Student Services Specialist

OVERVIEW:

The Student Services Specialist will report to the Associate Director of Student Services. You will work directly with site-based staff across functions to monitor, support, and enhance student success in the program by assessing barriers (academic & non-academic), developing support plans, providing interventions and securing resources as needed. The Student Services Specialist supports the Student Services functional goals and overall site goals by providing wrap around supports to students. They support the full lifecycle of the student experience and collaborate with program team to address key student concerns.

In keeping with Year Up values, the Student Services Specialist will also have the opportunity to interact with students as a coach, group facilitator, and advocate, participating in creating and sustaining a positive educational environment, with trust among students, faculty and site leaders.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Enrollment & Onboarding

• Participate in prospective student engagement activities to identify students who will be successful in the Year Up program
• Conduct one-on-one interviews and assessments of prospective students to assess readiness and Year Up's ability to support them through the program
• Conduct Onboarding Student Support Plan interviews and written plans for conditionally accepted students
• Collaborate with site-based staff to address student needs and barriers by sourcing community supports and referring students to resources (e.g. healthcare, childcare, legal representation)
• Other duties as assigned

Direct Service

• Build relationships with students through individual meetings, group sessions, and by being a visible presence on site and/or virtually
• Provide one-on-one crisis intervention to assess student and intern needs, stabilize, and provide a Barrier Reduction Support Plan connecting students to appropriate available resources
• Document student/intern interactions, case management work and referrals in the organization's database tracking system
• Develop and facilitate supportive or psycho-educational and community resource groups (e.g. benefits enrollment, wellness, life skills, prevention groups) as needed

Functional Team Support

• Participate actively as a member of the Students Services team, contributing ideas and recommendations for improving processes based on student needs and staff experiences
• Attend weekly site level meetings to discuss the progress of students and interns, and to develop interventions and provide direction, as appropriate
• Serve as a consult for staff as they support students and interns through Program
• Support building new and enhancing existing partnership relationships with community-based organizations and social service agencies to address student needs
• Make recommendations to the Year Up STS team to strengthen partnerships for student support services offered on-site and off-site
• Support Student Services interns as needed

Site Team/Learning Community Member

• Serve as a member of a learning community (LC), supporting student programming and program facilitation on a weekly basis
• Participate in staff meetings and trainings and complete LC required tasks
• Develop supportive and trusting relationships with students and act as a tertiary level of support for all students by consistently interacting with the learning community programmatic activities

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work or 1-2 years of experience in case management, youth development or student services preferred
• Experience working with historically underserved and disenfranchised individuals, particularly young adults
• Knowledge and understanding of crisis intervention protocols and modalities
• Effective communication skills and the ability to connect with people with a variety of lived experiences
• Experience with facilitation and instruction in group environments
• Proficient in professional case management documentation with skills in creating support plans and capturing clear written case notes
• Strong organization and time management skills
• The ability to build a network of local contacts and be knowledgeable of the social services resources available in the local region
• Uphold company core values in all interactions
• A proven passion for working with young adults, an unshakable belief in their potential, and a strong commitment to the mission of Year Up
• Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Year Up is a national 501(c)3 workforce development organization committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults-no matter their background, income, or zip code. Employers face a growing need for talent while millions of talented young adults lack access to meaningful careers. These inequities only further perpetuate the opportunity gap that exists in our country-a gap that Year Up is determined and positioned to close through three interconnected strategies: providing targeted skills training and connections to livable-wage employment for students and alumni; empowering others to serve and support young adults; and changing systems that perpetuate the opportunity gap. Year Up's intensive training program utilizes a high expectations, high support model where students learn in-demand technical and professional skills and apply them during a corporate internship. Year Up has directly served more than 35,000 young adults since its founding in 2000. Year Up's nationwide presence includes Arizona, Bay Area, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, the National Capital Region, New York City/Jersey City, Pittsburgh, Puget Sound, Rhode Island, South Florida, Tampa Bay, and Wilmington.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY:

Year Up actively engages individuals from all backgrounds. We are committed to embracing diversity within our organization because we firmly believe that diverse employee teams help us to achieve our best organizational outcomes and provide the most effective support to our young adults as we work to close the Opportunity Divide. We are deeply dedicated to creating and maintaining an inclusive and supportive work environment. Learn more about our commitment to diversity: http://www.yearup.org/about-us/careers/commitment-to-diversity/

As an equal opportunity employer, Year Up is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

TO APPLY:

Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume through our website.

Note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered. We respectfully request no phone calls.