Alumni Success Coach-Enrollment Specialist (SY 22-23)

  • Full-time
  • Hiring Start Time: SY 22-23

Company Description

Uncommon Schools is a nonprofit network of high-performing, public charter schools providing an outstanding K-12 education in historically under-resourced communities. We have proudly built schools that reflect our student population, with more than 60% of our teachers and staff across our network identifying as a person of color. Uncommon currently manages 53 schools serving more than 20,000 students in five cities: Boston, Camden, New York City, Newark and Rochester. We are proud that Uncommon graduates persist in and graduate from college at five times the rate of their peers nationally. We achieve this by offering strong academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional learning that prepares students for success in college and beyond.

Uncommon Schools in Rochester currently manages seven schools serving students in grades K through 12. We believe in strong authentic relationships between teachers and students, supported by effective school systems and an engaging instructional model that enables students to flourish academically and personally.  Our students in Rochester have an impressive 98% college acceptance rate.

Job Description

As an Alumni Success Coach-Enrollment Specialist, you will focus on identifying and removing persistence barriers for Rochester Prep alumni who have stopped out of college. You will work with alumni and their families to explore and achieve re-enrollment in a two or four year college, and increase student independence in managing their post-secondary plans. Additionally, you will also be responsible for managing and recording data, identifying trends, and collaborating with the Alumni Support Team to present findings to key stakeholders.

Coaching & Advisement (45%)

The Enrollment Specialist will work relentlessly to improve the overall 4-year college persistence rate for Rochester Prep HS by (re)enrolling alumni who have never attended or stopped out of college. This work includes, but is not limited to 

  • Prioritizing and managing a caseload of 100-200 students who have stopped out or did not matriculate to college, and identifying and supporting alumni who are“ready to enroll”
  • Advising unenrolled alumni through the full college process (exploration, enrollment, and matriculation) on applying and matriculating to a post-secondary institution that best matches their academic profile, financial needs, and career goals
  • (Re)enrolling a minimum of 20 alumni per enrollment period (i.e., Fall semester, Spring semester, etc.) in a 4-year college or university
  • Developing an academic and/or personal success plan with each alumnus that includes goals, action steps, owners and due dates, check points, etc.
  • Connecting alumni to administrator, programs and resources that will lead to (re)enrollment in college

Communication & Outreach (25%)

The Enrollment Specialist will use all available resources to contact and engage alumni who have never attended or stopped out of college by: 

  • Leveraging all forms of communication to connect with 100% of unenrolled alumni including in-person meetings, zoom meetings, e-mail, phone calls, text messages, social media, etc. to identify/confirm the barrier to persistence (i.e., why the alum has stopped out/did not enroll in college)
  • Collaborating with parents/families of alumni to (re)engage with and/or support alumni with (re)enrollment) 

Administrative (20%)

The Enrollment Specialist will also perform administrative tasks and duties that include, but are not limited to: 

  • Maintaining up-to-date records of each alumnus’ contact information, progress towards persistence, as well as notes on all alumni and parent/family interactions in the alumni database
  • Participating in professional development (internal and external) 
  • Collaborating on and supporting Rochester Prep High School events and duties, as needed

Strategic Planning (10%)

  • Independently identifying stop out trends, and propose creative and innovative, student-centered solutions and recommendations to close the identified persistence gap
  • Aggregating alumni data into reports and presentations
  • Synthesizing key findings and proposing solutions to internal and external stakeholders

Qualifications

  • Passion for and alignment to the mission of Uncommon Schools
  • Demonstrated college knowledge specific to community colleges (e.g., college application process, financial aid process, general college knowledge and policies, etc.)
  • Effective public relations and networking abilities 
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Self-starter with strong prioritization skills
  • Excellent organization, time management, and tenacious follow-up skills; ability to prioritize and demonstrate an appropriate sense of urgency

Educational Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree required

  • Master’s in Higher Education or School Counseling preferred

Experience Requirements

  • 3+ years of professional work experience required
  • 1-2 years of direct experience in academic/student support services required 
  • 2+ years of experience in working with students in an college advisement, college counseling or college enrollment capacity 
  • Demonstrated knowledge of the college application process, the Free Application for  Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the CSS Profile, and other pertinent college application and enrollment tasks 
  • 2+ years of experience preferred working with students who are first generation and/or from an urban school district 

Physical Requirements

  • Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer 
  • Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at a time
  • Must be able to climb up to 4 flights of stairs while carrying items such as boxes, chart paper or computer

Travel Requirements

  • Role requires local travel to college campuses and alternate meeting locations (i.e. local coffee shop) to meet with alumni and college persistence stakeholders

Other Requirements

  • Fully vaccinated for COVID-19 on or before the first day of work. 
  • Valid driver’s license
  • Personal vehicle for travel (mileage for campus visit travel is reimbursed according to published IRS mileage rates)

Additional Information

Our people are what makes us Uncommon.  We believe our compensation philosophy and benefits should reflect our values—equity, transparency, and clarity—to enhance our ability to attract and retain talent and reward their expertise.  Our staff receive best-in-class training, coaching, and support to develop and operate mission-driven schools that provide a high-quality education to our students and families.

Compensation for this position: The starting compensation for this role based in Rochester is between $50,000 to $64,700.  The starting pay will depend on various factors that may include but are not limited to professional experience, education, training, certifications, tenure with Uncommon Schools, and work location.  Because we value staff tenure in each role, we do not currently cap salary ranges.  Please note: ranges may differ for staff who work from a location other than Rochester.

Benefits: We offer comprehensive, flexible, and competitive benefits that support the personal health, wellness, and finances of our staff and their families.

Uncommon believes in the importance of being a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization that enables our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building an exceptional team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. We also strive to ensure an inclusive community by creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability. We also ensure that individuals with disabilities receive all privileges and benefits associated with employment and are provided reasonable accommodations for the interview process and to perform core job functions.