General Summary: 

With college enrollment and completion at the heart of its mission, the Urban Scholars program serves academically striving high school students (aged 13-19) who attend partnering Boston Public high schools: currently Burke, Dearborn STEM, Excel, TechBoston Academy, and Boston International/Newcomers Academy. The year-round program provides students with the attitudes necessary to achieve their full potential through a structured sequence of after-school and summer academic courses and activities designed to build a strong repertoire of basic and higher-level skills, task commitment, and self-motivation. Program activities include academic classes, tutorials, college advising, career awareness activities, social-emotional skill-building, and cultural enrichment. As they progress through the program, many Urban Scholars students take college courses at UMass Boston and/or participate in paid career internships. The most intensive aspect of the program’s programming, the six-week summer institute, is preceded by one week of staff orientation, run by the program’s administrative staff (Director of Programs, Associate Director, College Access Coordinator, and Student Counselor/Recruiter). The summer institute takes place at UMass Boston and runs daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Student Counselor/Recruiter will be responsible for coordination of the student recruitment process, the planning and promotion of program activities, program marketing, and student advising. S/he will plan, organize, promote and chaperone college- and career-related field trips and enrichment activities, as well as assist with the planning and implementation of program orientation for new Upward Bound students. The incumbent will assist with Upward Bound student selection, academic and college advising, and building relationships with students’ families. She will meet with a caseload of program participants, individually and through monthly grade cohort meetings, to provide holistic counseling and academic guidance related to their secondary school progress, college and career goals, and postsecondary entry. The Student Counselor/Recruiter will be responsible for maintaining areas of the Upward Bound database that are relevant to student recruitment and activities, collecting student data, and submitting regular reports to the Director of Programs. In collaboration with other program staff, the Student Counselor/Recruiter will promote and report on program events, via website updates and social media.

Examples of Duties:

Student Activities

• Assist the Associate Director and College Access Coordinator in the planning, implementation and chaperoning of college visits and college fairs, including the annual TRIO Day trip (overnight); plan and chaperone cultural, career, and enrichment field trips, some of which are overnight and/or weekend trips;
• Work with the rest of the Upward Bound staff to develop enrichment and recreational programing, guest speakers, and workshops;
• In consultation with the rest of the core administrative staff, promote and report on program events, via website updates and social media;

Summer Program

• Assist the Director of Programs and Associate Director in the implementation of the program’s summer component, particularly with facilitating afternoon activities, field trips, and team competitions;

Relationship-building

• Assist the Director of Programs in the development of partnerships with families to support academic achievement and the successful pursuit of postsecondary education;

Data Collection and Maintenance and Reporting

• Collect and enter data related to areas of responsibility, and maintain integrity of program database containing all relevant student data on an ongoing basis;
• Prepare and submit activity, evaluation, and fiscal reports to the Director;

Other

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: 

Bachelor’s degree in Education, Counseling, Human Services, STEM, or a closely related field and a minimum of one-three years of experience within a primary, secondary school or post-secondary institution, preferably in an urban primary or secondary school or higher education institution setting, is required. Demonstrated experience with academic and/or college counseling skills required. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with low-income, first-generation urban students and their families strongly preferred. Demonstrated experience with multi-ethic, multi-racial population strongly preferred. Knowledge of and experience working with the Boston Public Schools or similar urban district preferred. Bilingual in Vietnamese, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, or Spanish is preferred. Motor vehicle driver’s license required.

• Demonstrated knowledge of the college and financial aid application processes and post-secondary placement;
• Knowledge of and experience with various software applications, including office software and database management;
• Knowledge of and experience with social media channels, such as SnapChat, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn;
• Demonstrated experience with event planning, promotion and implementation;
• Ability to communicate effectively and work cooperatively with university and/or school personnel;
• Ability to effectively and efficiently work in a team capacity with a broad range of staff to accomplish departmental and program goals;
• Ability to work independently and efficiently;
• Ability to supervise the work of work-study students;
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• Strong presentation and interpersonal skills, including the capacity to work cooperatively with a wide range of individuals;
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills;
• Strong attention to detail;
• Good judgment, discretion and ability to maintain confidentiality;
• Strong commitment to customer service.

Application Instructions: 

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date. 

Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting.  All other candidates will be considered after that period. 

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link: 

Grade: 30             

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position. 

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.