College Persistence Director

Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) is a 50 year old multi-service not-for-profit organization based on the settlement house model and located in the Bronx. We provide resources for Bronx residents from cradle to career to advance education and well-being for a vibrant community. KHCC serves over 5,000 families annually with an inclusive environment for children with special needs, low-income families, recent immigrants, survivors of sexual and domestic abuse, and at-risk teens. KHCC helps participants overcome adversity and develop the skills they need to build bright futures.

KHCC’s College Directions Program aims to support youth through college and career exploration and planning as early as middle school. We recently received funding to expand our reach with KHCC alumni as they implement their post-secondary plan. This new director will provide leadership, program development and sustainability, personnel management, data management and direct counseling for youth as part of our College Success Programming. The program will provide a range of youth development services to promote access to and persistence in college. 

Principal Duties: This role focuses on the persistence services provided to our youth. Each year we will work with cohorts of young people to help apply and then enroll in college. Our College Success Program will provide intensive college preparation, enrollment and persistence services to support students throughout the transition from high school to college. Our programs help low-income youth access college by having counselors assist them through the college exploration, application and financial aid processes. Counselors further facilitate the necessary matriculation steps from college acceptance to college enrollment ensuring that students successfully start their first day of college. Once students are in college, persistence counselors provide direct case management to our youth in order for them to persist through college.Responsibilities will primarily fall under: leadership and program development/ sustainability, staff supervision, data management & evaluation, and direct services

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assume responsibility for all aspects of college persistence programming, including direct services for young adults and development of more intentional career pathways for program participants
• Manage all elements of recruitment and hiring of persistence full-time and part-time staff
• Commit to provide scaffolded weekly supervision to a team of full-time persistence counselors to ensure program delivery and promote staff professional development
• Manage all aspects of transfer culture and deepen staff competency for transfer advisement. 
• Develop and maintain relationships with strategic college campuses for the purpose of advocating for program participants and building a base of institutional knowledge
• Coordinate with the JFK Student Success Center and Walton Student Success Center to ensure that students seamlessly transition from college access to college persistence services
• Conduct weekly meetings with the persistence team to review program priorities, clarify expectations and share feedback
• Actively manage persistence data: tracking participant progress, ensuring timely and accurate input, and producing reports for funders and for program evaluation, improvement and sustainability
• Participate in fundraising and advocacy for agency programs; Represent program to funders; meet all reporting requirements for funding sources
• Monitor expenses and assure budget compliance in consultation with the College Directions Program Director and the CPO of Youth and Family Services.
• Stay informed about changes and developments in the college success community, including the statewide CUNY/SUNY system, FAFSA, scholarships and Pell/Tap grants, and special programs for low-income students (e.g. EOP, HEOP, SEEK, Dream Act, etc.)
• Attend all required division and agency meetings
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Master's Degree required, preferably in Social Work, Counseling, School Counseling, School Psychology, or a related field.
• Bilingual Spanish Speaking is Strongly Preferred
• At least five years of experience in higher education, college access and counseling required; CUNY experience preferred.
• At least two years supervisory/leadership experience, including experience with staff development, employee relations, hiring processes, and performance management required/preferred.
• Demonstrated successful experience working with internal and external cross-functional groups and departments required.
• Strong specialty knowledge of the college advising and application process in New York State, including CUNY, SUNY, Opportunity Programs, TAP/Pell grants, FAFSA, etc.
• Experience in working with young people from the youth development perspective; Significant experience working with adolescents and young adults
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills
• High level experience with multiple data systems; Experience with Salesforce, STARS, National Student Clearinghouse, and other data platforms is helpful. 
• Flexibility with changing schedule based on site and season 

Schedule: 

• 35 hours /week as needed, Monday-Friday; 10am-6pm (earlier/later schedule may be required); Schedule varies for training, break weeks, overnight college trips, and summer programming.