About KIPP Forward

KIPP Forward (formerly KIPP Through College & Career) works with graduates of KIPP NYC middle schools and high school, Achievement First high schools, and a growing number of other select high school-serving organizations, to empower them for success in college and their careers, so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. KIPP Forward advisors and staff work with alumni through 1:1 advising and programs related to College Access, College Success, Career Services, and Alumni Engagement. 

About the KIPP and Achievement First (AF) College and Career Success Collaborative
KIPP and AF have leveraged our collective knowledge, experience, scale, and networks to develop breakthrough college and career strategies that dramatically improve post-secondary outcomes for our students and communities. We focused first on our schools and students in the NYC area and now are expanding to support alumni from AF high schools in Connecticut and KIPP high schools in New Jersey in the 2022-2023 school year. Together we aim to achieve the following goals:​

• Help more students from low-income families persist in and graduate from college​
• Help those who don’t earn a BA 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.​

Position Overview

We are looking for a Nudge Enabled Remote College and Career Success Advisor (NERA) to manage a behavioral science-backed Nudge text message program to a caseload of 500 of our college-enrolled alumni now entering Year 3 post high school, which will serve them through to college graduation and career attainment. While the program uses an AI Bot to respond to participants and answer frequently asked questions, the advisor will be responsible for providing direct advisement for any individuals that need additional supports beyond what the AI Bot can provide, as well as creating targeted outreach and resources to support alumni towards college and career success. We seek an advisor who can commit at least two years to this founding role as we build a program to grow to serve thousands of alumni in the future. This is a remote role with in-person meetings in NYC planned quarterly and as needed for the successful development of this new program, and as such, we seek someone who lives in commuting distance to NYC. This role reports to the College Success Manager.

The target start date for this position is July 18, 2022, but there is possibility of an immediate or earlier start. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Alumni Support

• Manage a caseload of approximately 500 college students in years 3 and beyond post high school, leveraging Nudge texting as the primary platform for outreach and caseload management
• Support college students who might need  one-to-one advisement beyond Nudge
• Manage NERA platform to track and prioritize outreach and needs of caseload, responding to requests for support within 24 hours during work week
• Create tailored set of resources for caseload by college and career interests (eg. internship/job opportunities, campus-specific supports and resources)
• Serve as a thought partner to Managers and Directors as we seek to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of Nudge and enable higher caseloads to sustain scalable programming
• Provide advising and coaching services focused on college persistence, financial aid completion, academic appeals, the transfer process, college completion, and career readiness
• Support KIPP Forward data and form collection, including Nudge Opt-In forms, FERPA waivers, semester transcript collection drives and annual survey completion
• Track and analyze student data (eg. enrollment, transcripts, financial aid completion, internships) 
• Support alumni in maintaining college financial aid packages and accessing micro-grant funding 
• Building strong and succinct text scripts that provide alumni with critical information and resources to support their college persistence and completion
• Identify alumni for available summer opportunities/programs/internships and encourage them via Nudge to apply (in collaboration with Career Team)
• Maintain current student contact, enrollment and career information in the Alumni Database
• Other duties as assigned

KIPP Forward Participation

• Attend and participate in KIPP Foundation Nudge Community of Practice and trainings
• Attend Inside Track Training in NYC, if not yet completed
• Attend and participate in all KIPP Forward team meetings
• Participate in weekly check ins with College Success Manager
• Participate in meetings with the Foundation Nudge Team Leaders to build enhancements to the platform to improve user experience and engagement with Nudge
• Regularly and openly communicate with College Success Manager to seek guidance and support to navigate complex challenges alumni may be facing or that you experience with the program
• Engage as needed with College Success Manager, Sr. Director and MD of KIPP Forward to ensure strong feedback loops, continuous improvement, and higher levels of engagement of alumni
• Respond to emails, calls and texts from staff within 24 hours during work week

Salary & Benefits

We offer a highly competitive salary, 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.

Experience & Education

• Passion for KIPP’s mission and values
• 2+ years of full-time advising experience working with first-generation college students from marginalized communities 
• Experience managing projects and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders
• Bachelor’s Degree in education, counseling, youth development or have equivalent experience

Knowledge & Skills

• Positivity, optimism and a solutions-oriented mindset
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills
• Master content creator of video and imagery for texts and social media
• Self-starter, comfortable in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
• An achievement orientation: self-directed and results-oriented, demonstrating initiative and follow-through and ability to adapt to changing circumstances. 
• Ability to self-direct and prioritize among competing goals and to initiate process improvement
• Goal-oriented, with strong initiative and creative problem-solving skills
• Practice healthy communication and embrace productive conflict to form trusting relationships, to collaborate, offer feedback and guidance, and to motivate and inspire others.  
• Strong working knowledge in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PPT) and Google Suite
• Ability to learn new technology platforms in fast paced environment
• Unquestioned integrity and commitment to KIPP Public Schools’ mission and values
• Commitment to working with students and families from historically marginalized communities that have been systematically underserved
• Commitment to continuously learning how to lead for equity to ensure students and teammates thrive
• Extreme flexibility, strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit to accommodate joining a growing and constantly improving team

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.

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.