Overview

Student Leadership Network supports young people growing up in diverse underserved communities to gain access to educational opportunities that help prepare them to lead successful lives. In 1996, Student Leadership Network (SL Network) opened the United States’ first all-girls public school in 30 years – The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem. The organization has grown to a network of 41 public schools, including 21 all-girls schools nationwide. Over the last 25 years, SL Network has impacted more than 50,000 students through three life-changing programs: The Young Women’s Leadership Schools (TYWLS), CollegeBound Initiative (CBI), and Young Women’s Leadership Network (YWLN). In 2022, the College Access Services team was created to provide new full-service opportunities outside of NYC. To learn more, visit www. student leadership network.org. 

College Access Services is seeking a full-time Senior Manager based in Buffalo, NY, to support our newly formed College Access Services team to expand the organization’s capacity-building services around college access for schools and districts nationally. This includes partnering with stakeholders at all levels – district leaders, school administrators, teachers, and guidance personnel – to develop the requisite skills, action plans, and best practices to bolster the postsecondary outcomes for students of color and other marginalized groups. The manager will help create and facilitate school system initiatives that will support creating aspirational goals to foster the post-secondary college and career culture at partnered schools. This includes building or strengthening systems and structures that focus on increasing early college and career awareness to establish a culture of college readiness. The manager guides vital stakeholders to help students overcome personal, cultural, and financial barriers to college success and works closely with principals and teachers to create a college-going culture that raises parent and student expectations. The Senior Manager will report to the Director for College Access Services.  

Requirements

External Service Offerings:

  • Support a cohort of schools via Site visits (and/or virtual meetings), phone calls, and emails. 
  • Provide coaching support regarding post-secondary planning for and deepening the college-going culture. 
  • Support the development of a school-based team focused on building and sustaining the postsecondary planning, preparation, and goal setting at the school and/or district level.
  • Build staff capacity, understanding, and investment through training and coaching.
  • Develop a community of practice of peer schools/districts engaging in similar postsecondary planning.
  • Create systems and structures for measuring student success and program assessments.
  • Build and routinize processes that correspond to crucial milestones of the postsecondary planning process.
  • Plan and execute district-wide events focused on supporting the post-secondary work happening within Buffalo Public Schools. 
  • Track progress of key postsecondary planning metrics to support school-based teams and/or designated school staff in making data-driven decisions and adjustments.
  • Support schools in ensuring that all students graduate with an individualized postsecondary plan.
  • Coordinate and conduct a series of student workshops and/or events across the Buffalo school district. 
  • Support the data collection and gathering from schools and assist the Director in synthesizing the data.
  • Support schools in reviewing and analyzing data to identify opportunities for continued improvement. 
  • Develop and maintain partnerships with nearby Colleges, Universities, and Post-Secondary programs.
  • Support schools with student recruitment for maximum participation in partner colleges and other third-party enrichment programs.
  • Manage Salesforce and other database systems to ensure accurate and timely record keeping of program deliverables and milestones for internal staff and external clients. 
  • Other duties as assigned.

Internal Staff Support:

  • Network with college admissions professionals to improve the school’s visibility and reputation, leading to the active recruitment of our students by colleges and universities.
  • Support the execution of Standard Components with fidelity, including classroom presentations, student workshops, parent meetings, college fairs, and college trips for each grade level.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

  • Bachelors Degree.
  • Three to five years of experience in college access, higher ed, and/or an educational non-profit is preferred but not required.

Required Skills:

  • Demonstrated experience with college admissions/counseling at the secondary school or collegiate level.
  • Strong strategic thinking and program management skills.
  • Ability to produce significant and sustained programmatic results and improvements. 
  • Ability to perform simple to complex data analyses.
  • Experience with understanding Buffalo public school culture.
  • Experience with understanding NYS postsecondary landscape.
  • Experience working with low-income student populations. 
  • Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills.
  • Exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate one-to-one, in small groups, and in public speaking contexts.  
  • Strong computer skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
  • Ability to interact well with a high-performing, mission-driven staff.
  • Ability to collaborate effectively with the high school’s administration, faculty, and staff.  
  • Travel required.
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