Position Title: Director of College Success

Reports To: Vice President of Scholar Support Services

Organization Overview:

Steppingstone prepares students from marginalized communities to access, navigate, and graduate from college through two initiatives, the Steppingstone Scholars Program and the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA). The Steppingstone Scholars Program is a direct-service program in Boston that provides academic, social-emotional, and college-readiness services to students, called Scholars, beginning as early as fifth grade and continuing all the way through college graduation. The Steppingstone Scholars Program consists of five components: Admissions, the Academy, Middle School Success, High School Success, and College Success. NPEA connects the people, practices, and innovations for eliminating barriers to educational access, and college and career success for underserved students.

Position Summary:

Scholar Support Services is made up of Middle School Success, High School Success, and College Success and supports Scholars and their families through college graduation after the intensive Academy summer and school year program. College Success serves approximately 600 Scholars pursuing college (2-year and 4-year) and other post-secondary paths (work, trade, and other workforce programs). Over 80% of Scholars will be first generation college students and the majority of them come from low income backgrounds. Based on research and analysis conducted by the National Student Clearinghouse, the national 6-year graduation rate for students who entered college in Fall 2015 was 62.2%. For the two cohorts after, the graduation rate remained relatively stagnant at 62.3% and 62.2%. In Boston Public Schools, 52% of those who started college in Fall 2015 graduated with a college degree within six years. Black and Latinx students graduated at a rate of 42% compared to their White and Asian peers at a rate over 70%. Given these realities, the College Success team seeks to implement activities to ensure successful post-secondary transition, college persistence and success goals are met, and Scholars graduate from college on-time and ready for post-graduation opportunities.

The Director of College Success will lead this division successfully by providing effective staff management, program oversight, and data driven decision making. The Director will serve as part of the program leadership team and collaborate with other directors to ensure college readiness goals are met and that the Scholar and family experience is consistent across their journey at Steppingstone. The Director will work a Monday-Friday schedule. Some evening and Saturday work is required and work schedules can be adjusted accordingly within that week. Evening work typically ends around 7:00 p.m.

The Steppingstone office is hybrid with the expectation that employees will work in the office a minimum of two days per week, with some flexibility around work hours. A $500 home office set-up stipend will be provided upon hire, followed by quarterly stipends of $50. Laptops are provided to each employee to enhance the hybrid experience.

The Steppingstone office is accessible by public transit and has very limited parking availability.

Program staff support the admission of new students and families to the Steppingstone Scholars Program, including interviewing prospective students and families. Due to the nature of those interviews, PTOs are granted on a very limited basis in February.

Salary Range: $75,000 - $80,000

Start Date: August 2024

Responsibilities:

Staff Management

• Supervise a staff of three direct reports to successfully meet department metrics and goals; co-facilitate cross-program teams
• Support Advisors in developing their knowledge and skills to provide adequate and timely support and coaching for Scholars in their pursuit of their post-secondary plans
• Build and maintain a collaborative and highly supportive team environment centered around the success of Scholars that promotes continuous learning

Marketing / PR

• Collaborate with the High School Success team in division transition activities to ensure Scholars and families make informed decisions for college enrollment
• Lead the planning and implementation of post-secondary activities focused on college persistence and the financial aid process
• Oversee the application, selection, reporting, and disbursement of two renewable scholarships, including the support system needed for scholarship recipients in meeting renewal expectations for on-time graduation
• Develop advising systems that support both advising models (1-on-1 and collective case management) that lead to high-quality services for Scholars and families in collaboration with the team
• Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives into processes and structures to support the development of Scholars’ social emotional learning and foundational skills in a restorative community with high expectations
• Support the development of career readiness activities that encourages career exploration, building social capital, and skill development
• Support the admission of new students and families to the Steppingstone Scholars Program

Knowledge Management

• Implement systems to track and analyze program progress and outcomes in collaboration with internal departments including Data and Evaluation
• Strengthen relationships between Steppingstone and partner community-based organizations to leverage resources that enhances Scholar experiences and supports their success
• Support the team’s continuous learning in the field of college access, success, and career readiness by staying abreast to national and local news, and policy changes; develop and lead staff trainings throughout the year
• Ensure optimal use of organizational resources (staff time, budget, technology, etc.) to achieve programmatic results
• Contribute to other cross-team office-wide efforts such as internal task forces and committees

Required Skills, Abilities, Competencies:

• Demonstrated commitment to educational and racial equity in college access and success
• Knowledge of and experience supporting college access and persistence needs of historically marginalized populations
• Strong staff management skills and experience successfully leading an effective team
• Effective project management skills combined with strategic thinking, flexibility, and ability to problem-solve, set and drive priorities, and monitor progress towards goals
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong relationship-building and group facilitation capabilities across differing stakeholders, including various internal departments, external community-based organizations, and partners
• Ability to utilize qualitative/quantitative analysis and creativity to ensure continuous learning and program improvement
• Orientation towards continuous learning for self and others

Education and Work Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required in a relevant field
• Successful experience working with high school and/or college students in an urban, multicultural setting

Preferred education and experience:

• Experience in Boston public, charter, or independent schools is desirable
• Preference given to candidates who are bilingual in Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, or Mandarin or Cantonese. Employees may be asked to provide translation services for members of the Steppingstone community and may be eligible to receive a stipend for their assistance.
• 1+ years of management experience

Physical Demands:

• Lifting up to 20 pounds, standing, walking, sitting, reaching, operating computer and office equipment
• Pursuant to the ADA, Steppingstone will provide reasonable services and accommodation(s) to employees with qualified disabilities in order to perform the essential functions of their employment, except when doing so would be unduly disruptive and/or result in undue hardship to the organization.

To Apply: Please input your resume and a thoughtful cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position, and how you learned about this position. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement

As a condition of employment, all Steppingstone employees, including full-time, part-time, temporary and contract employees, and interns, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. To be considered fully vaccinated, individuals must have received two doses of the approved Pfizer/Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or single dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, and remain up to date with all boosters recommended by the CDC prior to the finalization of the hiring process. Finalists will be given details about how to demonstrate receipt of vaccination.

Reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis for exemptions to this requirement in accordance with applicable law. Applicants should be aware that for external-facing roles, particularly those involving close contact with students, accommodations that involve remaining unvaccinated against COVID-19 may not be deemed reasonable. Steppingstone will engage in the interactive accommodation process on an individualized basis in light of each particular role.

Employee Benefits:

• Generous paid time off (over 8 weeks total, as outlined below)
• 15 days PTO
• 2 days Discretionary Time Off
• 5 wellness days
• 12.5 holidays
• 2 weeks paid office closure
• $500 Home Office Set-up Stipend; plus $50 quarterly
• Health, Dental and Vision coverage
• Life, Short-Term and Long-Term disability insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Tuition & Professional Development reimbursement
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health and Dependent Care
• Pre-tax Transportation Plan (Transit & Parking)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Membership to the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA)

Steppingstone Core Values

Power of One

• We honor every voice and believe we are strongest when we work together.
• We recognize, respect, and nurture the fullness and complexity of each member of our community.
• We believe in the power of belonging and seek to create a welcoming and inclusive culture.

Walk the Walk

• We partner with every Scholar and family, supporting them holistically throughout their own educational journey.
• We work with clear and measurable purpose, using data to drive collective decision-making and challenge assumptions.
• We create spaces for difficult conversations to transform our thinking and move us forward.

Embrace Growth

• We strive to operate as an anti-racist organization and commit to continuous learning and action in the service of this goal.
• We provide opportunities for everyone in our community to flourish and reach their full potential.
• We make time for reflection, learn from past experiences, and take initiative in response to changing needs and new ideas.

A candidate will be found unsuitable for employment with Steppingstone and automatically disqualified if they use threatening language or behavior either written, verbal, or physical during any phase of the interview process.

The Steppingstone Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any individual, employee, or application for employment on the basis of race, color, marital status, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, or handicap, as defined by law