Bilingual Scholar Advocate

Looking for a great opportunity in the Ford County, KS and surrounding areas
?
Great Jobs KC is expanding our reach and will now be offering our programing to these additional regions, which provides tuition assistance for qualified students residing in these areas. Learn more about Great Jobs KC below.

Great Jobs KC, Inc. (dba KC Scholars) ) is a 501(c)(3) college scholarship and tuition-free job training program. Its goal is to support persistence and increase the college completion rate for low- and modest-income students across the six-county area and rural areas of the bi-state service region and secure family-sustaining careers. The organization was designed to change thousands of individual lives and transform the region by preparing the local future workforce and contributing to the regional economy. The KC Scholars Scholarship Program awards traditional college scholarships to high school juniors, and adult learner scholarships to adults 24 years and older. Great Jobs KC also provides tuition assistance to approved career training programs in high-demand industries such as construction, healthcare, information technology, logistics/warehousing, manufacturing and service careers. With the support of Great Jobs KC, adults 17+ and older can learn the skills needed in one year or less to secure a job with family-sustaining wages. Great Jobs KC supports all its Scholars throughout their college or job training and into their first year of employment.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reports to:
Director of Education Partnerships

Location:
Ford County, KS, Hybrid (technology provided)

Status:
Exempt, Full-time

Salary:
Annual salary based on experience

Benefits:
Medical, dental, vision, STD, LTD, Life Insurance, PTO, Holidays, leave program, 401k including employer contribution, and others

Operating hours:
8:30 am to 5:00 pm CST; this position will work 20% of the work day outside traditional office hours each week.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Ensure that 70% of individuals entering the pipeline continue as a scholar.
• Ensure 80% of scholars complete a training program.
• Ensure 80% of completers remain in the workforce in Ford County, KS for one year.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Scholar Advocate is a high-performing professional with experience supporting young adults and complex systems. This role supports all aspects of Great Jobs KC through effective communication, inquiry response, planning, advisement, and administrative tracking to help the program meet its benchmarks and goals. Under the Director of Education Partnerships, the Scholar Advocate will assess and refine supports and processes for skills-focused Scholars to ensure scalability, future growth, and measurable results aligned with an 80% completion, placement, and retention goal. The role also serves as a program ambassador to increase awareness among internal and external stakeholders and delivers essential professional skills workshops to adult learners. Weekday, evening, and weekend availability may be required.

Primary responsibilities include:

Customer Service

• Work 1:1 with skills focused scholars to support their personalized short-term career pathways and placement journey.
• Maintain an open schedule to accommodate scheduling needs for scholars primarily for pertinent touchpoints such as Meet Your Advocate calls, coaching calls, and training program check-ins.
• Maintain consistent and on-going professional communication with actively enrolled scholars through various methods, including phone calls, text messages, virtual meetings and emails.

Advising & Coaching

• Support scholars in identifying strengths and how they align with career opportunities.
• Monitor training progress reports and make updates accordingly
• Coach scholars through identified roadblocks or gaps that prevent skills-focused scholars from persisting in and completing programs and proposing action steps to be taken
• Work alongside the Career Resource Managers to support program completers with career search and placement, with ongoing support to ensure 80% of completers remain in the workforce in Ford County, KS.

Caseload Management

• Effectively manage a high caseload of active scholars
• Organize and keep up to date caseload data (i.e. updating appropriate scholar stages, notes, files, and program information).
• Maintain Scholar data and record keeping in Salesforce on consistent basis to maintain an organized caseload.

Workshop Facilitation & Delivery

• Deliver prepared Professional and Career Skills workshops, both remotely and in-person, that cover a wide range of topics including; Time, Stress and Money Management. Interview, resume and effective job search and common workplace skills.
• Maintain accurate attendance records, record absences and schedule makeup opportunities.
• Actively engage students to participate in group discussions.
• Follow up with students throughout workshop series through email and phone.
• Issue certificate of completion at conclusion of workshops
• Provide workshop session summary reports.
• Participate in a weekly meeting to communicate progress, concerns, issues to the direct manager and members of the workshop facilitation team.
• Participate in workshop content development, recommend workshop content improvements, and coordinate workshops with program and community partners.
• Ensure timely responses to all stakeholders 100% of the time.

Miscellaneous

• Engage in professional development to develop strategic thinking and acting directly related to Scholar success.
• Maintain and follow written policies and institutional documents that describe processes, specifically related to supporting and communicating with skills-focused Scholars.
• Assist with planning and delivery of all required short-term career program orientations and planning education/workshops.
• Communicate Scholar success stories for organizational newsletters, overall program communication and trainings
• Attend required meetings and events, serving as a representative of Great Jobs to external stakeholders.
• Other related activities and duties as assigned.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Education:

• Relevant certification or technical training required. An undergraduate degree in a relevant field is highly desired but not required.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of 3+ years of relevant experience in serving individuals from diverse and low-income backgrounds, including specific knowledge related to successful student support strategies for persistence and completion.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, goal-oriented environment with the ability to set and meet clear deadlines.

Additional Knowledge, skills, and competencies:

• Fluency in both English & Spanish (written and verbal) required
• Commitment to and complete belief in the mission of Great Jobs KC.
• Quick learner with the ability to develop a solid understanding of the content, processes, deliverables and overall objectives of a complex, multi-faceted program.
• Personal values system that encompasses the highest standards of honesty, confidentiality, integrity, loyalty, and professional ethics.
• Passion for increasing workforce preparedness among young adults who are first-generation to college, low-income, or historically underrepresented in higher education and the regional workforce.
• Desire for feedback and ability to use it to drive quality.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to multi-task and meet multiple deadlines.
• Keen sense of responsibility, high level of poise, ability to think independently, ability to maintain confidentiality, and a customer service orientation.
• Tactful and diplomatic with good listening skills and an approachable personality.
• Ability to be self-directed, take initiative, anticipate demands, and problem solve.
• Ability to hold oneself and others accountable for enacting and following processes to ensure that work is accurate and complete and "completed correctly the first time."
• Ability to maintain a calm and competent demeanor in uncomfortable and demanding situations.
• Experience working successfully with multiple demands, shifting priorities and constant change in an ambiguous environment.
• Cultural competency.
• Proven and successful experience collaborating with other organizations and team members to achieve program goals.
• Passion for increasing access to certifications and career placement among young adults-especially among those who may be a member of a demographic group traditionally underrepresented in the workforce.
• Working knowledge of industry-specific opportunities, certifications and requirements, specifically in, but not limited to, the areas of healthcare, IT, construction, and manufacturing.
• Ability to work under competing deadlines/demands.
• Ability to be proactive and consider the bigger picture.
• Exceptional judgment that augments the ability to be solutions-oriented and then act appropriately to solve problems.
• Strong organizational skills, well-developed process skills, attention to detail, and ability to multi-task in a rapidly scaling organization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills, including ability to work with large diverse, multi-generational audiences.
• Ability to analyze data and recognize and articulate trends.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel).
• Proficiency with CRM management (Salesforce preferred)

Physical requirements:

• Ability to lift up to 15 lbs.
• Ability to work in an office and remote environment.
• Ability to travel from and to work and occasionally to regional sites as the organization grows.
• Ability to work 20% of the workday outside traditional office hours each week.
• Ability to interact with others via technology, face-to-face and collectively, especially in a virtual setting via webcam