Career Specialist jobs in Lawrence, MA

The Position

This new position is offered in part from the generous support of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Innovation Career Pathways designation.

The Manager of Career Pathways (Manager) will collaborate with the Director of School Culture and Head of School to help advance Phoenix Lawrence’s postsecondary program. As part of the student support team, you will provide scholars with the essential resources and mentorship needed to locate career and college opportunities and pursue successful, self-sufficient lives after graduation.

In 2024-2025, the Manager will launch the Innovation Career Pathway program in Health Sciences at Phoenix Lawrence. This includes the recruitment of students and support of the cohort through the program as well as the nurturing of partnerships with DESE, Northern Essex Community College (NECC), and Lawrence General Hospital.

The Manager will also advise students who are rising into the graduating class to ensure they have strong graduation plans and succeed in their final stages at Phoenix. This role will provide administrative support to students enrolled in dual enrollment classes and certificate programs through NECC and the DUET Program at Southern New Hampshire University.

Additionally, the Manager will teach courses that strengthen students’ awareness of career pathways and build their skills for succeeding in college and/or their professional endeavors.

As a part of this team, the right candidate will help to change the odds for underserved students, ensuring that every student is prepared to tackle their post-secondary plans.

This is a 12-month, full time (40 hour per week) position.

Your duties would include a selection of the following, based on your strengths and the school’s needs:

• Launch of inaugural year of Innovation Career Pathway
• Maintain files and data trackers used for tracking student progress
• Help students identify and apply for scholarships and financial aid
• Facilitate students' exploration of career interests
• Prepare and teach College & Career/Graduation Seminar lessons
• Maintain positive relationships with students, school staff, and adult supporters
• Carry out daily, relentless outreach to students and their adult supporters
• Track and document dual enrollment students’ NECC/DUET grades and progress
• Assure dual enrollment students maintain their Phoenix goals and graduation pacing
• Plan and promote college and career events
• Other responsibilities as assigned by the Head of School or designee
  
  

Skills & Eligibility

• Demonstrated commitment to students and learning
• Personal alignment with, and passion for, Phoenix’s mission
• Excellent organization, time management and follow-up skills; high sense of urgency; demonstrated ability to successfully handle multiple tasks concurrently
• Ability to work both independently and as a part of a team
• Applicants must be a college graduate or currently enrolled in college
• Spanish/Portuguese speaking applicants especially encouraged to apply
  
  

About Our School

Phoenix Charter Academy Lawrence is a tuition-free, college-preparatory public high school in Lawrence, Massachusetts. A regional high school, Phoenix Lawrence serves 125 students, ages

14-21, hailing from Lawrence, Haverhill, Lowell, and Methuen.

Phoenix Lawrence’s student body is diverse, with 81% of students identifying as Hispanic. Pheonix Lawrence is specifically designed to serve the most vulnerable, systemically marginalized students and has had great success in meeting their needs both academically and social-emotionally, preparing students to be successful beyond high school. By systemically marginalized we mean the young people who are: the most pushed out of the traditional education system, have the least access to educational pathways and options, and are the most off-track academically. As a result, when a Phoenix student graduates, they have demonstrated tremendous perseverance and resilience.

Students come to Phoenix facing many barriers to educational success: 24% have been court-involved, 6% are pregnant or parenting, 22% are English Language Learners, and 45% are on IEP/504 learning plans. Additionally, 88% of Phoenix Lawrence’s students are identified as economically-disadvantaged through homelessness, income verification, or enrollments in state supplemental services.

Who We Are

Phoenix Charter Academy aims to show the world what all young people can do, and to defy the limitations of societal assumptions, classism, and racism. Phoenix Charter Academy was founded on the unwavering belief that all students can succeed at high levels. While this mantra is typical of high-performing schools, particularly those in the charter sector, Phoenix truly endeavors to reach every student, focusing on a growing number on the margins of the traditional public district education system: students who have dropped out of high school, students who are parenting children of their own, students who are or have been involved with the juvenile justice system, students who are older and new to the country and cannot gain access to public schooling, and students who are under-credited relative to the number of years they have spent enrolled in high school. We believe that these students, like all students, are completely capable of developing the skills necessary to set themselves up for lifetimes of economic prosperity and success. We support our students with individually tailored and academically rigorous curricula and push them to succeed at the highest levels by providing them with the resources and mentoring that they need to reach their full potential.

Why Our Work is Important

Students across America are dropping out of high school at an alarming rate. Dropping out of high school has a substantial impact on a young person’s life. Over the course of their lifetime, an individual who drops out of high school is more likely to have reduced earning power, greater social service dependency, increased rates of criminal involvement, and shorter life expectancy. Phoenix Charter Academies addresses this trend by creating

environments where students can demonstrate their talent and resilience and prepare themselves for success through high school, college, and beyond.

Commitment to DEI

At Phoenix, we recognize the importance of forming a school community inclusive of all visible and invisible identities. We act to ensure that our students and staff always see reflections of themselves and their communities.

At Phoenix, we aim to break down systemic barriers by providing access to resources, experiences, and differentiated supports for historically marginalized groups.

At Phoenix, we solicit, value, understand, connect, and leverage multiple perspectives and experiences. We invite all perspectives except those that perpetuate oppression or dehumanization.

At Phoenix, we do not just accept difference - we celebrate it, support it, and thrive on it for the benefit of our scholars and the communities we serve. We believe difference makes us stronger. Phoenix Charter Academy is an equal opportunity employer and as such, we do not discriminate against any team member or candidate because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. Phoenix Charter Academy is committed to making any reasonable accommodations necessary to support an individual's employment.

Qualities Of Phoenix Staff Member

• Unwavering belief in our students - Phoenix staff operate with the deeply held belief that all young people want to and can succeed even in the face of substantial systemic barriers and societal constraints.
• Continuous Improvement - Phoenix staff approach problem solving with curiosity and desire to understand the perspectives of others. They carry an internalized sense of “I can always learn more” and know that adults at Phoenix must model the qualities of being open-minded and willing to make mistakes and learn from them. Phoenix staff members embody “lifelong learner” mindsets and strive for constant improvement.
• Eager to Learn - Phoenix staff must be able to learn as they go in a fast-paced, ever-evolving, urgent environment. They have the desire to receive direct feedback and the ability to implement the feedback into practice quickly.
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Phoenix staff commit to understanding the ways that their self-identity and experiences impact and interact with their daily work, their colleagues, and their students, and work toward furthering initiatives that promote a more equitable society.
  
  

What You’ll Get

We want you to be the best you can, so you’ll receive professional development, coaching, and the resources needed for you to succeed. An open, curious, and celebratory culture that embraces diversity as a leading asset and fosters equity and inclusion through affinity groups and continuous capacity building supported by our Racial, Justice, and Equity working group. Competitive market comp, medical, dental, vision, mental health, and wellness plans, a 403b, and employee perks such as longevity bonus and pet insurance.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and as such, we do not discriminate against any team member or candidate because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. Phoenix Charter Academy is committed to making any reasonable accommodations necessary to support an individual's employment.

Note: The Network retains the right to modify this job description at any time, for any reason, at the Network's sole discretion.