College Success Fellow, KIPP Forward (Hartford/New Haven, Connecticut)

[2026-2028] College Success Fellow, KIPP Forward (Hartford/New Haven, Connecticut)

KIPP Forward accepts applications from exceptional recent or soon-to-be college graduates to join our two-year College Success Fellows program. As full-time employees with a salary of $62,355 and full benefits. Fellows work passionately and tirelessly to ensure that recent graduates of our partner high schools receive outstanding support through their first two years of college, with the ultimate goal that they persist and accumulate 60 credits to stay on track for on-time degree completion. Throughout their two-year commitment, Fellows engage in regular training and receive consistent and direct feedback by their direct managers, who are skilled college and career success practitioners that help Fellows grow their professional skills.

The Connecticut College Success Fellows will be assigned to a set of schools within 3 hours driving distance of the Hartford or New Haven regions of Connecticut. This Fellow will be expected to live in Connecticut during the academic year throughout the two-year fellowship. College and career success work involves meeting with our alumni at their respective colleges. This position is a field position and requires frequent travel to college campuses. All work-related transportation costs will be paid for by KIPP Forward.

Fellows provide transformational coaching, mentorship and direct support to alumni in college through 1:1 advisement sessions on their campuses and touchpoints in between. Fellows assess the progress of our alumni towards college completion through our innovative "Persistence Benchmarks" which measures financial health, academic habits and planning, socio-emotional health, and career planning. Through these consistent touchpoints and assessments, Fellows perform transformational coaching interventions to ensure our alumni make positive progress in all areas.

The 2026 College Success Fellowship is a two-year commitment from July 13, 2026, through June 30, 2028. At the end of the Fellowship, employment with KIPP NYC terminates.

General responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Manage a caseload of approximately 125-150 college students, meeting at least once, but in some cases two to four times per semester based on student priority level, in addition to regular video/calls/texts, to provide advising services focused on college persistence and credit attainment
• Become an expert on your assigned campuses through research and exploration, with the goal to be able to direct alumni to their campus offices, resources, and supports early and often
• Connect, collaborate, and maintain relationships with key campus staff and support offices in order to best support our alumni and address challenges that arise efficiently and effectively
• Conduct routine follow-ups to ensure successful registration and completion of coursework and drive registration for the summer term for students who are under-credited
• Assist students in writing and submitting financial aid and enrollment letters of appeal when needed to maintain enrollment status and/or financial aid
• Assist students with FAFSA/TAP renewals and loan counseling completion when necessary.
• In Year 2, recruit for and progress monitor students' participation in KIPP Forward's Wayfinders Career Programs, which includes completing a career assessment, resume and mock interview workshops, engaging in networking practices, and applying for a sophomore year internship or career exposure opportunity.
• In Year 2, prepare alumni for a successful transition to NERA, the Y3+ alumni support program.

Data Management:

• Track Persistence Benchmarks with every student contact on four key indicators of Persistence: Financial, Socio-Emotional, Academic, and Passion/Purpose/Plan (Career Readiness)
• Utilize KIPP Forward's Caseload Engagement & Advising Management System (CEAMS) to analyze student academic data and progress towards goals, prioritize campus visits and outreach, and focus your 1:1 meetings on transformational coaching
• Drive the submission of transcripts in January and May
• Drive completion of our annual satisfaction survey from your caseload
• Track and maintain key student data points in our centralized data systems, including detailed notes of every student communication, enrollment changes, campus visits, and updated contact information

Collaborative Learning and Planning:

• Attend mandatory New Fellows Training held full-time from July 13 – August 7, 2026 (week 1 in NYC, week 2-4 virtual). Ongoing professional development will be required quarterly, and may require travel to NYC for those placed in other regions (paid for by KIPP Forward).
• Engage actively in our continuous and intensive training program, which is intended to quickly build Fellows' skills in coaching and content knowledge. Training includes workshops, team meetings, 1:1 weekly meetings with managers, observations and debrief cycles, webinars, and team step-backs.
• In Year 2, participate in KIPP Forward's Wayfinders Career Program and other career training programming to support Fellows' professional development.
• In Year 2, support the training of first year Fellows through active participation, coaching, and mentoring during shared campus visits
• Plan and participate in weekly one-on-one meetings with the College Success Manager
• Regularly and openly communicate with the College Success Manager to seek guidance and support to navigate complex challenges alumni may be facing
• Collaborate with our Marketing and Communications associate to leverage social media to promote our programming and deliver critical information to students

General Administration:

• Submit all receipts for travel expenses on a weekly basis via our finance platform
• Maintain travel schedule on team calendar
• Collect FERPA waivers and other documentation required for successful coaching and interventions
• Respond to emails, calls, and texts from staff and students within 24 hours

Qualifications

• Ability to demonstrate commitment to KIPP NYC's mission and values by acting with integrity
• Bachelor's degree earned by May 2026 (to maintain the near-peer model, we seek those who have graduated within the last 2 years)
• Cumulative college grade point average of 2.7 or higher
• Commitment to working with underserved and underrepresented students and families
• Friendly and approachable to quickly engage your advisees and colleagues
• High energy, positivity, and enthusiasm to encourage and inspire your advisees to persevere and take positive action steps as they face challenges
• Ability to manage stressful or complex situations with calm, composure, and resourcefulness
• Ability to self-manage to address challenges and meet ambitious goals and strict deadlines
• Flexibility and willingness to contribute when necessary on projects outside of own caseload (eg, contributing to team trainings and stepback planning)
• Demonstrated ability to work well with others and build relationships within and across teams
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizationally and high attention to detail
• Strong achievement orientation with exceptional time management skills and demonstrated ability to handle multiple priorities
• For those placed outside of NYC: A valid driver's license is highly preferred.
• Priority Consideration: We are actively seeking KIPP and Achievement First alumni for this position; if openings remain, we seek recent college graduates, preferably from one of the communities where our schools are based, to retain our near-peer model of service.
• This role is based in one of our designated fellowship locations, which is mutually agreed upon at the point of hire. If you relocate outside of a commutable distance to the location you were hired to work, or if you move out of the state in which you were hired to work, your employment will be subject to review, which may include separation from KIPP NYC. It is important that you notify HR and KIPP Forward's Senior Managing Director if you move or have plans to relocate.

Additional Information

KIPP NYC offers a salary for this role based on your work location, with a base salary of $62,355. Salary ranges are standardized by role level and function. Individual compensation is determined through an equity lens, taking into account relevant years of experience and scope of responsibilities, and is benchmarked against others within the same salary band.

KIPP NYC offers a generous benefits package including, but not limited to, the following:

• Robust benefits that include medical, dental, and vision.
• 403(b) retirement plan with 50% match after