​Alumni Engagement Specialist - Just A Start

Position Summary:

 Are you passionate about connecting historically marginalized communities to opportunities that will support them in reaching their economic stability goals? Does the idea of presenting in front of groups (in person and on Zoom) and connecting one-on-one energize you? Do you love partnering with job-seekers as they explore their next career opportunity and collaborating with colleagues to deliver successful programming?

 Just A Start’s Adult Career Training (ACT) team is seeking a full-time Alumni Engagement Specialist to support our 72 trainees as they prepare for their career transition into Biotech and IT.

Program Background:

Just A Start’s mission is to promote equity by creating access to stable housing and building pathways to economic opportunity. The Biotechnology and Information Technology (IT) Career Programs train adults for family-sustaining life sciences or information technology careers with a pipeline to local, high-demand employment opportunities. These programs provide education and training on workforce skills that are crucial to employers and support services that address barriers to education, employment, and career advancement.

Program participants are a diverse group of adults, mostly ages 19-60, that are seeking a new, stable career with economic mobility for themselves and their families. The Adult Career Training Department provides free 9-month training programs to help these adults enter the biotechnology or IT fields.

This program is a part of the Education and Training department at Just A Start. Just A Start’s other programs include affordable housing and comprehensive support services, spanning Cambridge and beyond. Just A Start believes that access to stable housing and sustainable careers are the essential building blocks of equitable communities.

WORK REQUIREMENTS:

This is a 37.5-hour per week hybrid remote/in-the-office position.

All employees and long-term consultants are required to be fully vaccinated and follow the organization's established Covid protocols.

JOB DETAILS:

• Ideal start date: March 3rd, 2025
• Location: Hybrid remote/in the office. During peak programmatic needs this role will be required to be in the office 4 days a week, but at other times in the year the in-office requirements may be reduced to 2 days a week.
• Work Hours: Typically, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Expect at least 1 evening or weekend event 1x a month, most of which are online.
• Compensation: $65,000-$68,000

What You’ll Do

Supervised by our Alumni Programming Manager, the Alumni Engagement Specialist will be responsible for preparing our trainees as they transition to alumni in collaboration with staff and instructors. The position is people-facing and requires an openness to learning and continuous improvement, as well as a collaborative spirit. It primarily consists of (1) working with and supporting trainees as they transition to alumni, preparing them with the job readiness skills they will need to attain and be successful in their first position in a new industry and (2) supporting the Alumni Programming Manager with alumni events and supporting the wider alumni community.

1. Provide 1:1 advising and small group facilitation
2. Facilitate workshops
3. Event planning and execution
4. Outreach/Networking - Utilize LinkedIn to establish and nurture a network of alumni engagement and create content in the alumni groups
5. Data entry and maintenance in Salesforce

A commitment to and an understanding of our population: You have experience working with and a commitment to the needs of an immigrant population, people of color, and individuals with low to moderate income. You recognize systemic barriers related to race, class, gender, income, age, immigration status, and other identities. You understand how cultural values can shape experiences in the program, the workforce, and the socio-political environment. You are able to effectively partner and communicate with diverse audiences and recognize cultural nuances to meet people where they are at.

Relationship-building: You develop rapport with new people easily and people feel comfortable in your presence. You are reliable and follow through with commitments to program participants and team members, while building trust through action. You are skilled in making connections with others both in person and on-line using social media platforms, inclusive of various staff and faculty, program participants, and external partners. You are able to effectively partner and communicate with diverse audiences.

Career Readiness Coaching: You have worked one-on-one with job seekers to help them build and refine their resumes, craft a cover letter, prepare for job interviews, and utilize LinkedIn effectively to expand their professional networks. You approach coaching as a collaboration, partnering with clients and/or participants to identify goals that align with their aspirations (versus prescribing goals). Your practice incorporates active listening skills, such as looping for understanding, withholding judgment, and asking open-ended questions to guide individuals toward actionable insights and personal growth.

You believe that each person possesses the answers to the challenges they face. You have experience creating empowering individuals to take ownership of their career paths.

Love of learning: You are someone with an insatiable appetite for learning. You are constantly reading a book, researching articles or listening to podcasts or webinars to become better and better in your role. If you don’t know how to do something, your mindset is that you can learn new skills either through mentoring, self-guided or more formal ways of learning. The idea of building upon our existing curriculum with all the new information you learned excites you! You are open to receiving feedback and view it as a critical component of professional development.  

Workshop facilitation: You are comfortable speaking in front of large groups of people and facilitating small group coaching sessions. The thought of jumping right in and facilitating content for our 72 trainees excites you! You have experience facilitating curriculum or content that you haven’t designed or taught prior and/or you know that you are such a skilled facilitator and educator that you can jump in and teach content that is new to you. You are able and willing to communicate and explain directions patiently in multiple ways to increase understanding.

 You are okay with facilitating and teaching the same content over and over again and you are constantly thinking of new ways to deliver the curriculum so it stays fresh and effective for both you and trainees.

Teamwork and collaboration: You have experience working collaboratively on a team where everyone holds and owns a different part of the work. You are comfortable being led and taking initiative depending on the content area. You recognize that when working with an established team, it is important to learn how things have been done previously and then contribute your own expertise. You understand the value of clear, consistent, and proactive communication. You ensure that everyone stays informed and aligned, whether that means providing regular updates, asking clarifying questions, or offering feedback. You know the importance of over-communicating to avoid misunderstandings, especially in fast-paced or complex environments, and are skilled at tailoring your communication style to the needs of diverse audiences and individual preferences.

 If you were here right now, you would be:

• Collaborating with the Career Readiness & Exploration Instructor and Business Communications Instructor on the resume development, interview preparation and LinkedIn profile curriculum
• Facilitating LinkedIn Part 1: How to Build Your Profile workshop
• Providing academic and career coaching to an alum deciding on next steps
• Reviewing trainee resumes and providing written feedback
• Leading small groups of trainees in interview prep
• Updating wage data in Salesforce
• Designing a post for our LinkedIn alumni group advertising an upcoming workshop
• Preparing supplies and handling logistics for an upcoming alumni reunion night

INTERVIEW PROCESS:

1. Step 1: Please upload your resume and a cover letter*. In the cover letter please address the following areas:
   1. Your interest in the role and relevant skills and experience that align with the position.
   2. Particular tools or content you have implemented or taught that have been most effective for you, that you have found to be best practice in your time as a career coach.
   3. Lastly, this role would be joining our team within a few months before graduation. This role is critical to making sure our future alumni are ready to apply for their next role right after graduation. Please respond to the following prompt:
      1. Drawing upon past experience, how would you quickly build rapport with 72 trainees so that they see you as a resource and someone they can go to for help and support?
2. Step 2: 30 min Zoom interview with the hiring manager
3. Step 3: 75-minute in-person interview with Adult Career Training staff ** 
   1. We’ll ask you questions about our company values and experience related to the role and provide time for you to ask questions as well
   2. You will give a 10-15 minute presentation on any career readiness topic of your choice. We suggest picking a topic you feel you have expertise in or a presentation you have given before. The purpose of this is for us to better understand your comfort level presenting information and your subject matter expertise. You will be provided a rubric in advance.
4. Step 4: Reference check
5. Step 5: Background check via Checkr

*Please note that we will be taking into consideration the formatting, design and content of both the resume and cover letter as this role is responsible for supporting our trainees to craft professional job application materials. 

**We may reach out to candidates after the interviews if there are any clarifying questions before proceeding with the reference check

ADULT CAREER TRAINING PROGRAM VALUES

 1. Trainee Centered - We center and inform our work with a holistic approach to our students.

 2. Quality-focused - We develop and continuously adapt our programming, policies and practices using stakeholder input to align with industry needs and standards.

3. Relationship-builders - We are committed to fostering meaningful impactful and reciprocal relationships with students, partners and each other.

 4. Learning Community - We view continuous improvement as an essential component of our program model and success.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

 This is a 37.5-hour per week hybrid remote/in-the-office position with a salary range of $65,000-$68,000. In addition to a competitive salary, Just A Start offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical insurance, dental insurance, short term disability insurance, long term disability insurance, life insurance, transportation benefits, 20 PTO days in the first year, 13 paid holidays, volunteer time off, employee assistance program and a 401k savings plan with a 3% employer contribution. 

ABOUT JUST A START

Just A Start is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Our staff represents a wide range of ages, races, interests, and backgrounds coming together in pursuit of common goals. Together, we strive to provide an environment that values diversity and promotes an inclusive culture.  Applications from women and candidates of color are strongly encouraged. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.