College and Career Navigator

Job Summary

The College and Career Navigator (CCN)/Military and Veterans Coordinator recruits and engages prospective military and veteran students, their families, and community partners to promote college options and strengthen connections to CLC. The CCN serves as the primary contact for prospective students exploring college and career paths and manages a caseload of incoming military-affiliated students committed to enrolling. They provide personalized, culturally responsive onboarding through holistic support in career exploration, field of interest selection, academic readiness, financial literacy, military benefits, and a successful transition into the first semester.

Job Description

• Student/Customer Service – 80%

• Lead outreach, recruitment, and onboarding for military, veteran, and military-affiliated students.
• Support new admits from application through the first day; assist with pre-recruitment and first-semester advising.
• Develop and support outreach materials (brochures, fliers, newsletters, social media) and engage assigned caseloads.
• Educate students/families on benefits, pathways, careers, and college programs; tailor messaging for key audiences.
• Connect students to tours, events, and exploration activities; use coaching tools to help them select interests and programs.
• Execute communication strategies through calls, email, text, mail, and appointments; assist with applications and portal access.
• Provide advising using appreciative and teaching-focused approaches; maintain broad program knowledge and training.
• Use Navigate for appointments, notes, academic plans, and registration support.
• Introduce early transfer and career planning; use research tools and coordinator resources.
• Coach students on academic/personal success; identify barriers and refer to supports; promote school-life balance.
• Build culturally responsive relationships and proactively manage a caseload with regular check-ins and interventions.
• Use TargetX, Navigate, Workday, and other tools to track progress, run campaigns, and monitor outcomes.
• Guide onboarding completion, track engagement, and maintain advising data.
• Develop programs, workshops, and centralized resources for military-connected students; support mentoring and peer engagement.
• Collaborate with campus partners to address military-specific needs.

• Project and Process Management – 15%

• Serve as Veterans Club Staff Advisor; coordinate Veterans Day/Memorial Day programming.
• Act as liaison to external agencies serving military-connected students and share resource information.
• Collaborate with college departments and community partners to strengthen onboarding and transitions.
• Represent CLC at high schools (testing, IT support, registration, departmental connections).
• Build relationships with FOI teams, ASAs, outreach, financial aid, records, registration, and WOSC; participate in events.
• Suggest process improvements; navigate school/community site expectations.
• Support audits, program reviews, and data requests; submit semester/annual recruitment, onboarding, advising, and retention reports.
• Analyze data and complete Military-Friendly Schools and IBHE Veterans Fiscal Impact reporting.

• Other – 5%

• Participate in professional development.
• Support major campus events (Open House, FOI sessions, convocation, fairs).
• Serve on approved committees.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Experience working with Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs education benefits, along with strong familiarity with military culture; veteran status or military affiliation is preferred.

• Possess and maintain eligibility to work with secondary (high school) and post-secondary students, in-person at all assigned work locations and virtually, in compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Illinois School Code and Faith’s Law.

• Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a post-offer fingerprint-based criminal history records check, Employment History Review, and any other screening or clearance requirements mandated by state or federal law and applicable school district policies or procedures.

• Continued employment is subject to maintaining such eligibility and clearances.

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in a related field with two (2) years’ experience in higher education or higher education institution, secondary education, and/or human services.

• Strong oral/written communication and interpersonal, presentation, computer (word processing, internet, email, database) and organizational skills.

• Ability to work flexible hours including some evening and weekend hours, consistent with student and program needs.

• Required 1 late shift during the week to ensure evening coverage at the Grayslake campus.

• Ability to work effectively and constructively with persons of diverse cultures, language groups, and abilities; demonstrated sensitivity to and ability to work with diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds of high school and community college students, faculty, and staff.

• Must have reliable transportation to visit CLC campuses, local high schools and community organizations.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in a related field.

• Experience working with community college, and under-represented students.

• Experience with caseload management.

• Demonstrated knowledge of, and prior experience with, predictive analytics and proactive student intervention.

• Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Core Hours

8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., with one evening per week from 11:00 a.m.–7:30 p.m.

Pay

$52,878/year

Full-Time/Part-Time

Full-time

Total Hours Per Week

40

Position Type

Staff

Job Family

Specialist