College Access and Equity Coordinator

About Heights Philadelphia: 

Led by respected and veteran educational leaders from Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars, Heights is rooted in the bold vision that “all Philadelphia students graduate high school and achieve economic mobility through college and workforce success.” Heights’ work reflects a deep and abiding commitment to break the cycle of generational poverty, which has long challenged the City of Philadelphia, connecting students – especially Black, Latino, and first-generation scholars – with a network of people who believe, and invest in, their talents. Beginning in middle school, students receive access to academic, workforce, and college support to propel economic mobility. Serving more than 3,000 students in Philadelphia, Heights works with students to provide not only programming including one-on-one advising, academic enrichment, internship opportunities, and financial support - but also pathways to success through every step of their lives. 

About this Role 

The College Access and Equity Coordinator is responsible for implementing programming in partnership with School District of Philadelphia principals, administrators and staff. This school-based position coordinates and delivers rigorous academic enrichment, college-readiness and career development activities to middle and high school students. Additionally, this role is a critical lever in the organization’s efforts to support middle school students of color in accessing criteria-based secondary school. The position maintains hours similar to school-based staff, reporting Monday through Friday, with occasional weekend hours. 

You’ll help us to achieve: 

• High engagement of students and staff in a college- and career-preparatory culture, supported by high-quality activities and partnerships. 
• Increased representation of students of color within high schools in the School District of Philadelphia.

You’ll be responsible for: 

• Facilitating college access programming, including college application process, FAFSA completion, and workshops. 
• Supporting school administrators and staff in strengthening college and career awareness among students by sharing actionable student data or professional development to increase student preparedness.
• Advising and supporting academically prepared middle school students of color and their families through the High School Selection process, and as they transition to select-admit or city-wide high schools.
• Implementing our online ‘How to Apply for College’ coursework for high school juniors and building buy-in from teachers to utilize in the classroom. 
• Increasing participation of students in college and career readiness activities, including dual-enrollment and internship programming.
• Coordinating and overseeing off-campus field trips that support college exposure and readiness.
• Serving as a point of contact for opportunities offered by external partners, especially those that enrich a students academic, college or career readiness. Collaboration with external partners could also include information sharing with students, supporting applications and monitoring student participation.
• Coordinating with peers and partners to recruit participants for summer, workforce and internship opportunities. 
• Developing processes to collect and maintain student data via appropriate tracking documents and/or systems. 

About you: 

• Have a Bachelor’s degree, and perhaps an advanced degree (e.g. MSW, M.Ed., etc)
• Passionate about educational access for underserved communities 
• Experience working directly with youth through mentorship, teaching or general youth program implementation and project management 
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and evident ability to handle multiple projects
• Skilled in keeping data, analyzing data, and creating reports or evaluations 
• Ability to think strategically, identify potential problems, innovate, and provide proactive solutions
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to foster collaborative relationships with families, students, school partners, and external partners 

Heights employees: 

• Must meet expectations to report in-person on a schedule determined by their direct manager and/or the Vice President of the team. 
• Must meet PA State background check requirements [PA Criminal, PA Child Abuse and FBI Fingerprint Check] at hire and every five years thereafter. 
• Must be authorized to work in the United States and complete an I-9 employment verification form.
• Strong orientation to customer service, particularly with regard to students, partners and colleagues Proficiency in Google Suite, Microsoft Office and related applications, as well as use of general office equipment (phones, computers, copiers, etc) 
• Fluency in the use of data and data systems. Maintains appropriate engagement with data entry, reporting and review. 
• Must adhere to COVID safety guidelines as established by Heights and/or its partners.
• Office-based staff should be mindful of the organization’s strong recommendation that staff maintain up to date with COVID vaccination and boosters. 
• Site-based staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must submit to any COVID testing or other health screenings as required by the Department of Human Services and/or the School District of Philadelphia. 
• Must be able to work in a busy, often complex work environment that is generally climate controlled. Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds unassisted on an occasional basis. 
• Must be able to sit for long periods of time. 
• Must be able to stand or walk for long periods of time. 
• Access to reliable transportation required