College Success Advisor

The SEED Foundation seeks a College Success Advisor (CSA) to serve on the front line of our critical college success support. This person will be a vital resource for students as they transition from SEED through college. Advisors are responsible for building deep relationships with graduates; this is core to the College Transition & Success (CTS) team’s—and SEED’s—success. Advisors act as our graduates’ advocates, mentors, experts, and cheerleaders as they assist students with the academic, financial aid, and personal challenges associated with college enrollment and success. An advisor is expected to have experience working with underrepresented students and an understanding of the college financial aid process and the organizational structure of higher education institutions. Collecting, analyzing, and using college transition and postsecondary data is a key part of our work with students. Thus, we are looking for candidates with an interest in and experience with data analysis. This position reports to the Director of College Transition & Success.



Essential Duties and Responsibilities

? Directly responsible for individualized support for a group of SEED graduates.

? Conduct regular graduate support advising sessions designed to assist with financial aid and the academic and social college integration process.

? Visit designated SEED graduates at their respective colleges/universities and assist graduates with connecting to campus-based support resources (e.g., academic advisors, financial aid officers, counseling services).

? Provide support to students interested in or needing to transfer to a different institution and/or in need of referrals to community-based resources.

? Serve as a financial aid resource by: (1) assisting with the application process, (2) reviewing award letters, (3) interfacing with financial aid representatives, and (4) monitoring need for emergency financial support.

? Regularly use data management and tracking system to:

o Maintain advising notes and organize all necessary follow-up meetings.

o Track all graduate interactions and submit monthly reports.

o Consistently update all contact information for student caseload.



? Maintain regular contact with graduates via various forms of social media, text messaging, phone calls, in-person meetings, etc. and closely monitor enrollment, transfer, and stop-out rates.

? Manage caseload data by using CoPilot™, an industry-leading student information system providing college advisors with a 360-degree view of their students, housed within the Salesforce™ platform.

? In collaboration with the College Counseling departments at SEED Schools:

o Support high school college access programming, including financial education and senior transition programming.

o Review and use all college application data within Naviance.

? Support and lead college success trainings sessions with staff across the SEED network.

? Other duties as required and deemed necessary.

Essential Experience, Skills, and Competencies

Ideal candidates are expected to have/be:

? Commitment to the mission of SEED and our core values of: COMPASSION, GRATITUDE, GROWTH, INTEGRITY, PERSEVERANCE, RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY.

? Minimally a bachelor’s degree with an additional 2-3 years’ experience providing college access and success support in a community, school, or university-based setting.

? Understanding of financial aid, including the FAFSA, DC OneApp, and DC CAP Last Dollar Award completion process and Maryland grant-based college funding opportunities.

? Experience with individual and group college success advising sessions.

? General knowledge of college fit and college match.

? Highly capable of dealing with sensitive issues and being discreet.

? Exceptional interpersonal skills, with creative and positive energy for working with youth.

? Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with a team while managing multiple tasks.

? Experience in data analytics and strong interest in advancing such skills.

? Strong administrative, database management, and records maintenance skills to handle confidential material.

? Excellent organizational and time management skills, with attention to detail and accuracy.

? Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

? Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (especially MS Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel), and Google Workspace.

? Comfort with student information and customer relations systems.

? An active driver’s license and ability to travel to SEED schools and designated higher ed institutions.

XJ6