Program Coordinator- Harold Washington College

About One Million Degrees:

THE CHALLENGE: 65% of Illinois public college students attend community college, but only one in five of them will graduate with a degree within three years. One Million Degrees (OMD) changes that.

THE SOLUTION: OMD is the only organization in Illinois and one of few in the country dedicated to providing comprehensive supports to low-income, highly motivated community college students to help them succeed in school, in work, and in life.

From tutors and coaches to financial assistance and professional development, OMD offers the support that empowers Scholars to transform their lives and those around them for generations. OMD Scholars graduate at twice the state average with the skills and experiences necessary to launch economically mobile careers.

After more than a decade of programming, OMD continues to expand the number of Scholars it supports to be a catalyst for change in Chicago. OMD partners with 10 Chicago-area community colleges, serving over 800 Scholars across the region in the 2020-2021 academic year.

Position Summary:

Seeking an entrepreneurial self-starter with a passion for people and a belief in the transformative power of education and opportunity.

The Program Coordinator (PC) is the heart of OMD’s Scholar Support Model, responsible for effectively managing a caseload of around 60 community college Scholars and ensuring their successful persistence and completion in college and the OMD Program, as well as a successful transition to a bachelor’s program or career. 

The OMD PC will be embedded at Harold Washington College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago with some required travel to the downtown office and other campus locations  (Please note that in light of COVID, duties will be performed remotely until at least June 2021).

Duties, which are outlined below, include Scholar engagement and management, partner engagement and management, data collection and analysis, curriculum facilitation, and recruitment support.

One Million Degrees is a friendly, diverse office with ambitious goals and a relentless drive to achieve them. Join our dynamic team of talented, hard-working individuals who believe that a single degree can change the world.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

Scholar Engagement and Management

·        Implement OMD’s high-touch Scholar support model with fidelity to ensure Scholar academic, personal, and professional goals are being met and that Scholars are on-track to graduate within three years

·        Build rapport with Scholars and continuously engage and hold them accountable to OMD program expectations and requirements

• Serve as a thought partner to assist Scholars in exploring solutions to problems and ensuring persistence in the face of obstacles that could derail progress toward goals

·        Promote scholar registration and attendance at relevant OMD and partner college programming

Partner Engagement and Management

·        Build relationships with campus stakeholders by attending campus programming and regularly meeting with student services staff, in order to leverage and strengthen Scholars’ networks of support

·        Maintain awareness of the type and availability of college and community resources and efficiently connect Scholars to the appropriate services

·        Coordinate with other OMD stakeholders, such as coach volunteers and tutors, ensuring that Scholars follow-up with these resources

·        Maintain awareness and understanding of OMD’s partner collaborations (e.g. Chicago Housing Authority Partners in Education PLUS)

Data Collection and Analysis

• Use Salesforce database to maintain accurate and timely data on Scholar interactions, grades and program participation to identify patterns in the scholar population and program performance
• Gather and track Scholar deliverables such as student service usage, FAFSA and resume completion, 4-year college or job applications, and setting SMART goals
• PCs are held to metrics including attempted and successful interactions with Scholars and other required deliverables

Curriculum Facilitation

• Plan and execute monthly Scholar development sessions, Scholar orientation, and other scholar development events in collaboration with OMD staff and campus partners.

·        Implement high quality, engaging programming aimed at building Scholar community and reinforcing growth mindset and non-cognitive skills.

Recruitment Support

·        Represent OMD at schools, community organizations, and scholarship fairs

·        Facilitate information sessions for prospective Scholars as well as provisional admission meetings and workshops

·        Collaborate with the Manager of Scholar Recruitment to support recruitment targets and application processing

Qualifications and Requirements:

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Experience:

·        2+ years (or equivalent) work experience, preferably in education or human services

·        Experience having direct accountability for the achievements/outcomes of a group of individuals (caseload management experience is a plus)

·        Service fellowship experience such as AmeriCorps is a plus

Skills:

·        Project Management – Proven success in a project leader role with multiple stakeholders

·        Communication – Strong verbal and written communication skills; proven ability to effectively communicate with diverse audiences, especially adults and older youth

·        Data – Ability to make data-driven decisions

Traits:

·        Commitment – Able to commit 2 years to the PC position

·        Builder/entrepreneur – Enjoys building new things in a fast-paced environment; evidence of success in the face of ambiguity

·        Independent operator – Proven results delivery without direct supervision. Able to make day-to-day decisions that affect others and solve problems on-the-fly

·        Empathy – Evidence of trust-based relationships with individuals of differing backgrounds.