RI Dean of College​/Career

Position: 2026-2027 RI Dean of College/Career
Location: Rhode Island

School Year:

Achievement First seeks a Dean of College & Career to lead the college and career team and ensure 100% college acceptance and matriculation among the graduates. You serve an integral role to the mission of the school, working closely with the principal, leadership team and faculty to increase student awareness about college life, to guide the college search, and to support students through the application process.

This position is an extraordinary opportunity for a leader in college advising and early college awareness.

The right candidate will combine exceptional communication and management skills with capacities for strategic thinking and acute attention to detail. You will demonstrate a relentless commitment to excellence and will share AF's vision of access to and success in top-tier college education for underserved populations. As a member of the school leadership team, deans work together to ensure that all students show dramatic student achievement gains and develop strong character skills to help them succeed in college.

Reporting to the principal. the Dean of College & Career will work with principal and school-based college & career team staff to build and sustain highly effective college initiatives including: early college awareness and skill building for students and their families; enrichment and summer opportunities access; college entrance exam management; college advising and financial aid application processes;  matriculation and transition to college;

and alumni support.  

The Dean of College & Career's responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

School-Based Responsibilities

* Manage College & Career Staff including college & career counselors, summer programs coordinator, and 9-12th grade Foundation of Leadership teachers

* Develop teachers and counselors through classroom observation, curriculum assessment, goal-setting, and progress monitoring

* Manage college office budget in tandem with the Dean of School Operations

* Participate and contribute to the school leadership team via weekly meetings, summer retreats, etc

* Conduct weekly team meetings that inform and align to the team's yearly goals

* Collaborate and ensure sharing of best practices across regions in relation to college and career counseling, summer and alumni programming

* Leadership responsibilities may vary by school

Post-Secondary Planning and Outcomes:

Career Exploration

* Ensure robust exposure and experiences on college campuses, career industries, and work-based learning opportunities.

* Assessing and addressing career interests and aptitudes in addition to assets and barriers that may impact college completion, training completion and job retention;

Regularly monitor progress on career plans and personal goals, and supporting career development and CTE program persistence

College Process

* Execute and monitor systems that ensure an efficient and effective college application process;

* Codify and institutionalize all processes, procedures and supporting documents for the college application process

* Provide one-on-one college counseling to a caseload of seniors through the admissions cycle including, but not limited to, creating a college list, writing, and revising the personal statement, advising on financial aid, and making final matriculation decisions

* Through management of the college & career counselor, arrange strategic college representative visits to the high school during the fall application season and market and brand AF high schools to all national colleges and universities

* Build and maintain relationships with colleges and universities to create partnerships benefiting both the school and students

* Edit the annual school profile

CTE/Workforce:

For the group of students who do not pursue a bachelor's degree, supporting their persistence by tracking and helping to support career, financial, academic, and social issues by:

* Provide one-on-one  counseling to a caseload of seniors through the admissions cycle including, but not limited to, creating a CTE list, writing, and revising the personal statement, advising on financial aid, and making final matriculation decisions

* Introducing Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities to students

* Developing customized programming to support their CTE pathway and application timeline

Alumni Success & Programming

* Maintain systems for managing the alumni counseling office including the master  calendar, success toward articulated goals and metrics, and the development of alumni  rituals and traditions

* In tandem with the AF Alumni Success Counselors and our Post-Secondary Shared Alumni Advising Collaborative, support and help facilitate the sharing and  results of alumni persistence and success in college with the school-based team to  improve the 9-12 program

* Analyze data alumni data annually to make recommendations for improving AF's high school programming and alumni support  program

Summer Opportunities

* Build and maintain systems…