Position Overview:
The Director of Placement is responsible for the overall design and implementation of middle school and high school placement. They are responsible for ensuring that Steppingstone Scholars apply to and are accepted to middle and high schools that will prepare them for college, including independent schools, public exam schools, and select public high schools. The Director is also responsible for ensuring that Steppingstone Scholars and families have the necessary support and resources to successfully enroll in new schools.
Academic Year Schedule:
The Director of Placement will primarily work a Tuesday-Saturday schedule with Saturday attendance at the Steppingstone program at the Curley School in Jamaica Plain. Some evening work will be required throughout the year.
The Steppingstone office is hybrid with the expectation that employees will work in the office a minimum of two days per week, with some flexibility around work hours. A $500 home office set-up stipend will be provided upon hire, followed by quarterly stipends of $50. Laptops are provided to each employee to enhance the hybrid experience.
The Steppingstone office is accessible by public transit and has very limited parking availability.
Program staff support the admission of new students and families to the Steppingstone Scholars Program, including interviewing prospective students and families. Due to the nature of those interviews, PTOs are granted on a very limited basis in February.
Summer Schedule:
During the summer, employees will work a Monday-Friday schedule. Steppingstone hosts a 6-week in-person program for Scholars, which will be held at Milton Academy in July and August. The Director must be able to work in person at Milton Academy, Monday-Friday from approximately 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m., and until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays for faculty meetings. Due to the nature of the summer session, PTOs are granted on a very limited basis from the end of June through August. The Director will provide support to other program teams as needed.
Responsibilities:
Staff Management
- Supervises the Placement Manager
- Facilitates cross-departmental placement team
- Oversees the work of Advisors on the Academy and Middle School Teams in conjunction with their managers
Program Management
- Develops and manages all aspects of the placement process, with support from Advisors, including identifying right-fit schools for individual families, overseeing placement events, supporting application and financial aid processes, advocating for Scholars, and optimizing placement opportunities where appropriate
- Coaches Advisors on how to support and guide Scholars & families in navigating all partner school application processes in coordination with the Directors of the Academy and Middle School Success
- Collaborates with the Communication team to create newsletters that highlight Scholar achievements at Placement schools, showcase high-impact program activities, and profile Alumni
- Meets with families as a group and individually to coach them through the independent school application process
- Participates in the planning and execution of Steppingstone's summer program
Knowledge Management
- Implement systems to track and analyze program progress and outcomes in collaboration with internal departments including Data and Evaluation
- Develop and nurture relationships with partner school personnel
- Communicate regularly with schools to ensure that they are aware of the full array of Steppingstone services available to Scholars through high school graduation
- Gathers feedback from partner schools on Scholar academic and social-emotional preparedness to help improve Steppingstone programming
- Informs staff of changes to public and independent schools' policies that impact student admission and enrollment
- Ensure optimal use of organizational resources (staff time, budget, technology, etc.) to achieve programmatic results
- Contribute to other cross-team office-wide efforts such as internal task forces and committees
Required Knowledge and Skills:
- Demonstrated commitment to educational and racial equity in college access and success
- Knowledge of how to support first-generation college-going students on their path to college
- Deep knowledge of the varying admission processes of public and independent schools
- Strong staff management skills and experience successfully leading an effective team
- Effective project management skills combined with flexibility and problem-solving capabilities
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Strong relationship-management and group facilitation capabilities across differing stakeholders
- Orientation towards continuous learning for self and others
- Strong computer skills; experience with Google Suite and Salesforce or similar CRMs is desirable
- Preference given to candidates who are bilingual in Spanish. Employees may be asked to provide translation services for members of the Steppingstone community and may be eligible to receive a stipend for their assistance.
Education and Work Experience:
- Bachelor's degree required in a relevant field
- At least 3-5 years in independent school admission, placement or relevant school experience in an external facing role preferred
- Successful experience working with middle-grade and/or high school students and families in an urban, multicultural setting
- Experience in Boston area public & independent schools is desirable
Physical Demands:
- Lifting up to 20 pounds, standing, walking, sitting, reaching, operating computer and office equipment
- Pursuant to the ADA, Steppingstone will provide reasonable services and accommodation(s) to employees with qualified disabilities in order to perform the essential functions of their employment, except when doing so would be unduly disruptive and/or result in undue hardship to the organization.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
As a condition of employment, all Steppingstone employees, including full-time, part-time, temporary and contract employees, and interns, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. To be considered fully vaccinated, individuals must have received two doses of the approved Pfizer/Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or single dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, and remain up to date with all boosters recommended by the CDC prior to the finalization of the hiring process. Finalists will be given details about how to demonstrate receipt of vaccination.
Reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis for exemptions to this requirement in accordance with applicable law. Applicants should be aware that for external-facing roles, particularly those involving close contact with students, accommodations that involve remaining unvaccinated against COVID-19 may not be deemed reasonable. Steppingstone will engage in the interactive accommodation process on an individualized basis in light of each particular role.
Employee Benefits:
- Generous paid time off (over 8 weeks total, as outlined below)
- 15 days PTO
- 2 days Discretionary Time Off
- 5 wellness days
- 12.5 holidays
- 2 weeks paid office closure
- $500 Home Office Set-up Stipend; plus $50 quarterly
- Health, Dental and Vision coverage
- Life, Short-Term and Long-Term disability insurance
- Retirement Plan
- Tuition & Professional Development reimbursement
- Flexible Spending Accounts - Health and Dependent Care
- Pre-tax Transportation Plan (Transit & Parking)
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Membership to the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA)
To Apply: Please input your resume and a thoughtful cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position, and how you learned about this position. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
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