Career Success Senior Program Manager

About The Upward Project Program:

The Upward Project (TUP) is a career development program for high achieving, low income, first-generation students who matriculate to selective colleges and universities. We work with students for five years, beginning the summer before their first year of college and continuing through their first year of post graduate employment. We provide academic coaching, career development training, social and cultural supports, and financial resources to level the playing field for our students.

Our mission is to provide low income, first-generation students who attend selective colleges the skills and resources they need to succeed in college and graduate prepared for careers in competitive and high wage fields. We seek upward mobility for our students and work to disrupt the racial equity wealth gap in Boston.

The Upward Project’s comprehensive program is a small cohort model that provides significant data-driven results. Scholars receive high-touch individualized support in order to ensure that they are prepared to succeed in careers that are economic accelerators. We prioritize building real relationships and rapport with our Scholars so that we can truly provide individualized and targeted coaching that fits our Scholars unique strengths and needs.

Career Success Senior Program Manager Description:Reporting directly to the Executive Director, The Upward Project seeks a student-centered, results-driven Career Success Senior Program Manager with a background in Career Services and/or Campus Recruiting. This role is responsible for leading TUP’s career success strategy, ensuring that Scholars are prepared to secure and thrive in competitive career pathways.

The Career Success Senior Program Manager will focus primarily on:

1. Providing individualized career coaching and placement support to TUP Scholars in Cohorts 7 and 8 as they navigate career development within one of four pathways: STEM, Business, Law, and Healthcare.
2. Maintaining, iterating, and strengthening TUP’s Career Development Curriculum, including continuously improving career resources, expanding and maintaining an internship and early-career opportunity database, and ensuring Scholars and Advisors have access to best-in-class tools and guidance throughout the career development journey.
3. Supervising two College and Career Success Advisors in the implementation of TUP’s career success programming, providing guidance, strategy, and oversight to ensure Advisors effectively support Scholars in securing competitive internship and full-time opportunities.
4. Developing and managing employer partnerships aligned with TUP’s career pathways, cultivating relationships that expand internship pipelines, early career opportunities, and career exposure experiences for Scholars.

The Career Success Program Manager will tap into their knowledge of career resources and employer recruitment in order to ensure students enter and thrive in the careers they aspire to be in. They will partner and collaborate with the College Success Senior Program Manager to support students and manage the College and Career Success Program Managers. To succeed in this role, candidates need to have a strong understanding of underrepresented students on college campuses, as well as their internship and early career experiences. More specifically, the work of the Career Success Senior Program Manager will include, but is not limited to:

Career Success Advisor Supervision & Strategy:

• Supervise and coach two College and Career Success Advisors in the implementation of TUP’s Career Success curriculum, ensuring consistency, quality, and alignment with program goals and best practices
• Translate employer expectations, partnership opportunities, and labor market insights into clear strategies, application timelines, and placement guidance for Advisors to execute with their Scholar caseloads
• Provide Advisors with direction on where Scholars should apply based on employer partnerships, Scholar readiness, and TUP career placement best practices
• Collaborate with Advisors to align employer opportunities with Scholar readiness and ensure effective preparation, application, and follow-through
• Support Advisors as needed in successfully placing Scholars in internships and full-time roles by offering strategic guidance, troubleshooting complex cases, and monitoring placement progress and outcomes

Employer Engagement & Partnerships

• Research, identify, and maintain internship and early career opportunities across STEM, Healthcare, Business, and Law pathways, and develop employer partnerships to expand access to competitive placements for Scholars
• Develop, manage, and deepen strategic relationships with employer partners across STEM, Healthcare, Business, and Law to expand high-quality internship and early career opportunities for TUP Scholars
• Proactively research and cultivate new employer partnerships aligned with TUP career pathways, Scholar interests, and labor market trends
• Serve as the primary liaison between employer partners and TUP, translating partnership opportunities into clear placement strategies, timelines, and expectations for College and Career Success Advisors
• Plan and facilitate career exposure experiences, including employer site visits, career trips, panels, and networking opportunities that strengthen Scholars’ understanding of career pathways and workplace expectations
• Track and evaluate employer partnership outcomes to inform continuous improvement of career placement strategy and partnership development

TUP Scholar Caseload Management:

• Provide in-depth, individualized career coaching and support to a caseload of 25 upperclass Scholars (11 juniors and 14 seniors), tailored to Scholars’ class year, career pathway, and readiness
• Support 14 juniors in identifying and securing summer internships and experiential learning opportunities through career exposure, exploration, skills-building, and preparation for competitive internship application cycles
• Support 11 seniors in identifying and securing full-time, post-graduate employment by guiding them through advanced job search strategies, application timelines, interview preparation, offer evaluation, and employer follow-up
• Coach Scholars across both caseloads on career pathway identification; resume, cover letter, and application development; interview preparation; and professional communication aligned with employer expectations
• Work directly with Scholars through scheduled 1:1 meetings, follow-ups, and virtual sessions, maintaining consistent communication via email, text, and phone as appropriate
• Track Scholar progress, communication, and TUP-provided supports by compiling and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data to inform coaching strategies and placement decisions
• Identify and source aligned career opportunities for Scholars by leveraging employer partnerships, TUP networks, and personal professional connections

Maintain and Improve Career Curriculum :

• Researching best practices to improve, develop, and implement TUP’s Career Development Curriculum and program through planning and facilitating workshops, and updating and/or producing materials and documents as career resources
• Maintaining a database of summer and early career opportunities (internships, programs, jobs) aligned with career pathways in STEM, Healthcare, Law, and Business
• Maintaining an online resource library equipped with career-focused resources and tools to ensure Scholars are utilizing best practices within all aspects of the career development journey
• Establishing an understanding of the skills and attributes sought by employers in STEM, Healthcare, Business, and Law career pathways, as well as job market trends in different sectors
• Planning and facilitating summer and winter career success workshops that encourage students to utilize best practices when networking, conducting a job search, applying for a role, and reviewing job offers

Team Collaboration:

• Identifying opportunities to innovate and iterate to consistently improve on processes, procedures, and policies that will improve the career experiences and outcomes of Scholars
• Assisting the Executive Director and TUP staff in planning and carrying out summer and winter workshops and events
• Meeting regularly with the Executive Director to provide program updates, elevate and solve problems or risks to the program, and strategize on program goals
• Supporting marketing, fundraising, and recruitment tasks, projects, and goals

Candidate Qualifications and Attributes:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• At least 2-3 years of professional experience
• Experience working with a diverse population of first generation college students
• Experience working as an employer/campus recruiter, or within a career services role on a college campus with preferred specialized program areas such as career development and advising
• Understands the employer recruitment process and job search best practices for young underrepresented professionals in their early career
• Possesses strong coaching strategies for effectively placing students in competitive career pathways
• Relationship builder who can develop trusting connections with Scholars
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey information clearly to different types of audiences
• Proactive problem-solver who enjoys working with colleagues to resolve issues
• Curious and eager to learn the latest campus recruiting trends
• Self-starter who can run with tasks and asks for help and guidance as needed
• Demonstrated ability to organize workload, maintain several projects of equal priority at once, and sustain productivity and quality of work under pressure
• Occasionally work outside of regularly scheduled work hours

Position Compensation and Benefits:

• $70,000 salary
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous PTO
• Home office set-up stipend
• Professional development funding
• Membership to co-working space in Boston
• Access to a financial advisor and retirement plan after one year of employment

Additional Information:

• Flexible work schedule with the ability to work from home and/or coworking space with the exception that there are certain required in-person student-facing programming in the summer and winter and regular in-person TUP team meetings
• Applicants should reside in the Boston area or be able to commute to meetings in the Boston area

To Apply:

• We are looking to make an offer by mid-April with an early May start date
• Please use this link: https://share.hsforms.com/2c27i-lHEQEWZym6qFaof1Ackha9 to formally submit your resume and cover letter

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous PTO
• Home office set-up stipend
• Professional development funding
• Membership to co-working space in Boston
• Access to a financial advisor and retirement plan after one year of employment