College and Career Pathway Sr. Specialist

Description

Aspire Public Schools operates a network of high-performing, college preparatory charter schools serving scholars in communities across California. Founded in 1998—in an effort to transform the inequitable racial, social, and gender outcomes that our communities persist through—Aspire is one of the largest and most forward-thinking open-enrollment public charter school systems in the nation.

Our purpose is to prepare our scholars for success in college, career, and life. At Aspire, we set a foundation for our scholars to gain knowledge, skills, and power to access and make choices for their families and post-secondary lives. Every day, our community of students, families, teachers and staff comes together to learn, work, and play in an environment grounded in our values of Bienestar (Well-Being), Culture of Belonging, Community Partnership, Agency & Self-Determination, and Joy.

GENERAL SUMMARY:   

In service of supporting our Bay Area Region high schools to achieve their academic targets, the Regional College and Career Pathway Sr. Specialist is responsible for promoting Aspire’s mission of graduating students who are college, career, and life ready by leveraging relationships within local, regional, state, and national communities to ensure students have the means, opportunity, and preparation to succeed in college and in the workplace. The Regional College and Career Pathway Sr. Specialist manages the implementation and ongoing improvement of Linked Learning Career Pathways across schools.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Manage Pathway Programs and Operations

Strategic Planning

• Models and provides instructional leadership aligned to the 4-pillars of linked learning (CTE standards alignment, interdisciplinary/PBL experiences, exhibitions and senior portfolio)

• Coaches and provides professional development to school site Pathway Managers & admin teams to align programming, strategic plan, and goal development to the 4-Pillars

• Establish guidelines and reviews master scheduling aligned to pathway development and program of study

Talent Development 

• Collaboration with the regional Talent Department, school site administration, and school site pathways managers to recruit pathway managers, teachers, and other members of the Pathway team (internship coordinators, pathways coaches, etc.) 

• Support regional recruitment and coordination with the hiring and supervision of pathway teachers & pathway team members with a focus on CTE-credentialed positions. 

• Coordinating regional pathway teacher training and externship opportunities. 

• Facilitate regional professional development of school site pathway managers.

• Provide regular consultation and coaching of school site pathway managers.

Work Based Learning

• Coordinate a continuum of work-based learning opportunities with external partners. 

• Promote the integration of career concepts and work-based learning opportunities into academic courses, the academic advising program, and within the school community more broadly 

• Support Academic Counselors with WBL alignment and A-G UC Course creation and submission. 

• Coordinate and support Internship opportunities across the industry sectors

Marketing

• Collaborate with the regional Talent & Operations team and school site leaders to create pathway marketing materials and family/community communication plan (ex, pathway newsletter, pathway section on school website, social media presence, environmental print, family updates, etc.)

Progress Monitoring

• Collaborate on creating systems for progress monitoring pathway data, key deliverables, and student progress. 

• Analyze region-wide and site-level data to identify goals and trends in order to inform strategic plans and priorities

• Support reporting of pathway data to internal and external stakeholders

Support Pathway Partnerships

• Develop and execute MOUs and partnership agreements with partner organizations (e.g., BUILD, Youth Uprising, Genesys Works, TBD partners). 

• Collaborate with Bay Area community colleges to develop a CTE/pathway-aligned sequence of college courses.

• Collaborate with the Pathway Advisory Board, local industry partners, and pathway teachers to develop curriculum and work-based learning experiences aligned to industry needs. 

Support Dual Enrollment:

• Work with pathways managers, school counselors, and administrators to ensure schools and scholars take full advantage of opportunities, including those offered by various community colleges and other community-based organizations.

• Coordinate efforts with various campus departments to guide, assist, monitor, and ensure seamless scheduling, enrollment, registration, and continuous support for dually enrolled scholars following internal policies and in compliance with government rules and regulations.

• Along with the Post-Secondary Success manager, serve as a liaison between partnering community colleges and the Aspire school staff to coordinate the scheduling of dual enrollment course offerings and community college transcripts to ensure students receive appropriate high school graduation requirement credit..

Manage CTE/Linked Learning Grants and Certifications

• Support the pursuit of pathway grants (ex., Measure N, CTEIG, Strong Work Force, etc.)

• Support management of certifications (ex., Measure N, Linked Learning Gold, etc.) 

• Oversee facilities planning and upgrades related to pathway implementation.

Organizational Relationships

• Works closely with the Bay Area Regional Team and Data Team to maximize Aspire Public Schools' ability to interrupt inequities in college preparedness for our young people.

• Performs other related duties as required and assigned.

Organizational Impact:

• Support the reimagining of secondary programming at Aspire Bay Area (transition from College for Certain to College and Career for Certain).

• Align Post-Secondary Success programming to equity initiatives (i.e., A-G Graduation rates for Black students, students with IEPS, and ELs).  

• Support the Charter Renewal process of 6-12th grade BA schools by aligning programming to BA Graduate Profile, funding initiatives, and authorizing vision for secondary schools. 

• Secure funding for secondary schools to develop CTE/Linked Learning programming.  

Additional:

• Demonstrate knowledge of and support the Aspire Public Schools mission, vision, and value statements, including antiracism, policies and procedures, operating instructions, confidentiality standards, and the code of ethical behavior. 

• Actively seeks to improve and simplify Aspire’s approach to particular job functions.

• Comfortable with the utilization of technology in a remote environment

• This role may require travel up to 80% of the time to BA schools across Oakland and Richmond and may require some periodic travel to all Aspire regions and/or other locations for conferences/professional development

• Perform other related duties as required and assigned. 

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

Required knowledge, skills & abilities:

• Vast knowledge of A-G and aligned career pathway implementation (CTE programs, Linked Learning, dual enrollment, etc.) and ability to implement and oversee this implementation.

• Demonstrated ability to coordinate collaboration across teams.

• Instructional leadership and teaching experience required: proven results in student learning as both an instructional leader and a teacher.

• Knowledge of teacher and leader development frameworks and ability to co-develop aligned content and systems

• Experience in schools with adult learning and professional development required 

• Outstanding ability to lead, including influencing and motivating others 

• Ability to learn quickly and to be effective in a fast-paced, dynamic, entrepreneurial environment: able to work autonomously and thoroughly with independent self-reflection, as well as take direction as needed 

• Demonstrated educational philosophy and methods that encourage the development of active and lifelong learning

• Ability to demonstrate creative and flexible thinking 

• Strong time and task management skills, enabling multiple projects to be completed on time 

• Alignment to and urgency around Aspire’s mission, vision, and values

• Excellent team player: always puts the team’s goals first and works to support and motivate  peers 

• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills

• Ability to move comfortably between high-level strategic thinking and intricate details 

• Excellent ability to drive change and build buy-in through relationship-building

• Comfort with engaging in conversations that might push people out of their comfort zones, especially regarding discussions about race and educational equity

• Be an active learner and teammate.

• Understands and applies an equity-centered lens in problem-solving

Minimum Educational Level:

• Bachelor’s Degree required, with relevant degree and/or content expertise; 

• Master’s Degree preferred

Experience required:

• 5+ years of Teaching and Leading experience in an education setting 

Physical requirements: 

• Moving self in different positions to accomplish tasks in various environments, including tight and confined spaces

• Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods

• Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another

• Assessing the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned

• Communicating with others to exchange information

• Repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands, and/or fingers

Work Environment 

The work environment characteristics are representative of those in a normal office or classroom/school setting that one might encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. 

• Work indoors in a standard office, computer lab, and/or classroom environment.

• Work is performed in indoor and outdoor environments

• Exposure to dust, oils, and cleaning chemicals

• Some exposure to childhood and other diseases in a school environment

• May be required to work outside of typical work days and office hours to meet operational deadlines