Alumni Advisor

POSITION: Alumni Advisor
REPORTS TO: Director of Postgraduate Success
CLASSIFICATION: Exempt
SCHEDULE: Full-Time, Monday – Friday, 8:00-4:30pm
Occasional weekends and weekday evenings. 

Job Description: 

As part of CRJ’s Postgraduate Success team, the Alumni Advisor will blend ambitious vision with clear systems thinking to support CRJ graduates to and through college and to career. The Alumni Advisor will forge a relationship with CRJ students and their families starting in high school, including by providing support in our College Readiness class. The Alumni Advisor will maintain strong communication with alumni once they are on campus, track and report their progress, and offer flexible support based on their needs. In the spirit of cura personalis, or care for the whole person, the Alumni Advisor will help ensure the social-emotional well-being of the alumni. This role requires a blend of empathy, cultural dexterity, and expertise in working with colleges and low-income communities to build lasting partnerships between CRJ, alumni, their families, and college personnel. The Alumni Advisor will leverage extensive knowledge about college admissions, matriculation, financial aid, on-campus resources, career development, student development, and college-success skills to achieve CRJ’s alumni persistence and college graduation goals and nurture and sustain a college-going culture at CRJ. 

Key Responsibilities: 

Direct Support of Alumni: 

• Maintain and track contact with each alumnus via phone, social media, email, messaging, and in person by conducting visits to colleges where CRJ alumni enroll 
• Conduct individual meetings with first- and second-year college students to achieve Cristo Rey’s college retention, persistence, and graduation goals 
• Use data-driven practices to identify high-priority alumni for intensive intervention based on risk factors identified by high school performance, previous alumni data, insight from college counselors, and information gathered from individual meetings 
• Develop and implement action plans for students at risk of not persisting 
• Connect alumni to appropriate on-campus champions, programs, and other support resources 
• Track alumni’s grades, academic credits, contact information, and course selection information
• Help plan and execute recurring alumni events and traditions (socials, networking events, panels, etc.)
• Manage Alumni Persistence Fund by distributing information about funding to alumni, collecting and reviewing applications, determining with the support of the Director who should receive funds, and distributing checks 
• Support alumni completion of the FAFSA each year
• Manage distribution of CRJ and CRN scholarships to alumni by conducting and tracking student 1:1 meetings, collecting student data, and determining next steps for students in need of more in-depth intervention

Development of Systems, Relationships, and Practices:

• Ensure the overall quality and success of alumni support systems through data-driven analysis and leveraging resources for support at CRJ and on college campuses 

• • Utilize the Salesforce database to track all alumni data and manage communication with alumni 

• Refine systems to track all data gathered from alumni on course selection, FAFSA completion, academic performance, and any other relevant information 
• Work with the Director of Postgraduate Success and school leadership to analyze data and make inferences and recommendations on practices to support alumni persistence in college and better support the creation of school-wide college-going culture
• Proactively build relationships with key college personnel (academic success program staff, opportunity program staff, financial aid officers, academic advisors, and other on-campus champions) to ensure top-notch support for our alumni and to help college personnel understand CRJ and CRJ alumni
• Develop familiarity with the environments at colleges where alumni attend, and leverage this understanding to assist the college counseling team in recommending strong matches for CRJ seniors
• Collaborate with college counseling and school leadership to acquire and build resources to support robust college and alumni support, provide professional development for CRJ teachers and staff, and  help build college-transition knowledge and investment in parents and families

• • Work with the Director of Postgraduate Success on strategies to engage and support non-enrolled alumni 

• Foster connection between alumni and corporate partners, colleges, and community organizations to develop programs and collaborative relationships that will allow alumni to grow professionally in college, ease alumni’s transition from college to career, and extend CRJ’s impact on the development of a diverse local talent pipeline 

Support High School College-Related Programming

• Assist in the development of CRJ’s College Counseling curriculum and the College Readiness course, with an emphasis on knowledge and skills necessary for a successful transition to college.
• Teach assigned College Readiness courses to establish student relationships better and support student matriculation process 
• Assist with college-focused field lessons and in-school college and career events for students
• Proactively build relationships with current CRJ students to know and excite them about college.
• Support the college application or scholarship process during strategic times as determined by the Director of Postgraduate Success

Professional Presence.

• Model values consistent with Catholic, Jesuit education and service to others
• Engage students and parents with respect, fairness, and empathy to enable full partnership with the school
• Travel to local college campuses including, but not limited to: Marquette University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee School of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mount Mary University, and others, as well as travel 1-2 times per year to out-of-state college campuses to connect with alumni and learn about colleges that may be a  good fit for CRJ students 
• Approach your professional practice through a developmental lens and enthusiastically participate in professional development, including with the CR Network; seek and apply feedback from leadership and colleagues; demonstrate drive and independence in accessing resources to further your own improvement
• Contribute fully to the adult community in a range of contexts: as a member of the twelfth-grade team and the counseling team, in whole-staff meetings, in adult formation sessions, and so on
• Collaborate with peers with integrity, humility, commitment, humor, and joy to ensure the foundation of trust that will enable the team to accomplish its ambitious goals
• Embrace the team’s goals and the results we achieve as the collective responsibility of the entire staff

Student Support and Contribution to School.

• Seek opportunities to participate on committees, plan and attend school-wide events, and otherwise contribute to the life of the school. 
• Other duties as assigned, including but not limited to: 
• Represent College Counseling/Alumni Advising Program at school events, including fall Open House.
• If bilingual, assist with translating during parent meetings.
• Substitute teaching as requested by school leadership.

Qualifications, Skills, and Characteristics. 

Successful applicants will embody mission commitment, openness to growth, attention to detail, resilience, results orientation, optimism, determination, and zest.  In addition, they will meet or exceed the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher.
• 2-3 years of experience working in an educational setting with teens and/or young adults in diverse, low-income communities. 
• Proficiency in Spanish is preferred; teaching experience is a plus.
• Expertise in college admissions, matriculation, financial aid processes, and college opportunity programs.
• Extensive knowledge of the academic, socio-emotional, and life skills necessary for college persistence, particularly for first-generation college students.
• Superior initiative, resourcefulness, and organizational capability.
• Proficiency in using technology to track data and provide corresponding support.
• Experience in Salesforce is a plus. 
• Experience in college student development or student affairs is a plus. 
• Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends. 

TO APPLY:

Please email [email protected] the documents below, attached in PDF format:

• Resume
• Cover letter underscoring your interest in and readiness for the position

Please ensure your full name and the position are clearly indicated in the subject line of your email (for example, “John Doe, Dean of Student Support”). This will help us process your application more efficiently. 

Direct questions to [email protected]

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Milwaukee is an equal opportunity employer that provides equal employment opportunities to applicants without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, or national origin.