. The employee in this position must reside in NY, NJ or CT, and within commutable distance to our central office in NYC.

About KIPP NYC
KIPP NYC Public Schools is a non-profit network of 18 free, public charter schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. We partner with families and communities to create joyful and rigorous schools in pursuit of a more just world. In 1995 we started our first middle school, KIPP Academy, in the Bronx, with a vision that every child grows up free to create the future they want for themselves and their communities. Today, our network consists of eight elementary schools, nine middle schools, one high school, and KIPP Forward, a comprehensive program to support our students and alumni in choosing and preparing for the educational and career paths that fit their goals and sense of purpose. KIPP NYC currently serves more than 12,000 students and alumni, has a staff of more than 1,000 (8% of whom are alumni), and continues to grow!

About KIPP Forward Postsecondary Success Collaborative

KIPP Forward works with graduates of KIPP, Achievement First, and a growing number of other select high school-serving organizations, to empower them for success in college and their careers. Our program model was formulated utilizing a design thinking approach with our alumni, as well as research of the most effective Comprehensive Approach to Student Success (CASS) and career readiness programs.  Utilizing breakthrough college and career strategies, we aim to:

• Help more students from low-income families persist in and graduate from college​ or secure a credential in an in-demand industry
• Help all – those with a BA or a credential – transition to a strong first job and improve pathways to economic mobility

Job Description

The Director of Undergraduate Career Services serves to build and execute a career integration strategy for college-enrolled alumni and recent graduates.  This role is responsible for building a best-in-class career program with defined metrics to ensure our students are learning the skills and taking the steps necessary in college to thrive in their major of choice and are well positioned to take advantage of our career offerings.  In partnership with the Senior Director of Career Services and the College Success Team, this individual will develop and manage critical internal and external programming that support our alumni in building essential career development skills and mindsets and gaining career exposure.  In addition, this role will build capacity, knowledge, and skills of the College Success Team to support all career work, including tracking and reporting outcomes. The Director of Undergraduate Career Services will manage two direct reports, and will report directly to the Senior Director of Career Services. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Program Development, Management, and Strategy (40%):

• Develop and lead the expansion and execution of our existing career integration framework  for college-enrolled alumni (BA/AA) across internal and external programming. 
• Develop and execute the recruitment, communication, and tracking plans needed to meet alumni participation and completion goals for our menu of career readiness programs and exposure opportunities
• Collaborate with the Senior Director and the College Success Team to further improve, and grow our high-impact career services program design and alumni engagement to our college freshman and sophomores (with a heavy emphasis on sophomore year), with clear goals, metrics, and progress monitoring benchmarks 
• Lead the strategic planning and external partnership management of career readiness, development, exposure, and internship/job search skills providers to our college juniors, seniors, and recent graduates, including our Coaching Program platform
• Manage our Career Coaching program for juniors, seniors, and recent college graduates, inclusive of recruitment and training of advisees and Coaches, monthly communication with Coaches, monitoring and problem solving as advisee needs arise, and event management
• Work with our external partners and internal data team to refine the systems/tools to track and report on career program metrics and outcomes for the UCS, College Success and Nudge Enabled Remote Advising (NERA) teams
• Oversee and ensure alumni are receiving on-demand 1:1 career advising as needed to support applications for high-stakes internship and employment opportunities 
• Have responsibility for the transition support to our 2nd year College Success Fellows preparing to move into strong roles post-completion of the Fellowship, ensuring the curriculum is relevant, high quality, and expertly delivered by a direct report and highly coordinated with the College Success team; Lead the relationship management with the College Success team in support of this effort. 
• Oversee the content and execution of the KIPP Forward LinkedIn group and bi-weekly KIPP Forward Career Newsletter 
• Liaise with the Operations team to coordinate communication efforts to alumni as needed (e.g. mass emails and text messages, Career Newsletter, and social media posts), and the distribution of alumni incentives following engagement in Career programming.
• Have responsibility for the planning and implementation of team events as necessary, including creating and delivering presentations and workshops, as needed  (e.g virtual Career Readiness and Exposure Webinars, Career Coach trainings, etc.)
• Engage in meetings with career leaders in our region and nationally to learn and share key insights to help inform career programming in the postsecondary space

Team Management (35%)

• Directly manage the Manager of Career Services and Career Engagement Fellow by providing guidance and strategic support through weekly check-ins, team meetings, professional development, and work plans 
• Develop quarterly work plans to better anticipate team needs and plan accordingly to drive results toward goals

Partnership Management (20%):

• Continuously research and develop relationships with new and existing career programs and exposure opportunities in the cities and states where our alumni live and that are reflective of alumni needs and varied career aspirations 
• Lead and/ or oversee all career program partners’ relationship management, as appropriate,  through regular one-on-one in-person and/or virtual meetings to ensure our recruitment and communication plans are in alignment with their planning and execution strategy and that the product is being delivered to alumni and being experienced as agreed to and expected. 
• Secure regular and accurate reporting of results from all program partners positioning the team to properly capture, monitor, and evaluate engagement results to drive toward goals
• Make informed decisions to add, renew, or exit partnerships each year, and develop and execute strong planning and communications for successful implementation, renewal or exit

Training and Evaluation (10%)

• In coordination with the Director of Training, plan and lead training sessions for the College Success Team to build the necessary skills and content knowledge needed to execute on career programming goals
• Evaluate program design and execution based on outcomes, and through the lens of multiple stakeholders (alumni, advisee, program partners, managers) to continuously improve

Qualifications

• At least 9 years of experience successfully working within program management/development, preferably focused on programming that serves traditionally under-served students at the collegiate level, including 3 years of direct management experience along with strong quantitative and qualitative outcomes from your staff 
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year educational institution, Master’s Degree preferred 
• Strong alignment with and commitment to KIPP Forward’s program model and goals
• Flexibility, determination and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate a high level of responsibility, multiple priorities and a new and evolving programmatic design
• Strong quantitative, analytic, strategic, and problem-solving skills
• Strong time and project management skills
• Demonstrated ability to meet ambitious goals within deadlines
• Outstanding written and oral communication, including presentation, skills
• Proven strength in influencing others towards a common goal 
• Strong computer skills, including high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• Ability to collaborate and build relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Growth-mindset and desire to receive regular coaching and adjusting feedback in order to grow
• Commitment to exploring issues of race, class, and privilege, both individually and alongside others
• Willingness to check email/texts after hours during peak work cycles 
• Ability to travel to central offices when needed to support the execution and facilitation of meetings, training, and other in-person events

Additional Information

Salary & Benefits

KIPP NYC offers a competitive salary ranging from $115,000 - $132,000 per year.  Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience relevant to the role, NYS initial or professional certification, and longevity within the KIPP network. KIPP NYC will evaluate a candidate’s years of experience, certification, and longevity at the point of hire to determine the step/level a new hire will be placed within our teacher salary scale. 

KIPP NYC offers a generous benefits package including, but not limited to, the following:  

• Robust benefits include medical, dental, and vision. 
• Generous time off including 5 school vacation weeks, sick and personal days, and an extended summer break. 
• Up to 12 weeks of 100% parental leave. 
• Bright Horizon Back-up Child and Elder Care.
• Employer-paid Life Insurance and Short term/Long term disability.
• Employee incentives include 8 Weeks paid Sabbatical after 10 years, annual professional development funds, and tuition reimbursement. 

This description is intended to describe the type of work being performed by a person assigned to this position.  It is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities required by the employee.

This role is based in NYC and will require travel to our schools. If you relocate outside of a commutable distance or out of the state of NY, your employment will be subject to review, which may include separation from KIPP NYC. It is important that you notify HR if you move or have plans to relocate.

KIPP NYC LLC does not offer visa sponsorship or work authorization. 

KIPP NYC LLC is an anti-racist organization that believes in the importance of being diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We are committed to creating a welcoming environment that includes employees with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We believe that enables us to better meet our mission and values while serving students and families throughout New York City. BIPOC, women, gender expansive, LGBTQIA , veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

KIPP NYC LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. KIPP NYC LLC is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.