College Success Advisor

Students are at the core of Bottom Line. Every day, we are energized by their drive, potential, and passion. We know that the success of our students will create a ripple effect in our communities.

Bottom Line is bridging the divide of educational inequity by providing a trusted advisor and the social capital necessary for our students to earn their bachelor’s degree, build financial stability, and successfully launch thriving careers. We primarily focus on students of color who will be in the first generation of their family to earn a college degree, are from low-income backgrounds, and are academically prepared for college.

For more than two decades, Bottom Line has been fighting for educational equity by ensuring that the right to a quality college education is accessible to those whose potential and drive exceed their opportunity. For first-generation degree-aspiring students from low-income backgrounds who face systemic barriers, Bottom Line’s advisors are a relentless ally who partner with them to find the right college, persist to a degree, and successfully launch a career.

As one of the first college support organizations to focus on college completion, Bottom Line now produces best-in-class college graduation rates that reduce the significant gap between first-generation students from low-income backgrounds and their wealthier peers. We operate regional programs in Massachusetts, New York City, and Chicago that collectively serve over 7,000 students.

When you join Bottom Line, you will find an organization that lives into its core values. We are committed to building strong, impactful relationships with our students, co-workers, schools, community partners, donors, and other supporters. We are engaging, responsive, caring, direct, honest, solutions-oriented, and we always follow through on our promises. We act with empathy and extend grace to ourselves and each other. We pursue ambitious goals, hold ourselves to high standards, make data-informed decisions, and orient to long-term success for our students and our organization. We operate with curiosity, evolve thoughtfully, take informed risks, and learn from successes, setbacks, and each other. Experts in our field, we are driven by our mission and motivated by the impact we’re achieving.

At Bottom Line, we have a strong commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We aim to attract diverse candidate pools who hold these same values, and are ready to help us along our journey toward greater equity and inclusion. 

For more information about who we are, please review our Core Values and Careers Page. 

The primary focus of the College Success Advisor is to effectively serve a caseload of 75 – 80 college students at 2 to 3 college campuses using the Bottom Line DEAL (Degree, Employability, Affordability, Life Skills) model. The College Success Advisor provides one on-one academic, financial, personal, and career guidance, and tracks and records student progress in our database using both quantitative and qualitative data. Advisors are expected to build advising skills and learn the Bottom Line program model and expectations for supporting a caseload of students, with the goal of being ready for promotion to Senior Advisor after their first or second full year as an Advisor. Training and professional development in the Advisor role is focused on the Bottom Line curriculum and student services, as well as Bottom Line Foundations.

***Effective May 31, 2022, we will operate under a Hybrid Programming Approach which includes a combination of in-person and virtual work. We anticipate having seasons that may require different levels of in-person work, including a range of 20-80%.***

Primary Responsibilities:

Direct Student Support – 70%

• Follow Bottom Line’s structured curriculum (DEAL), which supports students in four areas: Degree, Employability, Affordability, and Life Skills, to help students progress towards specific goals/milestones
  • Coach students toward reaching DEAL Milestones, including, but not limited to: “Enroll in fall classes,” “Create a professional resume,” “Complete financial aid applications”
  • Conduct and document end-of-semester assessments for each student (twice annually)
  • Based on these assessments, create service plans for each student
• Maintain ongoing communication with all students on caseload
  • Lead 45-minute meetings for 18 - 21 students per week on campus
  • Meet with incoming first year students over the summer to ensure a smooth transition to their new campus
  • Send messages of encouragement, congratulatory cards, care packages, etc.
  • Respond to all student text/calls/emails within 2 business days
• Guide students through financial aid renewal process by appropriate deadlines
• Support students through career exploration, career planning, and career development, working collaboratively with Career Connections Team if applicable (in MA/NY)
  • Research relevant career information and resources to send to students
  • Identify students for specific Bottom Line partner internships and opportunities, and support students through the application process for these opportunities
  • Connect students with Bottom Line job coaching volunteers (“Go Far Volunteers”)
  • Market Career Connections opportunities and events (MA/NY)
• Help students resolve general obstacles that come up throughout the school year by coaching them on self-advocacy and resourcefulness skills, and communicating with school offices to advocate for students
• Refer students to appropriate resources when needed

Caseload & Data Management – 20%

• Track and record student progress, using both quantitative and qualitative measures
  • Enter data into the database within 3 business days of a student interaction or status change
  • Enter assessments and service plans twice annually
  • Maintain accurate student contact information in the student database
  • Enter and update data for students applying to Bottom Line and/or transitioning into the Success Program
• Manage a caseload of approximately 75 – 80 college students, including, but not limited to:
  • Schedule all student meetings on a weekly, or as needed, basis
  • Manage time and calendar to meet minimum meeting standards as outlined by KPIs
  • Support students who have become unenrolled or who have transferred out of a Bottom Line Success school

Secondary Responsibilities

Program Support – 5%

• Support student recruitment for Access and Success Direct
• Attend Success Program Events, including Recognition Night, Send Off, Success Orientation, and career-related student workshops
  • Additional program support as assigned by Team Manager

Organizational Support – 5%

• Support the Development team by attending events, networking with guests/ supporters, and providing event logistics as needed
• Represent the Bottom Line brand in a positive light, and take actions to increase brand
• awareness throughout the community

Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without advanced notice.

Education, Experience, & Qualifications:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree and work authorization
• 2-3 years of related work experience
• Experience developing trusting relationships with students, and coaching them toward goals
• Demonstrated commitment to Bottom Line’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values
• Demonstrated proficiency and/or growth potential in Bottom Line's core competencies:
• Relationships, Results, Communication, Inclusiveness, Talent Development, Agility, and Planning
• The ability to make a minimum of a two-year commitment

• ** As of Nov. 22, 2021, employees will need proof that they are fully vaccinated against covid-19. ** 

Preferred:

• Fluency in language other than English a plus
• Familar with FAFSA and NY State Aid (TAP)

Competencies:

All employees are expected to demonstrate continued growth within our seven core competencies. Competencies provide Bottom Line with a way to define, in behavioral terms, what it is that people need to do to produce the results that the organization desires, in a way that is in keeping with its culture. Bottom Line defines a competency as a cluster of related knowledge, skills and attitudes that affects a major part of one’s job that correlates with performance on the job, that can be measured against well-accepted standards, and that can be improved via training and development.

• Relationships: Identifies opportunities and takes action to build and maintain meaningful and collaborative connections with various stakeholders
• Results: Produces quality outcomes; compiles and analyzes data to drive future plans; uses creative solutions
• Communication: Effectively articulates information in a clear, concise and timely manner to a wide range of stakeholders
• Inclusiveness: Creates and maintains an environment that respects and values the identities and cultures of all colleagues and students we serve

• Talent Development: Effectively assesses one’s own, and others’, strengths and areas for improvement

• Agility: Demonstrates adaptability and openness to shifting priorities, needs of stakeholders, and organizational changes

• Planning: Effectively and efficiently uses resources in order to create, meet, and assess both strategic and task-oriented goals