ABOUT KIPP CHICAGO SCHOOLS

At KIPP Chicago, we are guided by a simple, yet powerful mission: Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose—college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. Our campuses are located in the Austin, Englewood, North Lawndale, and West Humboldt Park neighborhoods. KIPP Chicago also advises over 2000 KIPP alumni currently in high school or college through our KIPP Forward program.  KIPP Chicago is the highest-performing network of schools in Chicago, as measured by our city’s school quality index.  We attract, develop, and retain a diverse and talented staff of educators. Our students and families choose our schools because our teachers are exceptional educators who work together as a collective to ensure students achieve and thrive.  For more data and information about our successes and vision for the future, visit www.kippchicago.org

The KIPP Forward Team supports KIPP Chicago alumni in developing the tools and knowledge needed to attain a college degree. By offering a mix of programs and services designed to reach every student and family — from one-on-one student meetings, to financial aid counseling, academic advising, life skills training, mentoring, college guidance, and more — KIPP Forward provides KIPP Chicago Schools alumni with the tools for success in high school, college, and the competitive world beyond.

Our KIPP Forward team is hiring an College & Career Advisor to support alumni of our middle schools to persist in high school and post-secondary plans.  This is a mid-level position for an experienced professional. The College & Career Advisor is critical to the success of serving a cohort of alumni ranging from 230 to 250 students per year. To ensure we fulfill our promise to support our KIPP alumni, our model begins during their freshman year of high school and continues through college graduation. Our goal is to guide and equip our bright, motivated, first-generation students of color to and through college. Therefore, the College & Career Advisor will be an individual who embraces innovation, structures, meaningful relationships, improvement, and goes above and beyond to ensure alumni remain on a path to successful careers and lives. The College & Career Advisor will join a growing KIPP Forward team of High School Transition & College & Career Advisors.

The role of the College & Career Advisor includes, but is not limited to the following responsibilities:

• Caseload management: Our KIPP Forward team’s goal is to maintain continual contact with our KIPP alumni to ensure we are supporting them to and through college, career and beyond. The College & Career Advisor accurately provides bi-weekly data reports and monitors progress towards prioritized goals in college match, college persistence and student advising. 

• Student Advising: Backwards plans outreach efforts to support student passion/purpose/plan, academics, social-emotional and financial challenges. Executes school campus visits while also leveraging resources to support KIPP alumni in high school and college. Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to support the needs of students. 

• College Access: Supports KIPP alumni and families through the college application and financial aid process, and accurately reports progress towards high school graduation and college match goals.

• College Persistence: Supports KIPP alumni as they transition to college to ensure they meet their academic benchmarks, renews FAFSA, and accurately reports progress towards college graduation and college persistence goals.

• Project Management: Completes annual event planning for class cohorts and manages special projects to support students through pre-college summer programs, scholarship opportunities, and any KIPP Foundation initiative. 

• Bachelor’s degree or higher (required) 

• Demonstrated success working with communities historically underrepresented in higher education and commitment to KIPP Chicago’s mission (required)

• At least two years of professional experience managing large caseloads (>150) in student advising, academic advising, college counseling, college access, college admissions, school counseling, college advising, college persistence and/or three years experience teaching (required) 

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage competing priorities (required)

• Excellent oral and written communication skills and evidence of strong follow-through, initiative taking, and interpersonal skills 

• Evidence meeting/exceeding goals and ability to work under pressure 

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and build relationships with diverse stakeholders

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Drive Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides), Salesforce, and able to quickly learn how to use new programs/systems

• Flexibility to work some nights and weekends to connect with KIPP alumni/families and ability to travel around the Chicago-land area to support alumni at various school campuses

• A cleared CPS background check by July 1, 2022 (required)

• Documentation of COVID-19 Vaccination or an approved medical or religious exemption by July 1, 2022. (required) 

COMPENSATION

KIPP Chicago Schools offers a competitive compensation and benefits package:

• Salaries based on experience related to role and responsibilities

• Competitive rates for medical insurance and short-term disability insurance.  Dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, and long-term disability insurance are offered at no cost.

• Competitive retirement savings benefits 

STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

KIPP Chicago is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying for employment. KIPP Chicago does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national or ethnic background. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.