College Success Advisor in DMV (Washington at The SEED Foundation Inc

Supporting SEED Graduates

• Directly responsible for individualized support and persistence outcomes for an assigned caseload of SEED graduates.
• Conduct mandatory advising sessions aligned to academic calendars to support financial aid, academic success, and social integration.
• Visit designated SEED graduates at their colleges/universities and connect them to campus-based support resources (e.g., academic advisors, financial aid officers, counseling services).
• Support graduates with transfer, re-enrollment, and transition plans, with attention to affordability, student support, and SEED’s Right Fit college approach.
• Serve as a financial aid resource by: (1) assisting with the application process, (2) reviewing award letters, (3) interfacing with financial aid representatives, and (4) monitoring need for emergency financial support.
• Implement mandatory check-ins and individualized persistence or re-enrollment plans to help students stay connected, address barriers early, and continue making progress toward a degree.
• Monitor academic, financial, and enrollment risk indicators and intervene early when students show signs of disengagement or instability.
• Lead targeted outreach to re-engage stopped-out students and support their return to college.
• Manage caseload data by using CoPilot™, an industry-leading student information system housed within the Salesforce™ platform, by maintaining real-time advising notes, tracking risk indicators, and documenting outreach and outcomes.

Supporting SEED Schools

• Serve as the DC/Maryland/Virginia-based on-site lead for CTS, helping maintain consistent school presence and student follow-up across SEED DC and SEED MD.
• Support SEED schools' college access programming in collaboration with their College Counseling departments, with a focus on FAFSA completion, state aid, enrollment steps, and senior transition programming.
• Maintain a consistent on-site presence at SEED DC and SEED MD, with a minimum of one day per week on each campus when not traveling for College Outreach Visits to SEED graduates, staff training, or other CTS priorities.
• Lead individual and group college transition advising meetings for students, prioritizing seniors and high-need high school juniors.
• Lead or co-facilitate FAFSA completion events, financial aid workshops, and senior transition programming for students and families.
• Support seniors with postsecondary enrollment steps, including application follow-up, financial aid verification, college selection, housing deposits, college orientation, and college course registration.
• Partner with SEED DC and SEED MD staff to identify and proactively support seniors who may face barriers to enrollment or persistence.
• Support summer melt prevention efforts by maintaining contact with graduates through the summer following high school graduation.
• Support and lead college success training sessions with SEED DC, SEED MD, and staff across the SEED network.
• Support mandatory advising for seniors, including student scheduling, missed appointment follow-up, financial aid review, enrollment planning, and documentation of next steps.
• Work with school-based college counseling teams to identify students who are off track, hard to reach, or at risk of missing application, financial aid, or enrollment deadlines.

Supporting Data Collection and Analysis

• Use CoPilot and CTS trackers consistently to document advising notes, outreach attempts, student barriers, next steps, enrollment updates, and follow-up decisions.
• Maintain advising notes and organize all necessary follow-up meetings.
• Track senior and graduate interactions and provide regular updates on students who need follow-up, escalation, or additional support.
• Consistently update all contact information for student caseload.
• Keep student contact information current so CTS and school teams can reach students and families quickly when follow-up is needed.

Essential Experience, Skills, and Competencies

Ideal candidates are expected to have/be:

• Commitment to the mission of SEED and our core values of: COMPASSION, GRATITUDE, GROWTH, INTEGRITY, PERSEVERANCE, RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY.
• Bachelor’s degree required, with 2-3 years of experience providing college access, college success, advising, youth development, or student support in a school, community, or university-based setting.
• Understanding of financial aid, including the FAFSA, DC OneApp, and DC CAP Last Dollar Award completion process and Maryland grant-based college funding opportunities.
• Experience with individual and group college success advising sessions.
• Understanding of college matching, affordability, financial aid, and Right Fit advising strategies.
• Highly capable of dealing with sensitive issues and being discreet.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with creative and positive energy for working with youth.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with a team while managing multiple tasks
• Comfort using student data, advising notes, and tracking tools to guide follow-up and keep work organized.
• Strong administrative, database management, and records maintenance skills to handle confidential material.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (especially MS Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel), and Google Workspace.
• Comfort with student information and customer relations systems.
• An active driver’s license and ability to travel to SEED schools and designated higher ed institutions.

A SEED Employee:

• Is committed to SEED’s mission and its beliefs.
• Thinks strategically in aligning one’s own work streams to the larger organizational mission.
• Possesses exceptional interpersonal skills, with creative and positive energy for working with youth.
• Behaves professionally in a fast-paced environment and with a variety of constituents.
• Works independently as well as collaboratively with a team while managing multiple tasks.

Other Requirements:
This position includes regular travel to SEED schools, postsecondary institutions, and partner sites across the network. Candidate must be able to work flexible hours based on project deadlines and school calendars.