Ayers Scholars Program Specialist

Full-Time Exempt Professional

Job Description

The Scholars Program Specialist is a pivotal member of the Ayers Scholars Program team. This role reports directly to the Chief Scholars Officer and is responsible for the identification, planning, and execution of key initiatives that drive program growth, foster excellence, and ensure long-term success. The Program Specialist collaborates with organizational leaders and cross-functional teams to ensure effective and consistent implementation of the Ayers Scholars Program model across all partner high schools, maximizing high ethical standards in meeting the Ayers Foundation Trust's vision and mission.

• Partner with the Chief Scholars Officer and other organizational leaders in executing and supporting the strategic plan and ongoing strategic initiatives.
• Provide statewide operational support to regional directors to execute programs effectively and meet success metrics.
• Provide project oversight for key ASP initiatives and cross-functional projects to ensure timely completion and appropriate resource and budget allocation.
• Facilitate organizational change as necessary to support the successful implementation of strategic initiatives, including stakeholder analysis and engagement, and the development of communication plans.
• Work closely with key leaders across different departments to update and refine the "Ayers Scholars Way", aiming to ensure the effective and consistent implementation of the Ayers Scholars Program model.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, including anticipating potential challenges and developing proactive mitigation plans associated with strategic initiatives.
• Develop and implement comprehensive training programs to educate, onboard, and support employees through new hire orientations, in-service training, and quarterly AFT training.
• Serve as a resource for ongoing competency development of ASP staff through monitoring year-long onboarding activities, mentoring, and providing on-site or regional support as needed.

• Exemplary team mindset while maintaining a high level of pride, openness, and honesty in all aspects of work.
• High accountability for actions and decisions.
• Superior relationship-building skills and ability to establish rapport with a wide range of personalities and backgrounds.
• Proactive attitude with the ability to anticipate and diffuse problems.
• Effective stress management skills under pressure, with the ability to maintain professionalism and carry out work duties.
• Appropriate prioritization of urgent matters while managing multiple time-sensitive tasks.

• Master's degree or higher in Counseling or an education-related field strongly preferred;
  Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum 5 years of college access and success-related leadership experience.
• Must be comfortable with public speaking and possess high flexibility and the capacity to travel throughout the state, including up to 6 hours of driving in a single day.
• Understanding of project and quality management.
• Proficiency in database entry, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word is required;
  Salesforce platform experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience in K-12 and higher education policy preferred.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Sitting, standing, driving, traveling, lifting up to 15lbs
• Ability to walk 1-3 miles for campus tours and visits if needed
• Hearing/Speaking effectively as required for communication
• Travel across region required (up to 6 hours driving could be possible in a day)

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this job classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified, and the expectation is that the job holder will do whatever is needed to get the job done.