Director, Post-Secondary Scholarship Programs

Posted by Philadelphia College Opportunity Resources for Education on April 10, 2017

Job Description:
DIRECTOR, POST-SECONDARY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS (PSP): PROMISE, CASA and RISE

The PSP Director works closely with the Executive Director to ensure the efficient, and effective implementation of the programs. S/he reports directly to the Executive Director. The PSP Director is the primary point of contact for all three scholarship programs, to best insure that inter-connectivity occurs, as appropriate, and also achieves maximum efficiency and purposefulness. In connection with all three PSPs, the Director works with students, families, school district administrators and counselors, college campus-community partnership office leadership, and financial aid offices of a range of colleges and universities. CORE Promise Scholarship Program is a program of the Philadelphia College Opportunity Resources for Education, a not-for-profit organization whose mission it is to provide final mile scholarships to students in Philadelphia, and assist students with college readiness and retention strategies which focus on increasing their financial aid opportunities to support their undergraduate college degree completion. CORE Promise and RISE both aim to improve access to financial aid for post-secondary education for Philadelphia college going residents. PROMISE works in partnership with Philadelphia public, parochial, and charter schools, as well as state and state-sponsored universities, community groups and businesses to offer final-mile scholarships to graduating high school seniors.

RISE, or Rewarding Increased Savings for Education, is a federally-funded savings match program, which offers students (or their parent if under the age of 25), an 8:1 match where students save $500 of income over 6-month period. CASA, the CORE AmeriCorps Student Ambassador Fellowship Program is
our signature public service fellowship program. As CASA Fellows, students earn a $1500 tuition scholarship in exchange for 300 hours of community service focused on k-12 education-related activities. (currently in hiatus through September 2017)

General Responsibilities as Director, PSPs:
– Respond to all student, parent and general PSP inquiries
– Partner pro-actively with HS counselors and college financial aid personnel, community groups, universities to recruit students and partners
– Maintain active and updated knowledge of the college access field through program professional development and individual initiative
– Work a schedule of hours which may include telecommuting hours while managing social media accounts (twitter, IG, and FB)

CORE Promise and RISE-Related Responsibilities:
– Manage database of scholarship applicants; compile reports as required
– Correspond with students to manage proof of eligibility and ongoing participation ($500 earned income savings held 6 months prior to award)
– Monitor IDAs (Individual Development Accounts) with banks to ensure timely opening, account designations, timely closure, and Promise award compliance (i.e. $255 earning savings in exchange for meeting additional participation requirements)
– Develop communication plan to correspond with and engage participants to ensure maximum completion success; supervise social media and program interns

CASA Responsibilities (on hiatus through 2017)

Qualifications:
– Bachelor’s degree required
– Strong knowledge of college prep, admissions and financial aid issues
– Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and as part of a team with great energy, persistence, and dedication
– Excellent communication skills (oral and written), including social media
– Must possess strong attention to details and organizational skills
– Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously to produce high quality results quickly and on time
– Experience working with students, families and/or community, especially those who are low income and potential first generation college attendees;
– Critical thinking, problem solving, accuracy, and attention to detail
– Ability to work effectively with diverse constituencies, such as school staff, university staff, parents and community groups, as well as with diverse racial and ethnic groups

Salary Range: $46,000-$58,000 (depending on experience)

Benefits:
– 100% healthcare and dental policy premiums
– IRA-Simple matched contributions up to 3% of salary

All suitable candidates should be directed to forward a cover letter and CV to dreavis@corescholars.org by April 15th, as interviews are currently underway.