[2024-2026] Career Engagement Fellow, KIPP Forward

Company Description

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 11,000 students and alumni, has a staff of more than 1,000 (11 % of whom are alumni), and continues to grow!

About KIPP Forward Postsecondary Success Collaborative

The Postsecondary Success Collaborative works with graduates (“alumni”) 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 Theory of Impact 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 our alumni persist in and graduate from college and CTE programs, and upon completion, transition to strong first jobs.​

Job Description

Position Overview

Anticipated Start Date: July 15, 2024

Location: This position is a remote position, with the expectation of working remotely 70% and traveling 30% to our NYC central office for alumni meetings, participation in team meetings/trainings, 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.

The Career Engagement Fellow is a highly motivated, flexible, entrepreneurial and outgoing professional committed to increasing alumni access to critical career services and programs. This person will have a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience engaging in targeted recruitment for our career services programs and resources , and to gain meaningful exposure to innovative programs, people, and partnerships across the country working to increase equitable access to high quality career services. The Career Engagement Fellow will report to the KIPP Forward NYC Director of Undergraduate Career Services and will work directly with alumni across the Postsecondary Success Collaborative which will include alumni of KIPP NYC, NJ and Philadelphia, Achievement First NYC and CT, and Prospect Schools.

The 2024 Career Engagement Fellowship is a two-year (twenty-four month) commitment from July 15, 2024 through June 30, 2026. At the end of the Fellowship, employment with KIPP NYC terminates.

Duties and Responsibilities

Program Recruitment & Advisement (65%):

• Develop and implement recruitment strategies to increase alumni engagement with the career services and programs that are offered through the KIPP Forward Postsecondary Success Collaborative’s Career Center.
• Develop a deep understanding of the wide range of career programs available to our alumni (e.g. program offerings, target audience, length of program, application process, profile of ideal candidate)
• Outreach to college-enrolled alumni and recent college graduates to connect them to relevant career opportunities utilizing a wide-range of communication strategies/channels to drive results (e.g. texts, phone calls, social media, email, in-person/online meetings, group sessions, etc.)
• Collaborate with the Operations team to develop materials that support the marketing of career programs to our alumni (e.g. catalog of alumni anecdotal experiences with program partners, flyers)
• Collaborate with the College Success Team on developing materials and processes that support our College Success Advisors to recruit their advisees to engage in our career programming.
• Proactively seek to learn about alumni’s aspirations, challenges, and goals in order to provide targeted advisement around the career supports that are available to them
• Lead outreach to recent college graduates to gather and document their post-graduation activities (i.e., employment, graduate school, etc).
• Attend meetings and professional development sessions to continuously build the necessary skills to provide appropriate career advisement to alumni

Data (20%)

• In partnership with Career Services team, develop the appropriate metrics/goals to support increasing alumni engagement across all career program offerings
• In collaboration with the KIPP Forward Data team create systems/tools that will support outreach efforts and progress monitoring towards career programming participation goals
• Input and maintain records of program and other opportunities alumni apply to and their application result into our internal tracking system
• Track and maintain key student data points in our centralized data systems, including detailed notes of every student communication, employment information and updated contact information

Program Partnership Support (15%):

• Gather feedback on career programming from alumni in order to provide feedback/insights to our program partners and to support the Career Services team in evaluating partnerships and services rendered
• Network with internal and external professionals to build relationships that can facilitate opportunities for our alumni within organizations/programs/companies committed to providing viable career pathways for Black and Latinx students across the Postsecondary Success Collaborative’s geographic regions

Collaborative Learning and Planning (consistent throughout Fellowship)

• Attend mandatory New Fellow Training held full-time from July 15 – August 9, 2024 (week 1 in NYC, week 2-4 virtual). Ongoing professional development will be required quarterly.
• Engage actively in our continuous and intensive training program, which is intended to quickly build Fellows’ skills in recruiting and content knowledge. Training includes workshops, team meetings, observations and debrief cycles, webinars, and team step-backs
• Plan and participate in weekly one-on-one and team meetings with Director of Undergraduate Career Services
• Regularly and openly communicate with Director of Undergraduate Career Services to seek guidance and support to navigate your progress

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree earned by May 2024 from an accredited four-year educational institution
• Cumulative college grade point average of 2.7 or higher
• Work experience in an educational setting, ideally working in a higher education setting advising college students and recent graduates about programs and opportunities to advance their academic/career aspirations, preferred
• Ability to demonstrate commitment to KIPP NYC's mission and values by acting with integrity
• Strong alignment with and commitment to KIPP Forward’s program model and goals
• Commitment to working with underserved and underrepresented students and families
• Demonstrated interest and experience in coaching, recruitment, communications, and project management
• Friendly and approachable to quickly engage alumni
• High energy, positivity and enthusiasm to encourage and inspire your advisees to persevere and take positive action steps towards their career goals
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an ability to engage and forge trusting relationships with different audiences and diverse stakeholders internally within and across teams and with external partners
• Strong organizationally and high attention to detail
• Strong achievement orientation with exceptional time management skills and demonstrated ability to handle multiple priorities
• Ability to manage stressful or complex situations with calm, composure and resourcefulness
• Demonstrated ability to address challenges and meet ambitious goals and strict deadlines
• Seeks out opportunities for continuous learning and growth
• Listens with an open mind and has a deep commitment to respecting diverse viewpoints
• Willingness to check email/texts after hours during peak work cycles
• Ability to travel to central offices when needed for alumni meetings, participation in team meetings/trainings, and other in-person events.
• Priority Consideration: We are actively seeking KIPP and Achievement First alumni for this position

Additional Information

Compensation and Benefits:

KIPP Forward offers a highly competitive salary of $58,500, an excellent benefits package, and an organizational calendar that includes approximately 35 set days of paid vacation (equivalent to 7 work weeks), plus an additional three weeks of paid summer vacation after completion of Year 1.

• KIPP NYC offers a generous benefits package including, but not limited to, the following:
• Robust benefits that include medical, dental, and vision.
• Up to 12 weeks 100% parental leave.
• Bright Horizon Back-up Child and Elder care.
• Employer paid Life Insurance and Short term/Long term disability.
• Employee incentives including 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 requires the employee to live in NY, NJ or CT and travel at times to our central office. If you relocate outside of this tri-state area and/or outside a commutable distance from NYC, 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.