Avanza Postsecondary Coach

Enlace Chicago is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of the residents of the Little Village Community by fostering a physically safe and healthy environment in which to live and by championing opportunities for educational advancement and economic development.

Enlace Chicago is the convener of the Little Village Education Collaborative (LVEC) a network of Little Village educational stakeholders whose goals are: 1) Increase/improve resources and opportunities 2) Improve educational attainment 3) Break down barriers and silos 4) Affect decision-making and advocate for policy change 5) Reach a collective impact by engaging community. LVEC focuses on collaboration, advocacy, and direct service for the purpose of policy and systems change to better meet the educational aspirations of Little Village residents. Avanza is the direct service arm of LVEC that works to facilitate the transition from high school to postsecondary for Little Village students, while advocating for policy and institutional changes that better serve Little Village families in Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago and local 4-year universities.

Position description: Enlace Chicago is looking for an individual who will collaborate with LVEC High School-Postsecondary partners (CPS neighborhoods schools, CPS District Office, City Colleges of Chicago, local 4-year universities and parents) to provide one-on-one college coaching to Little Village youth and their families. The Avanza Postsecondary Coach is stationed at a CPS neighborhood high school to work closely with the school’s staff to identify priority student populations and create holistic individualized post-secondary planning support for them.

Reports to: Post-Secondary Manager.

Accountable to: Director of Education.

Communicates with: Enlace’s Education Team, Enlace Chicago Staff, CPS Staff, LVEC partners and community members.

Informs: Enlace’s Education Team, Enlace Chicago Staff, CPS Staff, LVEC partners and community members.

Status: Full-time.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Forms part of Enlace’s Postsecondary Team which consists of the Postsecondary Manager, College Pipeline Specialist, two Postsecondary Coaches and 1-2 interns.
• Collaborates with host CPS neighborhood high school to form part of the school’s Postsecondary Leadership Team.
• Identifies and forms a cohort of priority population senior students (i.e. undocumented students, students with low GPAs, racially diverse students etc.) in partnership with the host school’s College and Career Coach and/or counselor, to provide holistic individualized post-secondary planning support to them.
• Nominates and supports students through the college scholarship process with a focus on the following scholarship programs: Posse, Gates, and Wings.
• Works in collaboration with the College Pipeline Specialist to connect high school students to STEAM summer internships and opportunities on a regular basis.
• Works in collaboration with Community Schools staff to streamline student academic and enrichment support when needed.

Little Village Education Collaborative

• Maintains regular office hours during the school day out of school time. This can include some weekends.
• Partners with host high school and College Pipeline Specialist to provide postsecondary coaching to parents through the following: school Parent Nights, one-on-one meetings, workshops, presentations, and the Parent Leaders for College initiative.
• Facilitates a Social Justice Club at the host high school for 9th-12th grade students to provide them opportunities for leadership growth and civic engagement in Little Village.
• Collaborates with host high school and Postsecondary Team to provide targeted postsecondary support to Little Village high school alumni.
• Actively participates in city-wide groups and committees that are relevant to postsecondary success i.e. To&Through Project, Thrive, 60by25 Network, UChicago Poverty Lab etc.
• Regularly keeps up to date on research, policies, and information relevant to the postsecondary success of undocumented students, first generation students and/or students of color.
• Develops and implements evaluation and data tracking tools in collaboration with the Education Evaluation and Data Specialist, the Postsecondary Team and the Education Director.
• Informs the writing of new grants, programs and initiatives as needed.
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements/Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant area of study from an accredited four-year college or university required; College & Career Credential and/or FAFSA Certification a plus
• 2+ years of experience/passion for college access and success work.
• Experience working with high school students and parents.
• Experience working with and knowledge of the experiences of undocumented students, first generation students and students of color in accessing college.
• Knowledge and experience of participatory community approaches and frameworks; ? Knowledge of Chicago Public Schools structure and postsecondary initiatives.
• Understanding of community organizing and advocacy.
• Fully bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Experience working with Latinx and African American communities.
• Experience and comfort in facilitating meetings and workshops.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work in a collaborative fashion.

Working Conditions/Demands: Some local travel involved. Ability to transport 15-20lbs of outreach material. Ability to work flexible hours occasionally on evenings and weekends.

Compensation: Salary based on experience; comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, life, and short- and long-term disability insurance, 403b retirement options, and generous paid time off.

Enlace Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

Additional Requirements: Enlace Chicago staff are required to provide proof of vaccination or have an approved medical exemption prior to starting employment. If an approved medical exemption is obtained, weekly testing is required.

Deadline for submission: Open until filled.