College Success Coach

Organization: 

College Beyond is a New Orleans-based nonprofit whose mission is to help students get to and through college. Recognizing that only 11% of low-income first-generation students complete college within 6 years of high school graduation, College Beyond works to provide the supports necessary to assure college persistence. College Beyond is non-selective for low-income students, serving the students who need the most support, regardless of GPA or test scores. College Beyond’s culture is data-driven, highly collaborative and entrepreneurial, and is inspired by the core values of Courage, Mutuality, Excellence, Caring, and Responsibility. 

College Beyond connects students, families, high schools and higher education. The organization leverages the power of relationships to guide students through the academic, social, and financial transition from high school success to college persistence. College Beyond partners closely with university-based student supports to share data, identify gaps, and support continuous improvement for retention campus-wide. The organization is committed to bringing excellent resources to students who face the longest odds of college graduation. 

Founded in 2015, College Beyond has grown in both size and impact. Under the leadership of its founding Executive Director, College Beyond has proven that its data driven model and research based interventions are indeed effective in closing the first-year college retention gap. In its current phase, College Beyond has an enhanced focus on programming refinement and sustained growth in student outcomes. The organization is looking to fill an open position for a College Success Coach. The ideal candidate will be a mission-driven professional who possesses tenacity, creativity and dedication to helping students succeed. 

The College Success Coach is charged with supporting approximately 175 students to succeed in college, including providing academic, social, emotional, and financial coaching. The coach builds and maintains connections with key university and community resources and executes our approach to student success: we ask students, “What do you want?” and we respond, “Let’s go get it!” We view ourselves as partners in helping students attain the goals they have for themselves and their families, and we believe a rigorous data-driven approach combined with student-responsive interventions are the key to success. 

Key Objectives: 

• Guide incoming first-year students through the academic, social, and financial transition from high school to and through college, fostering successful re-enrollment annually until graduation.
• Cultivate strong, trusting relationships with students while actively engaging parents and families as essential partners in student success.
• Provide individualized coaching to support skill-building, self-awareness, and long-term independence for students. Utilize the College Beyond coaching model and effective coaching conversation skills to empower students in problem-solving and decision-making
• Actively learn and apply best practices in trauma-informed practices, financial aid, college enrollment, and college persistence.
• Facilitate workshops, community circles, and group coaching meetings according to the semester goals for student retention and success in partnership with the coaching team.
• Ensure accurate documentation of student interactions and progress utilizing College Beyond data tracking systems. Analyze data weekly to inform goals and interventions.
• Participate in ongoing program analysis, design, and execution.

Core Competencies: 

A strong fit for the College Success Coach role will hold at minimum a bachelor’s degree (master’s degree preferred but not required) with 2+ years of relevant work experience and:  

Be entrepreneurial and constantly grow 

• Demonstrate strong critical thinking, curiosity, problem-solving, and facility with drawing in outside resources as necessary 
• Experience and demonstrated success in designing, iterating, and creatively improving a new program, model, product, etc., preferred 

• Demonstrate success in working with students and adults 

• Have training and/or experience in counseling, social work, mentoring, teaching, or youth development; background in trauma-informed practices preferred 
• Guide youth to learn and implement new habits and behavioral patterns 
• Support high-need youth to achieve high levels of success 
• Build strong relationships with families, community members, and partner organizations 

Commitment to equity 

• Demonstrate commitment to learning about and working to transform systemic inequity in pursuit of social justice 
• Value and exhibit hospitality, mutuality, caring, responsibility, and excellence 
• Set and track to ambitious goals; emphasize results over process 
• Demonstrate excellent follow-through 
• Design and consistently execute data tracking systems 
• Use data analysis to continuously improve practices 
• Seek to learn and grow through feedback and reflection 
• Build culture through communication, events, and habits 
• Lead by example; take initiative to identify needs and seek solutions 
• Communicate in a timely, efficient, and friendly manner 

Be organized, and have high comfort with technology and social media 

• Organize heavy information flow and multiple, simultaneous work and communication streams 
• Demonstrate ability to quickly learn new software and systems 
• Demonstrate proficiency in G-Suite, MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 
• Demonstrate proficiency or adaptability to mass texting and social media platforms 

Equal Opportunity Employment: 

College Beyond is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, creed, age, national origin, disability, or veteran’s status. College Beyond actively encourages applicants who share backgrounds similar to the students we serve to apply. 

Salary range is $48,000 - $54,000. Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, a Health Savings Account (HSA), paid holidays, as well as sick leave and paid time off (PTO).