Organizational Overview: Since 1990, The Steppingstone Foundation (TSF) has been developing and implementing programs which prepare urban schoolchildren for educational opportunities that lead to college success. The goal of The Steppingstone Academy in Boston is to prepare Scholars to get into, and succeed at, top independent and public exam schools. Success at these schools opens doors previously unimagined to the Scholars. And by succeeding, both in and out of the classroom, the Scholars change their own lives, positively impact the schools which they attend, and open doors for Scholars who follow.
Based on the premise that, regardless of circumstance, children can achieve at high levels academically if given the proper preparation and support, Steppingstone programs emphasize rigorous standards and achieve meaningful results: 90% of Steppingstone graduates have been admitted to an independent or exam school, 99% of those tracked have graduated from high school, and 92% have gone on to four-year colleges.
In 2011, TSF will pilot a new program, The College Success Academy (CSA) to prepare underserved Boston school children to matriculate and succeed in college through hard work and academic enrichment during the summer and after school through out middle school, followed by high school advising and college counseling support. Facilitated by Bridgespan, the organization’s strategic plan includes this new program model, the College Success Academy, as a way of serving more students who would not otherwise get to college.
Building on its strong success providing high-quality services to students and families, Steppingstone launched the National Partnership for Educational Access in 2007 to provide a learning community of organizations committed to increasing educational opportunities for motivated underserved students across the country. Steppingstone also has affiliate sites in Hartford, CT and Philadelphia, PA that run The Steppingstone Academy program model.
For more information about The Steppingstone Foundation, please visit www.tsf.org.
Position Overview:
The Director of Admission and Outreach will have primary responsibility for attracting, admitting, and orienting a strong class of Scholars for participation in the Steppingstone program. Leading a small and highly effective team, the Director will oversee the development and execution of a variety of outreach strategies to encourage appropriate applications and raise awareness of Steppingstone, lead the internal admission decision-making process, and support the orientation of new Scholars. Some Saturday and evening work is mandatory.
Responsibilities:
• Lead department in selecting and designing recruitment activities that will yield greatest number of appropriate applicants
• Raise awareness and support of TSF among various stakeholders (schools, community based organizations, target families and students)
• Utilize project management and group facilitation skills to effectively lead organization-wide admission decision-making process that results in a diverse and highly qualified class of Scholars
• Facilitate analysis of data across years and program components to improve the quality of decisions
• Oversee development and execution of enrollment processes for new Scholars
• Enable and ensure optimal use of organizational resources (staff time, budget, technology, etc) to achieve end results
• Provide effective support and management to all direct reports
• Contribute to the development and delivery of core program through participation in summer session
• Work collaboratively with other departments and model effective use of staffing resources for organization-wide goals
Qualifications: Strong candidates for this position will demonstrate the following characteristics:
• Demonstrated commitment to educational equity and college access
• Proven success utilizing strategic thinking skills, professional judgment, and quantitative analysis to develop and meet ambitious goals
• Strong customer-service orientation, utilizing communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills
• Experience successfully managing a small and effective team
• Effective project management skills combined with flexibility and problem-solving capabilities
• Knowledge of and comfort with technology
• Strong group/team facilitation
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
• Bi-lingual a plus
To Apply: Please send a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, both in Word format to Megan Johnson, Director of HR and Administration at mjohnson@tsf.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
The Steppingstone Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate
against any individual, employee, or application for employment on the basis of race, color,
marital status, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, or handicap, as defined by law.
