Manager of College Access

Manager Of Alumni College Access

Noble is Chicago's highest-performing and largest network of public charter schools. Our 17 campuses and 1,600 employees currently serve 12,000 students, 98% of whom identify as persons of color, 90% as low-income, and 81% as first-generation college attendees. Noble's mission is to ensure that all students have equitable and positive school experiences that equip them to complete college and lead choice-filled lives. Noble supports more than 31,000 alumni, with 98% of students accepted into college and nearly 94% choosing to enroll.

The Role The Manager of Alumni College Access reports directly to the Assistant Director of College Counseling and serves as a strategic leader for college access functions that directly impact equitable outcomes and counselor effectiveness across Noble Schools. This role is responsible for owning strategic supports for populations of need, particularly focusing on students with IEPs and multilingual learners who require specialized college transition planning. The Manager manages scholarship portfolios and renewal processes that remove financial barriers to enrollment and persistence. Through coaching and curriculum design, this leader drives counselor development and builds the pipeline of talent necessary to sustain high-quality college counseling across 17 campuses, creating pathways to Dean-level leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Counselor Development & Curriculum Design
• Partner with the Director of College Counseling to design and deliver professional development programming that strengthens counselor skills, content knowledge, and college counseling practice
• Create curriculum resources, lesson plans, and counseling materials that enable consistent, high-quality college counseling experiences across 17 campuses
• Lead the onboarding and mentorship of new counselors, providing structured support that accelerates skill development and builds a pipeline of talent for Dean-level leadership roles
• Identify high-potential counselors and create pathways to leadership advancement through coaching, project leadership opportunities, and targeted skill-building experiences

• Strategic Supports for Populations of Need
• Design and implement specialized college transition planning supports for students with IEPs, ensuring appropriate accommodations, self-advocacy skills development, and connections to disability services at postsecondary institutions
• Create and execute college access strategies for multilingual learners, including targeted support for undocumented students, ensuring equitable access to college exploration, application processes, and financial aid resources
• Build and maintain resources, training materials, and best practices to strengthen counselor capacity in supporting specialized student populations
• Monitor outcomes for populations of need, using data to identify gaps and adjust supports to drive equitable college access results

• Scholarship Management & Financial Aid Support
• Oversee Noble's scholarship application and distribution processes, managing approximately $400,000 in annual scholarships to graduating seniors through streamlined review processes and cross-team coordination
• Develop and execute scholarship renewal processes that support student persistence, tracking scholarship recipients through college and coordinating renewal applications to maintain financial support
• Collaborate with the Development Team to identify and cultivate new scholarship partnerships that align with Noble student needs, working with external organizations and funders to expand financial aid opportunities
• Create tools and resources to support campus teams in guiding students through internal and external scholarship applications, ensuring students maximize financial aid opportunities

• External Partnerships & Administrative Compliance
• Serve as a liaison with Chicago Public Schools, completing required administrative tasks, reporting requirements, and compliance activities to ensure alignment with CPS expectations for college counseling
• Liaise with City Colleges of Chicago partners, creating structures and processes that enable Noble students to access dual enrollment opportunities, early college programming, and credit-bearing pathways
• Develop relationships with community college partners to ensure smooth transitions for students pursuing two-year pathways, including transfer planning support
• Coordinate with external partners to bring resources, programming, and opportunities to Noble students that align with college access goals

• Key Metrics
• NST Service Survey Score
• Noble's College-related 6 Commitments Goals

• Ideal Candidate Qualifications
• A passion for Noble's work and commitment to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism
• Excellent communication, customer service, and interpersonal skills
• A positive attitude, solutions-oriented mindset, and desire to learn new things
• Excellent time management skills and attention to detail, with a proven ability to meet deadlines
• Proficient with Google Drive and Microsoft Office

• Education and Experience
• Bachelor's Degree required (degree and/or certification in related field preferred)
• 4-8 years professional experience, including prior project leadership and/or informal people leadership.

• Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
• This is a permanent full-time, exempt position
• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Compensation will be commensurate with experience and qualifications. Compensation for this position falls between $75,000 and $90,000, which represents the average starting salary for staff in this role. Factors such as years of experience and skill sets may impact placement within, or outside of this range. Additionally, Noble has a top-of-market medical, dental, and vision benefits package among a multitude of other perks that make Noble one of the highest-rated places to work in K-12 education in the country.

Application Timeline & Process Select candidates will be notified of initial interviews and moved through various stages of our selection process, including virtual and in-person interviews with a variety of Noble stakeholders, reference checks, and opportunities for both the candidate and Noble to assess fit. Expected start date is July 1, 2026.

Statement of Non-Discrimination Noble is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, making all employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other characteristic or classification protected by law.