Career & Placement Coach, Law Career Pathway

The Organization

At Thrive Scholars, our goal is to see talented BIPOC students from economically disadvantaged communities develop economic mobility and financial security, and become the diverse corporate, civic, and academic leaders our country so desperately needs.  

 Our comprehensive, data-driven, high-touch program model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in careers that provide economic mobility.

The Career Development Program

Our career development program specifically includes two years of intensive, personalized career coaching, and access to our professional network and to corporate partnerships for internships and jobs. In recent years, Thrive Scholars has moved from a generalist career development program model to an industry pathway model to ensure that Scholars receive the tailored preparation, and gain the specialized skills, experiences and networks they need for the industries they are pursuing. Currently, Thrive Scholars has the following Career Pathways programs: Life Sciences, Engineering, Technology, Law, Finance, and Consulting. Scholars interested in other fields participate in our generalist Core pathway.  

The Position

Thrive Scholars is looking to recruit a student-centered, results-driven, and experienced Law Career Coach, who will partner with other members of the Law Career Pathway team to ensure that Scholars are exposed to career options in law, are admitted to and are equipped for success at top law schools, and land excellent jobs in the legal industry. In this role, you will provide high-quality, tailored individual career support to a caseload of Scholars within the Law pathway by leveraging your skills in rapport-building and coaching, developing effective and impactful relationships and facilitating group programming. You will also tap into your deep knowledge of Law school admissions and Law career paths and the skills and competencies required to successfully enter and thrive in those spaces.

The Career Coach will work closely with other members of the Pathways team, and the broader Career Development and program teams and will report to the Pathway Director, Law Career Pathway.  This role will include academic-year travel for campus visits, up to 2 weeks total of work in both Chicago and Amherst, Massachusetts during our Summer Academy, plus attendance at our Career and Leadership Conference.

To succeed in this role, candidates need a strong understanding of the college experience for students pursuing Law; demonstrate a knowledge of the bar for admissions at top law schools and law firm; high emotional intelligence and motivational skills; and the ability to build rapport with students, corporate partners and Thrive Scholar staff. 

Key Responsibilities:

Case Management, Individual Scholar Coaching, and Support (60%):

GOAL: Ensure students are effectively exposed to opportunities within the law, that they obtain entry to top law schools, and that they have the preparation to enter and grow in the field, in BigLaw and beyond.

• Provide individual coaching and support to Law pathway students, focusing on career exploration; career roadmapping and skills development; prepping for and taking the LSAT; applying for law school, internships and jobs; and developing the skills to succeed once employed. Given that our students are distributed nationally, coaching most often takes place virtually, through in-depth video, phone and email exchanges.
• As the primary relationship manager for students on the caseload, assess and triage holistic needs that Scholars may have, including needs related to academic and socioemotional success.
• Maintain records of all appointments, presentations, and services to students.

Internship and Job Recruitment (25%):

GOAL: Ensure Scholars are successful in obtaining internships and jobs that align with their Law career goals and position them for economic mobility. 

• Provide coaching around resume and cover letter preparation, interview skills, technical interviews, and prepare Scholars for on-the-job success before and during internship/job.
• Provide individualized outreach to students using our Salesforce database.
• Strive towards department-identified metrics and goals for Scholar placement.

Career Program Development, Implementation, and Support (15%):

GOAL: Partner within and beyond the Career Development team to ensure a successful and cohesive Scholar experience

• In collaboration with others on the Career team, the Career Coach will have the opportunity to develop, implement, and support the core Thrive Scholars Career Development curriculum and programming, as well as Law programming, including events, workshops, webinars, and the production of lasting resources.
• Deliver relevant career development programming utilizing a Learning Management System as our curriculum hub, as well as in-person at Summer Academy (approximately 2 weeks of total travel per summer).
• Partner with the Mentorship team to ensure Scholars participate and benefit from high-impact relationships with industry mentors.

Qualifications and Experience

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. The qualifications and experiences listed below are intended as a guide; we do not expect candidates to check every box. If you believe you can meet the expectations and responsibilities of this position, we want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. 

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience, including 3+ years in a Law Firm or Law School OR 3+ years providing career coaching to college students pursuing careers in Law
• Minimum 2 years of relevant experience in advising, or coaching
• Results-driven with an ability to adapt your approach to achieve stated results
• Ability to build strong and trusting rapport with a diverse group of college students
• Strong knowledge of Finance career paths and employment landscape
• Deep understanding of the college to career journey for underrepresented students
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent analytical, and organizational skills
• Capacity to balance multiple and varied tasks, meet deadlines, and use well-developed time management and organizational skills
• Experience with Canvas or other LMS
• Experience using a database for documentation and reporting (Salesforce preferred)

Competencies:

Along with the specific qualifications and experiences noted above, the ideal candidate for this position will be expected to demonstrate the following competencies:

• Commitment to Results: Takes action to produce high-quality work with measurable results in service of Thrive’s mission and Scholars.
• Strategic Collaboration: Understands how and when to work with others to drive strong results. Able to balance attention to both results and relationships. 
• Learning Agility: Effectively adapts own approach in response to new information and/or situational changes.
• Fostering Thrive Community: Contributes to a work environment that embraces organizational values and works effectively across identities. 
• Project Management: Effectively and consistently manages tasks and processes to on-time completion of clear and predetermined outcomes.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Thrive Scholars offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including high-quality health and dental insurance, three weeks of paid vacation, generous professional development funding, and access to an employer-matched retirement plan. This is a full-time, non-exempt position.

Starting salary Range: $85,800 - $95,500

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement 

Thrive has instituted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees, including remote staff. Individuals selected for job opportunities must be fully vaccinated and up to date, per CDC guidelines, and will be required to provide proof of vaccination status in advance of your hire date. 

If you are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons or sincerely-held religious beliefs, Thrive will consider requests for reasonable accommodations consistent with our policy. Accommodation requests cannot be guaranteed, Thrive will consider requests where we are able to provide such accommodations without undue hardship to the organization pursuant to applicable law. Any such accommodation must be approved in advance of signing an offer letter.

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Thrive Scholars provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status. Knowing its importance to the success of our work, Thrive Scholars is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we aspire to build a diverse staff team and community. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. 

For more information, please visit thrivescholars.org