KIPP Forward Alumni Career Placement Counselor

Heres what you need to know:

At KIPP NJ our mission states that we prepare our students to change the world.  We believe that for most of our students a Bachelors degree is the stepping stone for students to pursue professional and personal success. We also believe that this is not the only path to professional and personal success and are committed to supporting our students who choose a non-college post-secondary addition to offering a strong college-prep program and career exposures in our schools we are committed to providing quality job-readiness programs in our high schools focused on ensuring our students develop the skills necessary for success in a quality post-secondary program of their choosing. We believe in the power of relationships and are committed to ensuring our students have the support needed to matriculate to and ultimately complete their post-secondary program and move toward their career goals.

The Alumni Career Placement Counselor supports KIPP NJ alumni who are not currently enrolled in college or who are completing college but need strong job outcomes. This role bridges the gap between alumni and the labor market by providing direct career coaching securing employment opportunities and developing workforce pathways in partnership with local industries.

The Counselor directly supports alumni in securing good jobs apprenticeships or credentials that align with their interests aptitudes and regional economic opportunities emphasizing individualized guidance for those needing immediate support.   As an Alumni Career Placement Counselor you will be responsible for intrusive and holistic advising of a cohort of alumni as they progress towards their career goals securing job placements that offer pathways to financial stability benefits and career growth as defined by local wage benchmarks and advancement opportunities.  

Metrics of Success:

• % Strong Career Launch
• % of recent high school graduates employed or enrolled
• # of career partnerships/pipelines resulting in additional jobs for alumni
• % strong resumes

Heres what youll be doing:

Intrusive Alumni Advising & Career Coaching

• Conduct monthly advising sessions to support a caseload of KIPP alumni in identifying and securing job opportunities apprenticeships and certification programs.
• Provide personalized career plans and set achievable goals with each alumni on your caseload ensuring plans align with individual skills and interests.
• Deliver resume workshops interview preparation sessions and other career readiness activities for alumni to maximize their employment options.
• Build and maintain a programmatic & local workforce guidebook for alumni not in college.
• Create and maintain a workforce guidebook and regularly  disseminate job leads through newsletters social media and direct outreach.

Job Placement & Pathway Development

• Match alumni to appropriate roles apprenticeships and certifications providing tailored prep for each placement.
• Collect and share employer feedback with the Manager to strengthen pathways and alumni readiness.
• Identify gaps in alumni access and recommend opportunities for the Manager to pursue new partnerships.
• Stay current on in-demand industries in Newark Camden Paterson and Miami turning labor market insights into alumni-facing coaching

Reengagement & Transition Support

• Proactively re-engage alumni who are unenrolled or disconnected from education/employment bringing them back into active programming.
• Collaborate with high school staff to ensure seniors who are not pursuing college transition seamlessly into workforce pathways.
• Share trends and labor market insight gleaned from working with alumni back to our high school teams to support and strengthen the post-secondary match process for younger students.
• Advise students on short-term credential programs that align with regional labor market needs

Partnership Support & Expansion

• Leverage partnerships established by Manager of Career Services to connect alumni with employment and training opportunities.
• Serve as the point of contact for day-to-day alumni placement needs with existing employer and workforce partners.
• Provide employers with prepared candidates updates on alumni progress and quick problem-solving support.
• Collaborate closely with the Manager of Career Services focusing on enhancing current partnerships and identifying potential new industry sectors beneficial for alumni career paths in each of the cities we serve (currently Newark Camden Miami & Paterson)

Data Reporting & Management

• Track meeting notes and student data both qualitative and quantitative consistently and accurately in the alumni database (Salesforce).
• Collect and analyze employment data to measure impact and inform program improvements.
• Share data and insights with teammates to strengthen Career Launch efforts across regions.
• Analyze data to gauge program effectiveness identify trends and make informed decisions to enhance alumni career success.

Qualifications :

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelors degree
• 2-5 years experience working with young adults and/or families particularly those who are underrepresented.
• Experience managing projects or processes and collaborating with internal and external colleagues resulting in a documented track record of personal and professional success

Key Skills

• Proficient in Microsoft Office (specifically Excel) and Google Workspace
• Experience with database management and reporting (such as Salesforce Overgrad etc.)
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Expert interpersonal skills
• Strong organization skills and meticulous attention to detail
• Superb customer service skills and love and support for families and children
• Strong critical thinking and problem solving skills 
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and act on regional labor market data to design city-specific pathways that reflect economic opportunity.
• Adept at data analysis and strong content knowledge; ability to extract meaningful insights and actions from data
• Growth mindset

Abilities

• Commitment to do whatever it takes whenever it needs to be done to ensure our alumni have what they need to be successful
• Ability to build strong relationships with students families & external partners that effectively move students towards certifications and career goals. 
• Brings a creative entrepreneurial mindset to designing workforce interventions that adapt to an evolving labor market.
• Ability to proactively problem solve; anticipate challenges before they occur
• Ability to identify inefficiencies and generate creative solutions
• Ability to develop and manage multiple projects simultaneously and comfortably with ambiguity
• Experience developing and planning programs including career development training sessions.
• Ability to troubleshoot and manage high stress situations with a calm and positive demeanor
• Ability to work evenings and weekends
• Belief that all students regardless of background have the ability to go to and through college; and students may begin that path to self-sufficiency via careers that do not require a bachelors degree.
• Achievement Orientation: Demonstrated student achievement results on own caseload  
• Cultural Competence: Demonstrated ability to create inclusive environments that honor and support a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives  
• Commit to professional growth

Nice-to-Haves

• Previous experience in an educational or non-profit setting
• A car for travel to local schools and programs between our cities in New Jersey

Additional Information :

KIPP Team & Family offers a market-competitive salary range of $60000 - $83054 for this role.  Salary ranges at KIPP are set based on the role level and function using benchmarks in the education and non-profit sectors and allow for growth within the role.  Individual compensation within this range will be set based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: relevant professional experience and qualifications; education skills and training; and market conditions.  

This hybrid role offers a mix of in-school and remote work. Talent recruiters typically spend one to two days each week in schools and the rest working remotely.

In addition to a competitive salary we offer a generous benefits package including but not limited to the following:  

• Robust benefits that include medical dental and vision 
• Optional participation in the KIPP NJ 403b retirement plan including matching contributions
• An organization-issued laptop
• Flexible time-off policy 
• Up to 12 weeks of 100% parental leave for primary caregivers
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Extensive optional ancillary benefits including short-term and long-term disability and accident and hospital indemnity

Our organization is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color sex gender age religion national origin citizenship status marital status physical or mental disability military or veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Our organization will make a reasonable accommodation to known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the organization. No questions on this application are asked for any unlawful purpose.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time