Manager, College & Career Initiatives

DETAILS

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Alumni Network works to implement and promote alumni programs in an effort to increase student retention, success, and completion to Reality Changers’ 3,300+ alumni and current students in alignment with the organization’s trategic plan.

The Alumni Network Manager of College & Career Initiatives drives how the Alumni Network implements content-rich curriculum that informs the College Ambassador Program and professional opportunities. This includes building out a curriculum that focuses on post-secondary retention and key resources for program graduates. Additionally, this position will also regularly seek and meet hundreds of program graduates annually to support their continued progression into and through post-secondary education. This position will work collaboratively with the Manager of Student Success Initiatives, supporting each other’s key foci.

The Manager of College and Career Initiatives must be a proactive and collaborative leader who is able to utilize new and existing initiatives to strengthen programs and services that support the successful transition and college persistence of program graduates. In addition, the Manager will also support the Alumni Network in the collection, organization, and preparation of program data. The Manager will report to the Senior Vice President.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES

An incumbent may perform any combination of the essential functions shown below. This position description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, knowledge, or abilities associated with this classification, but is intended accurately reflect the principal job elements.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. College Ambassador Training & Administration

• Lead the college ambassador recruitment, selection, and onboarding process.
• Supervise, support, and train all college ambassadors.
• Create, use, and maintain an observation rubric for student advising sessions to provide structured feedback to College Ambassadors.
• Track ambassador outcomes against goals and expectations; communicate to ambassadors if they are not meeting expectations.
• Solicit support from the Alumni Network team and network as needed for ambassador initiatives.
• Manage the College Ambassador budget.
• Provide training and assist program staff with instructional planning, research-based pedagogical practices, assessing student progress, and meeting the instructional and advising needs of diverse learners.

2. Career & Professional Development

• Coordinate and enhance partnerships to guide alumni’s personal and career development resources and employment opportunities.
• Identify and assist program graduates with scholarships, internship, and employment opportunities.
• Promote career awareness, exploration, and planning.
• Lead and coordinate Career Exploration Week across departments and in collaboration with San Diego businesses and organizations to expose high school students to various career pathways.
• Provide career development, occupational, labor market, non-traditional career, and post-secondary information.
• Offer quarterly online workshops to support students’ professional development.
• Engage in professional growth opportunities to remain current with trends, demands, and emerging careers in a rapidly changing workforce.

3. Curriculum & Resource Development

• Research best practices for college retention and persistence advising models.
• Develop relationships with colleges and other training providers to stay abreast of community needs and college programs in order to provide students with up-to-date and accurate information.
• Lead the development, evaluation, and analysis of course/curriculum subject matter, including scope and sequence of student learning outcomes, lesson guides, teaching/learning materials, and college-going student advisement for 4-year, community college, and transfers.
• Create a comprehensive curriculum and lead workshops for students participating in the Alumni Network scholarship program.
• Design and deliver assessments to collect feedback from students and college ambassadors in order to improve curriculum and peer coaching.
• Monitor the effectiveness of teaching and learning materials and support the development of a Student Success Coach model so first-year students receive hands-on support through their college journey and completion.
• Set priorities, establish timelines, schedule, and lead multi-functional meetings with internal and external resources to achieve the successful growth and operations of the Alumni Network Team.

4. Expansive Direct-Service Student Coaching

• Coordinate student referrals to services to help overcome academic, social, and economic barriers.
• Assist students with setting goals and identifying, planning for, and overcoming potential obstacles and defining steps in their education and career planning.
• Coach alumni one-on-one through the decision-making processes with respect to intersecting historically marginalized identities by developing individualized, action-oriented plans grounded in racial equity, social justice, and student development theory.
• Provide ongoing support to alumni through multiple appointments and monitor student progress through the learning, reflection, and action process.
• Provide expertise relating to the broad range of academic support services and majors across the University’s academic programs in the undergraduate curriculum, as well as understanding the spectrum of career opportunities and workforce trends relating to various fields of study.
• Coaching and programming will center the intersecting identities of underserved alumni.
• Monitor students’ progress and college attendance, track contact hours, issues, and outcomes of coaching sessions.

5. General Administration & Data

• Regularly input alumni information in database systems (i.e. Salesforce, Google spreadsheets) and assist the team with data collection for all graduates of Reality Changers’ programs.
• Actively participate in data collection and outreach efforts as needed.
• Support Alumni Network scholarship tracking and distribution.
• Explore initiatives to increase alumni participation and impact.
• Regularly use Salesforce to input data and pull reports as needed, and perform data work assigned by the Senior Vice President.
• Promptly update database(s) with information collected from position’s activities.
• Ensure accurate, complete, and formatted alumni records in internal databases.
• Support the Senior Vice President with scholarship administration.
• Support, attend, and/or participate in all relevant team and organizational activities, including board and staff meetings, functional team meetings, and annual organizational events.
• Assist the Alumni Network in the operationalization and achievement of its annual and long-term goals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university is required.
• A Master’s Degree is preferred.
• Instructional coaching experience is preferred.
• Experience with designing and facilitating college learning and advisement is strongly preferred.
• Supervision experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in achievement advising and/or counseling students who are first-generation to college, transfer students, low-income, underrepresented, non-traditional and/or immigrant backgrounds is strongly preferred.

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS / ABILITIES

• Strong classroom presentation and college student advising skills are required.
• Ability to both give and accept feedback and constructive evaluation of work.
• Strong advisor/partnering skills to work effectively with peers, subject matter experts, and other program and business partners; ability to motivate others.
• Ability to relate and network with a diverse audience including parents, university staff, donors, and community partners.
• Familiarity with managing confidential information and the ability to exercise discretion.
• Must be highly adaptive, versatile, and organized.
• Strong attention to detail and good follow-through.
• Plan and organize work with an ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and independently.
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Meet schedules and timelines.
• Maintain records.
• Read, apply, and explain rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Knowledge and proficiency in Microsoft Office, G Suite, Zoom, and email systems. Experience in Salesforce is a plus.

ADDITIONAL EXPECTATIONS

• Represent Reality Changers in a positive manner in all public and private settings.
• Provide positive encouragement to students and instructors in all public and private settings.
• Exemplify commitment to Reality Changers’ mission and values.

TRAVEL / HOURS

• Occasional travel will be expected.
• Occasional weekend and evening work will be expected, especially during peak college application seasons.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• A valid driver’s license or reliable transportation to and from site location(s), Reality Changers’ headquarters, and related events.
• Ability to transport students if needed (not often) is required.
• Clear Tuberculosis Test (TB) or ability to obtain medical clearance.
• A job offer of employment is contingent upon completion of our pre-employment screening process.

SALARY / BENEFITS

As a candidate for this position, starting salary and related elements of compensation will be contingent upon work experience, education, job-related skills, and any other factors Reality Changers considers relevant factors to the hiring decisions for this position.

Benefits for this position include a 403(b) plan, medical, dental and vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, paid holidays, annual $500 professional development stipend, paid sick leave, paid parental leave, sabbatical leave, and unlimited flexible paid time off.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and filing cabinets.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

This job requires the ability to sit, use hands and arms to perform repetitive motions. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus. It requires moderate dexterity, application of basic skills (calculator, keyboard, hand-eye coordination, etc.) and the ability to bend or stand as necessary.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

At Reality Changers, we believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) are connected to our mission and critical to the well-being of our staff and our community. In 2021, we were recognized as an “Outstanding Organization for Diversity & Inclusion” by the Association of Fundraising Professionals San Diego Chapter.

Reality Changers serves first-generation youth from low-income backgrounds and from groups who are traditionally underrepresented on college campuses—such as Black, Latinx, Indigenous, LGBT+, Immigrant and/or Undocumented communities. Because we believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities and/or backgrounds.

TO APPLY

To apply, please submit the following to jobs@realitychangers.org by February 25, 2026:

• A thoughtful cover letter outlining your interest in the position and how your qualifications align with the above requirements and Reality Changers’ focus and mission.
• Current resume

This non-exempt position is eligible for appointment at $32.70 hourly.

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible as interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis. The anticipated start date is as soon as possible.

Applicants who identify as first-generation college students/graduates are especially encouraged to apply.

Please note:

• No phone calls.
• Relocation is not available.
• All prospective staff will be fingerprinted and must pass a TB and criminal background check