Advising Manager

Founded in 2010 by author Dave Eggers, ScholarMatch began as a scholarship crowdfunding platform and has since evolved into a full-service college access and persistence organization.

At ScholarMatch, we are committed to supporting first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds earn a bachelor’s degree within five years. We’re working towards realizing our vision where all students have access to higher education, support to persist to graduation, and opportunities to succeed in fulfilling careers.

Education opens doors to opportunity and social mobility by allowing students a chance to build fulfilling careers. However, the road to higher education is paved with challenges that can be particularly daunting for first-generation college students. We strive to change this scenario for young people from low-income backgrounds by offering them comprehensive support services focusing on individualized college and career advising, targeted scholarships, and ongoing mentorship from high school to college graduation and the launch of their careers.

Our ultimate goal is to nurture a community of young people who can successfully navigate the higher education landscape, confronting its challenges, breaking barriers, and redefining success on their paths to graduation and beyond. Learn more at ScholarMatch.org.

Position Summary

ScholarMatch is seeking a full-time, exempt Advising Manager to play an important role in our Scholars Programs team, which provides college persistence and career advising services for first-generation college students. The Scholars Program Advising Manager is responsible for training, supporting, and managing a team of union college advisors who provide robust advising services to support the academic success and career development of first-generation college students. The Advising Manager also oversees student programming design and curriculum, ensuring high quality delivery of virtual, hybrid, and in-person events for scholars. This position is remote but candidates must be located in the San Francisco Bay Area or greater Los Angeles.

This role reports to the Senior Director of Programs. This position is ideal for a candidate who has a passion for our mission, strong relationship-building skills, excellent academic advising and counseling skills, and interest in using data to improve effectiveness and advance our mission. This role must be able to travel for work, work weekends, and extended or evening hours to support student programming and events as needed.

Major Responsibilities

Program Operations

• Oversee and execute all aspects of the Scholars Program (SP) programming and operations to attain a minimum 80% graduation rate for all scholars within five years
• In collaboration with the Senior Director, inform design and execution of grant-funded advising pilot programs
• Oversee implementation of SP advising and related program components including: managing funding request process, overseeing student document and survey collection, and managing the scholarship renewal and closeout processes
• Assign and manage advisor caseloads, and support a small caseload of scholars, as needed
• Lead the Senior College Advisors in developing content and curriculum for student programming
• Develop and update SP policies, processes, and guides, and ensure team members are trained and implement said policies, processes, and guides
• Ensure all yearly advising program elements and tasks are accurately inputted and tracked in the SP database and project management tools
• Manage SP budget for expenses that pertain to the program elements within the purview of this role by tracking expenses and ensuring adherence to spending limits
• Collaborate with the Destined for College team to manage the student transition and onboarding process from Destined for College (DC) to Scholars Program (SP)
• Liaise with and build relationships with key stakeholders at colleges and universities and peer college persistence organizations to stay current on policies and resources
• Give insight to the Senior Director on student and advisor experience to inform program and organizational priorities

Data Collection and Partner Support

• Collaborate with the Senior Director to set yearly program goals and KPIs
• Collect, track, and review robust student data to analyze program effectiveness and assess student outcomes
• Collaborate with the Data team to ensure the SP database and advisor dashboards are appropriately configured to meet caseload management and program management needs
• Maintain close communication and collaborate with the Development team to provide partners with student updates, and program reporting information

Team Leadership & Management

• Supervise a group of Senior College Advisors and College Advisors by overseeing case management support and providing guidance on college persistence concerns
• Identify, develop, and implement training for advisors based on needs assessment of advisors and students, and field questions as needed
• Monitor advisor performance, progress on goals and KPIs, and ensure quality advising is implemented by evaluating case notes and calls
• Hire, onboard, and train new staff as needed
• Collaborate with other team members to manage program projects as needed
• Perform all other duties and tasks as assigned, “all-hands-on deck” mindset

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, degree in Education or related field desired
• Three (3) years of professional supervisor and program management experience
• Knowledge of STEM persistence barriers and effective interventions for first-generation college students highly desired, as ~50% of our student are STEM majors
• Advanced knowledge of higher education institutions (UC, CSU, CC and Privates), admissions and financial aid and scholarship requirements, and matriculation process
• Experience working with first-generation college students
• Ability to be flexible and work in a remote work environment
• Strong public speaking, communication, writing, and project management skills
• Experience in the development or creation of trainings, curriculum design, and student events
• Ability to hold sensitive information confidentially, and navigate urgent and sensitive student issues with care, maturity, and responsibility
• Must be able to perform all functions of this position within what would be deemed to be reasonable accommodations
• Must be able to communicate effectively with a variety of personalities throughout the organization
• Must be comfortable working in an anti-racist organization with a diverse group of external partners and internal staff at all levels

Preferred but not required

• Bilingual (e.g. Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog)

Compensation and Benefits

ScholarMatch practices a transparent, negotiation-free salary process. Starting salary is commensurate with experience, regional location, and is based on a competitive public interest salary scale.

The salary range for this position is:

• San Francisco Bay Area: $73,494 - $98,166
• Greater Los Angeles Area: $68,141 - $86,548

As a growing organization, ScholarMatch prides itself in offering a competitive benefits package:

• 100% paid medical, dental, vision, and Basic Term Life for full time employees
• 401k retirement plan with 4% employer automatic contribution, 100% vested on day 1
• 20 accrued PTO days per year
• 11 paid holidays every year, Summer Fridays, Birthday off, plus a staff-wide 'winter break' with reduced workload
• Annual retention bonus that increases with every year, up to 10 years
• Eligibility for a one month paid sabbatical after your 5-year anniversary
• Pre-tax commuter benefits and FSA
• Phone and internet stipend
• Staff and dependent EAP access

How to Apply

Apply online through the career page: scholarmatch.org/careers

ScholarMatch does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

ScholarMatch is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Please join us!