Scholar Advocate Coaching & Skills Enrollment

About the role

The Coaching & Skills Enrollment Scholars’ Advocate will support Great Jobs KC’s Scholars in identifying strengths and aligning them with career opportunities. They will also coach Scholars through identified roadblocks and gaps, ensuring they persist in and complete training programs.

Responsibilities

• Support Scholars in their personalized short-term career pathways and placement journey.
• Maintain an open schedule to accommodate Scholars' scheduling needs.
• Complete occasional in-person site visits with training partners and Scholars.
• Maintain consistent and ongoing professional communication with Scholars through various methods.
• Administer career exploration tools and readiness assessments.
• Monitor training progress reports and make updates accordingly.
• Coach Scholars through identified roadblocks or gaps.
• Effectively manage a high caseload of active Great Jobs KC scholars.
• Organize and keep up-to-date caseload data, including updating scholar stages, notes, files, and program information.
• Maintain Scholar data and record keeping in Salesforce consistently.
• Engage in professional development to support Scholar success.
• Aid in planning and delivering required short-term career program orientations and workshops.
• Communicate Scholar success stories for organizational newsletters and trainings.
• Attend required meetings and events, representing Great Jobs KC externally.
• Perform other related activities and duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Relevant certification or technical training required.
• An undergraduate degree in a relevant field is highly desired but not required.
• Minimum of 3+ years of relevant experience in serving individuals from diverse and low-income backgrounds, including specific knowledge related to successful student support strategies for persistence and completion.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, goal-oriented environment with the ability to set and meet clear deadlines.
• Commitment to and complete belief in the mission of Great Jobs KC.
• Quick learner with the ability to develop a solid understanding of the content, processes, deliverables, and overall objectives of a complex, multi-faceted program.
• Personal values system that encompasses the highest standards of honesty, confidentiality, integrity, loyalty, and professional ethics.
• Passion for increasing workforce preparedness among young adults who are first-generation to college, low-income, or historically underrepresented in higher education and the regional workforce.
• Desire for feedback and ability to use it to drive quality.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to multi-task and meet multiple deadlines.
• Keen sense of responsibility, high level of poise, ability to think independently, ability to maintain confidentiality, and a customer service orientation.
• Tactful and diplomatic with good listening skills and an approachable personality.
• Ability to be self-directed, take initiative, anticipate demands, and problem solve.
• Ability to hold oneself and others accountable for enacting and following processes to ensure that work is accurate and complete and "completed correctly the first time."
• Ability to maintain a calm and competent demeanor in uncomfortable and demanding situations.
• Experience working successfully with multiple demands, shifting priorities, and constant change in an ambiguous environment.
• Proven and successful experience collaborating with other organizations and team members to achieve program goals.
• Passion for increasing access to certifications and career placement among young adults, especially among those who may be a member of a demographic group traditionally underrepresented in the workforce.
• Working knowledge of industry-specific opportunities, certifications, and requirements, specifically in healthcare, IT, construction, and manufacturing.
• Ability to work under competing deadlines/demands.
• Ability to be proactive and consider the bigger picture.
• Exceptional judgment that augments an ability to be solutions-oriented and then act appropriately to solve problems.
• Strong organizational skills, well-developed process skills, attention to detail, and ability to multi-task in a rapidly scaling organization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills, including ability to work with large diverse, multi-generational audiences.
• Ability to analyze data and recognize and articulate trends.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel).

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 15 lbs.
• Ability to work in an office and remote environment.
• Ability to travel from and to work and occasionally to regional sites as the organization grows.
• Ability to work 20% of the workday outside traditional office hours each week.
• Ability to interact with others via technology, face-to-face, and collectively, especially in a virtual setting via webcam.

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