Temporary Graduation Coach

Temporary Graduation Coach

HWDSB Professional Administrative Support Staff

(PASS Grade 4 $75047 to $84466)

Start Date: September 2 2025 to August 31 2026

The Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) is committed to learning equity engagement and innovation. As part of its commitment to educational equity and supporting the academic excellence and well-being of Black students HWDSB has been implementing the Graduation Coach Program for Black Students in two secondary schools. The Graduation Coach Program for Black Students is a targeted program that provides individualized supports to Black students and their families with the goal of seeing each student feel safe supported accepted affirmed and achieve their full potential. To expand the implementation and reach of this program to more students HWDSB is now seeking to hire a third Graduation Coach.

Staff Wellness

At HWDSB staff wellness is a priority. We are committed to co-creating and fostering an environment where staff feel safe valued and supported. We are continuously striving to support the needs of our diverse community and actively work to foster and maintain a culture of human rights.

Our holistic Staff Wellness program has been designed to support employees well-being in all dimensions of health. As one part of this comprehensive program all staff as well as their dependents have access to free and confidential supports through our Employee and Family Assistance Provider (EFAP) in addition to many other program components.

About the role

The Graduation Coach will advise mentor and support students to contribute to their well-being and success including achieving credits graduating and successfully transition into their chosen post- secondary pathway. Under the direction of the Board and school administration the Graduation Coach will provide targeted culturally responsive supports and address service delivery gaps to facilitate the engagement well-being and academic achievement of Black students.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Create affirming caring and culturally responsive school environments by contributing to address the academic social emotional and cultural needs of Black students by building positive and trusting relationships with Black students their families and communities using strength-based intersectional approaches.
• Collaborate with school administrators other graduation coaches teachers families system staff and community resources to identify systemic barriers and develop meaningful solutions to support the engagement well-being and academic achievement of Black students.
• Work with the programs core team school staff students and families to create a short-term and a long-term vision/plan for identified Black students who will benefit from targeted supports.
• Facilitate access and referral to academic supports and community resources to provide integrated support systems for Black students by building circles of caring adults around each student depending on their needs.
• Act as a trusted mentor and advisor to Black students and their families to support their social emotional academic and cultural needs and well-being.
• Act as a Black student advocate with educators administrators school staff and families.
• Engage Black students and their families by affirming their identities and cultures through culturally responsive and relevant practices approaches and programs using different methodologies that support the connection between home and school including one-to-one meetings group meetings home visits phone calls video conferencing texting.
• Create a welcoming and culturally responsive space to build a sense of community and belonging for Black students that will enable them to voice their experiences and build a sense of community and belonging within their schools.
• Collaborate with other graduation coaches to identify systemic barriers advocate on behalf of

• Utilize educational software to track and monitor individual student progress (eg. monitoring attendance credit accumulation) throughout the school year.

Qualifications:

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in Humanities or Social Sciences with two years of experience in a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Comprehensive first-hand lived experience deeply rooted in local Black communities combined with a deep understanding of systemic barriers and challenges that Black students face in the education system and in the wider community.
• Comprehensive understanding of Anti-Black racism and how it operates in the education system gained through lived and professional experience.
• Demonstrated respect and understanding of the diversity and composition of Black communities.
• Demonstrated expertise and experience to identify barriers and design appropriate interventions to increase well-being and academic achievement of Black students.
• Deep understanding of students needs and the principles of youth engagement.
• Knowledge of local community resources and the ability to support students and their families to access and navigate these resources.
• Demonstrated ability to act as a trusted mentor and advisor to Black students.
• Strong advocacy skills to support individual and collective student voice.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization including external partners.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and build consensus in an interdisciplinary team environment.
• Ability to speak French and/or other languages considered an asset.
• Excellent communications skills program planning delivery documenting and reporting skills.
• Valid drivers license required for travel.

Deadline for submission is 4:00 p.m. on Friday August 1 2025 .

In-person i nterviews will be held during the week of August

Employment Equity Statement

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) is committed to building inclusive learning and working environments where students see themselves reflected in the curriculum staff population physical surroundings and the broader community.

HWDSBs mission is to empower students to learn and grow to their full potential in a diverse world. Guided by this mission HWDSB strives to build a workforce that embodies the values of human rights equity diversity and inclusion while reflecting and welcoming the diverse and distinct identities experiences and needs of our students and our communities.

HWDSB seeks qualified candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion and who will contribute to the vision of creating inclusive and equitable outcomes. HWDSB especially invites and welcomes applications from:

• Indigenous Peoples (e.g. First Nations Mtis and Inuit peoples).
• Members of groups that commonly experience discrimination due to race ancestry colour religion and/or spiritual beliefs or place of origin (e.g. Black and racialized communities immigrant communities etc.).
• Persons with visible and/or invisible (physical and/or mental) disabilities.
• Persons who identify as women.

• Persons of marginalized sexual orientations gender identities and gender expressions. (i.e. Two-spirit and LGBTQIA).

As part of HWDSBs commitment to employment equity and removing barriers to groups that have faced and continue to face barriers in employment we invite all applicants to complete a voluntary questionnaire that collects identity-based information. The voluntary questionnaire is on the Apply to Education application page for this position.

HWDSB is committed to providing accommodation throughout the recruitment and selection process based on any human rights protected grounds. If you require accommodation please notify us in advance and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Land Acknowledgement

HWDSB is located on ancestral Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Confederacy land as determined by the Dish with One Spoon treaty. The Dish with One Spoon wampum belt represents the treaty relationship between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Anishinaabe with respect to sharing the land and resources thereon. The intent of this agreement is for all nations sharing this territory to do so responsibly respectfully and sustainably in perpetuity. We respect the longstanding relationships with the local Indigenous communities the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Six Nations of the Grand River.

Applicant Self-Identification Form

The information collected on this form is used to monitor HWDSBs progress toward our equity goals including our commitment to diversity in HWDSB recruitment and hiring practices. We are committed to the security and confidentiality of information under our control and to the protection of privacy with respect to personal and confidential information that is collected used disclosed and retained in the system (Policy 1.6 - Privacy). Information on this form is collected pursuant to Ontarios Education Equity Action Plan (Ministry of Education) and in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). Access to this form is restricted to specific individuals in Human Resources. The Research and Analytics Department will use aggregate data from all the forms (not individual data) for internal reporting. Their access and use of the data is governed by MFIPPA and ethical research practices. Applicant Self-Identification Forms will be maintained in the Human Resources job competition file and securely destroyed 1 year after the job posting for candidates not selected for an interview and 6 years after the job posting for candidates interviewed in accordance with general records retention principles. If you prefer not to answer any of the questions you can select prefer not to answer. This in no way affects your application or the applicant selection process. If you have questions or concerns about this form please contact