College Success Specialist

Description

Job Title: College Success Specialist

Reports To: Director of College Counseling & Principal

Classification: 10-month, Exempt, Full-Time (1.0 FTE)

De La Salle North Catholic High School (DLSNC) provides a faith-based, college-preparatory high school education to historically underserved students from the Portland area. We are the most diverse private high school in Oregon, and more than 95% of our graduates are accepted into college. Our mission is to develop tomorrow's community leaders by making high-quality education accessible to motivated young people in a learning environment that values cultural, spiritual, and ethnic diversity.

Our Lasallian Catholic approach provides each student with the opportunity to succeed through small classes, high expectations, faith expression, community service, and active participation in our Corporate Work Study Program affiliated with the nationally recognized Cristo Rey Network.

POSITION SUMMARY

The College Success Specialist plays a mission-critical role in ensuring that our "college-bound" mission results in "college-graduated" alumni. This position is designed to directly improve college completion outcomes by providing intentional, personalized support to our graduates as they navigate the academic, financial, and social rigors of higher education. The ideal candidate is a proactive advocate who understands the unique challenges faced by first-generation college students and is committed to doing "whatever it takes" to see them through to degree completion.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Include, but are not limited to:

Direct Alumni Support & Advising

• Serve as the primary advisor for alumni, conducting regular communication via text, email, and social media to monitor academic progress, promote accountability, and ensure social-emotional well-being.
• Provide individualized advising related to academics, financial aid verification (FAFSA/ORSAA), course sequencing, housing, and campus resources.
• Identify struggling alumni to assess needs and recommend individualized resources, connecting students to emergency funding, travel grants, or on-campus tutoring services.
• Work specifically with students enrolled in two-year programs to ensure a timely and successful transfer into four-year degree-granting institutions.

Data Management & Tracking

• Serve as the primary administrator for data tracking platforms (Salesforce/Gradforce) to maintain accurate, up-to-date alumni records including enrollment, persistence, and graduation data.
• Monitor student progress (including GPA, credits earned, and persistence milestones) and use database platforms to track engagement and identify students needing additional support.
• Generate regular reports to communicate trends, outcomes, and progress toward school-wide completion goals with school leadership, Development, and Cristo Rey Network partners.

Partnership Development & Campus Visits

• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with college admissions and retention offices to link students directly to institutional resources.
• Plan and execute college campus visits to meet with alumni in person and strengthen university partnerships, prioritizing schools with high concentrations of De La Salle graduates.

Team Collaboration & High School-to-College Transition

• Partner with the College Counseling team to support high school seniors during their transition to college, participating in key programming such as FAFSA workshops, college nights, and senior decision-making processes.
• Introduce alumni support services to graduating seniors so they can take full advantage of their upcoming college experience and available opportunities.

Alumni Engagement & Community Culture

• Coordinate and support alumni programming, panels, and events that celebrate college graduations and connect current 9th-12th grade students with successful alumni to reinforce a school-wide college-going culture.
• Collaborate with the Development team on alumni initiatives (such as care packages and engagement campaigns) and support efforts to strengthen and grow the Alumni Association.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• At least 3 years of experience in college or high school advising or college persistence coaching, specifically working with first-generation, racially diverse students from limited economic means.
• Extensive knowledge of college admissions, financial aid processes, and the systemic barriers to degree completion.
• Proficiency in database management (Salesforce preferred) and social media platforms for professional outreach.
• Ability to travel to various college campuses and work occasional evenings for alumni programming.

ANNUAL SALARY AND BENEFITS

DOE. Benefits package includes 80 hours paid sick time, paid holidays, medical/dental/vision with a shared premium cost, employer-paid life insurance, long-term disability insurance, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP), employee-paid voluntary insurance plans, and a 403(b)-retirement savings plan.

HIRING TIMELINE

First round…