Student Success Coach (Program Specialist 3)

Position Summary:

The mission of Pierce College is to create quality educational opportunities to a diverse community of learners to thrive in an evolving world.

Advancing Pierce College Mission: The Pierce College Student Success Coach (SSC) works to advance the equity-centered mission of Pierce College through a purposeful focus on serving systemically non-dominant (1) students, particularly African American/Black male identified students. This includes relational engagement to close college access gaps and areas of inequity in order to increase retention, degree completion, and university transfer and/or workforce readiness. The SSC will work in close collaboration with Pierce College’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion – College Access, Retention, and Engagement Services (EDI CARES) team to support student engagement and belonging.

Advancing Guided Pathways: Within the context of a Guided Pathways framework, the student success coach will engage in culturally sustaining practices that center racial equity in order to remove barriers and support students in successfully navigating the Pierce College experience. The student success coach provides expertise and builds relationships with students to identify interests and needs, develops a Graduation Plan, and advance the strategies, skills, and self-efficacy that lead to individual and community growth and success. 1. Jenkins, D. (2018). A Critical Lens to Rethinking Power, Privilege, and Inequity Language: “Systemically Dominant” and “Systemically Non Dominant”. Share the Flame LLC: Camas, WA. www.shareflame.com

About the District:

Named as a Top 5 Finalist and a Rising Star for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom was recognized for exceptional achievements in student learning, certificate and degree completion while in community college and after transferring to a four-year institution, employment and earnings rates after graduation, and access for and success of minority and low-income students. Pierce College District was named as a Top 10 finalist for the 2021 Aspen Prize and a Top 25 for 2023.

Want a feel for our District? Take a peek with aerial campus views!

Pierce College Fort Steilacoom

Located on a beautiful 140-acre site adjacent to a 340-acre community, recreational park, and Waughop Lake.

Pierce College Puyallup

Located on an expansive site with 125-acres of wooded land with beautiful hideaways.

Pierce College at JBLM

Located at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord military sites, serving many of our military and active-duty families that are serving our country.

Essential Functions

Advising caseload management

Provide culturally appreciative advising case management services to advance the engagement and success of marginalized and minoritized students.

Create an atmosphere for students to feel affirmed, empowered, and valued.

In a culturally responsive and sustaining manner, support and guide students through their educational journey, exploring past educational experiences and trauma, identifying cultural/racialized barriers to success, and support dismantling and/or navigating barriers to program completion, including appropriate referrals to internal and external partners.

Engage in race-conscious and sustaining practices to achieve equitable outcomes for students from admissions throughout the journey in higher education.

Collaborate with military education liaisons, Financial Aid, and other funding source teams to assist students on caseload through the funding options and processes.

Collaborate with the appropriate faculty and staff in support of student development of their career goals, career pathway, class requirements and opportunities.

Work to ensure students have the opportunity to connect to culturally sustaining engagement opportunities.

Work to build sustainable relationships with students to better understand and support educational success in the context of their unique lived experience.

Partner with students to develop rapport, respect, and trust relationships via meetings, participation in events, communication, etc.

Assessment and Coaching

Partners with students to identify initial strengths and challenges in academic, career, and personal pathway by identifying factors impacting academic progress.

Examines alternatives based on changing goals, academic progress, or personal/systemic situation, and interpret analytics to guide and empower students to establish academic and career goals.

Provides expertise within assigned career pathways as appropriate.

Partners with students in identifying a career pathway and planning a program of study that achieves their education and career goals.

Communicates with student caseload in a culturally sustaining manner frequently and intentionally through multiple methods, including but not limited to face-to-face meetings, college-supported technology solutions, e-mail, telephone, text messages, and social media.

Provides unofficial evaluation of transfer credits to assist with program planning, graduation planning; military-connected funding request approvals, and graduation reporting in military portals.

Partners with evaluations and job and career connections team to support students through graduation process including an official evaluation and requesting transcripts, and preparation for transfer, and career entry.

Promotes removal of barriers to degree/program completion by assisting students in requesting Academic Credit for Prior Learning (ACPL) Assessments and connecting them with appropriate faculty for interview and evaluation.

Retention management

Monitor academic progress of caseload by analyzing progress reports, satisfactory progress toward degree.

Identifies current and potential needs and opportunities for resource referrals, and partnering with students in gaining early access to key college resources (e.g. library, writing center, tutoring, basic needs resources, student life opportunities, and more.); Knowledgeable of military-connected resources and promotes timely connection for military-connected students who would benefit.

Independently utilizes technology for advising and comprehensive retention management of caseload.

Supports students in making decisions about their career pathway (registration including adds, drops, withdrawals, incompletes, funding, delayed completion, transfer planning, career entry, special admission program admission criteria, etc.) to support student retention and completion.

Support students in understanding their pathway and graduation plan through official evaluation of previous college, military, AP, and other alternative credit; through continuous, on-time enrollment for each term; and through timely application for graduation and preparation for next steps post-graduation.

College Support

Actively supports, engages in, and works to advance Pierce College's goals for equity and commitment to antiracism in order to provide access and support for our diverse community of learners.

Assists in the development, preparation, and updating of advising and coaching materials, specifically to advance the experience and success of marginalized and minoritized students.

Participates in career and college fairs.

Actively works to implement recommendations related to improvement of advising and coaching services to better serve those who have been excluded from systems, policies, and practices.

Regularly integrates learning from professional development and provides share-outs to team to advance team learning and development.

Participates in shared governance and committee work.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Required Experience:

Student/Client Service and Care Experience

One-year of experience working in an educational environment providing direct student service (such as academic advising, financial aid, TRIO, multicultural services, or Workforce Education), or one-year experience in an agencyor school setting managing a client caseload.

Experience providing culturally responsive services and assistance to students/clients with intersecting identifies and multicultural backgrounds.

Demonstrated ability to assist individuals in problem identification and solution, identifying needs, and exploring options.

Experience working with electronic information management systems/database software.

Experience working with privacy laws and confidentiality requirements.

Experience in providing effective referrals for students or clients.

Required Skills

Strong follow through and time management skills.

Effective written and oral communication skills.

Strong computer skills related to database software, MS Word, MS Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint or comparable presentation software, Internet navigation, and complex operating systems.

Ability to interact with student/client population data and use for decision making, practice improvements, dismantle barriers, and create improved experiences for students/clients.

Strong customer/student services skills.

Ability to devise solutions to complex situations.

Ability to operate effectively in a high volume/moderately paced environment.

Required Competencies: Knowledge, skills, abilities, traits and characteristics:

Adaptability and Flexibility

Works to achieve positive outcomes to/with/through change, embracing and using new practices or values to accomplish goals and solve problems that advance institutional mission.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Thinks in terms of desired outcomes, not just reactive, quick solutions.

Finds ways to translate theory into sustainable action.

Can discuss and project the aspects and impacts of issues and decisions.

Effective Communication

Possesses excellent communications skills (including communication clarity and frequency, active listening, and providing feedback with respect for dignity, and assertive communication).

Information Competency

Ability to access, evaluate and apply information from a variety of sources, tools and contexts and adapt to changing technologies.

Cultural Humility

Values human diversity and complexities of human existence.

Recognizes and values individual and collective capacity for learning. Engages in practices that create space for mutual engagement and learning for advisor and student. Accepts responsibility as a student advocate and agent of change. Treats others with respect, honor, and offers grace. Promotes interruption of dominant narratives that may intentionally and unintentionally exclude team and student voices. Effectively builds collaborative, transformative relationships. Understands the uniqueness of self and others and creates space for diverse points of view.

Ethical Behavior

Adheres to high standards of integrity and honesty.

Demonstrates support for the organization's commitment to public service.

Efficiently/effectively/appropriately uses state resources.

Complies with laws, rules, policies and procedures.

Builds personal work habits that allow for retention of ethical standards in the face of deadlines, student/parent requests, and other professional/personal factors.

Student Relations

Embraces student/advisor partnership philosophy.

Demonstrates appreciation of student needs, attitudes and concerns.

Provides a positive student success environment and engages in trauma-informed advising practices.

Actively engages in service quality assessments and follow-up.

Demonstrates ability to interpret student needs and provide student-specific solutions.

Establishing Rapport

Maintain an open, approachable manner, and treat others equitably.

Builds constructive working relationships characterized by a high level of acceptance, cooperation and mutual engagement.

Accepts role as lifelong learner and expects to learn from student in student development process.

Team Work

Ability and desire to work cooperatively with others on a team.

Recognizes and appreciates the contributions of team members.

Provides constructive feedback to team and its members.

Respects team and their individual perspectives.

Personal Responsibility

Demonstrates responsible personal and professional conduct which contributes to the overall mission and goals of the organization.

Accepts personal responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work.

Actively works to earn trust, respect, and confidence from the Pierce College community.

Technical Expertise

Demonstrates appropriate depth of knowledge in assigned areas.

Initiates own learning about software and its efficiencies.

MS Excel skills to create and manipulate large or complex spreadsheets using simple to complex formulas, and import data from other sources.

MS Word skills using standard functions to create, format, edit, preview print and save documents; use mail merge.

Database skills to create simple tables, queries, data entry forms and reports.

Outlook skills to compose, send, and respond to electronic email; ability to upload documents; utilize calendar and meeting request functions.

Internet skills to navigate the web, find and download information, and direct others to online resources.

Ability to learn to effectively navigate complex operating systems.

Application Requirements:

To be considered for this position, applicants must:

Meet the required qualifications as outlined in this announcement.

Complete the online application profile at:https://www.pierce.ctc.edu/hr.

Apply for the specific job opening.

Upload (attach) a cover letter that addresses how you meet the required qualifications as outlined in this announcement. (Cover Letter)

Upload (attach) detailed résumé of all educational and professional experience. (Résumé)

Transcripts are not required in order to apply for this position; however, if you are selected for an interview, you will be asked to bring copies of unofficial transcripts showing completion of the required level of education. Please upload current copies of your transcripts, if available. Unofficial copies of all college and university transcripts must include degree received and conferral date. International transcripts must include a foreign transcript evaluation. For a list of approved credential evaluation services visit: https://www.naces.org/members (Unofficial transcripts acceptable for application process; official transcripts required upon hire). (Transcripts)

Upload (attach) a list of at least three (3) professional references with names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses. At least one reference must be your current or most recent supervisor. Letters of recommendation will not be accepted. (References)

Provide a response to the following question. (Supplemental Question): How does this position impact the College's goal to support all students and to achieve racial and social equity in pursuit of mission? Please limit your response to a maximum of 500 words.

Special Note: To ensure consideration, application materials should be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date.