The Career Readiness Strategy Manager works within the Department of Community Engagement and Postsecondary Pathways (CEPP). Our vision is that every New Visions school in our core network will support students and their caregivers to explore college and careers so that students graduate high school with a postsecondary plan that includes best fit education, training or employment and the skills and experience to succeed in that plan. We believe that all high school graduates, whether they begin college, enter career training or work full time after high school, need to be prepared for the world of work and how to explore career paths. The career readiness team develops systems and support strategies to integrate career readiness in schools, with the goal of ensuring that more students graduate with career exposure, strong postsecondary plans, and have access to viable pathways that will lead to employment in growth sectors and fulfilling careers.

The Career Readiness Strategy Manager (CRSM) will work collaboratively across the CEPP department's units which include: Career Readiness, College Access and Success, and Community and Family Engagement to support the New Visions career pathways agenda. Under the guidance and supervision of the Deputy Director of Career Readiness, the CRSM will facilitate the development of career pathways with schools. The development of career pathways strategy in high schools will allow for a more comprehensive approach to supporting the needs of all students. This will involve engaging key stakeholders in the field including schools, employers, workforce development organizations, corporate partners, colleges, etc. The CRSM is responsible for leading professional learning, coaching and designing resources for schools across the New Visions' network so that career readiness is incorporated in a meaningful way for students and staff. The CRSM is not a supervisory position, however, this position plays a leadership role in supporting schools across the network.

Essential Job Functions

Professional Development

• Collaborate with schools to identify sustainable ways to incorporate career readiness into schools and therefore, students' experiences
• Coach educators on the various resources and content that the CRPM designs along with coaching on strategies for integrating career readiness within the school.
• Develop and lead professional development to support schools in building systems and structures that link career exploration with college planning.
• Support schools to engage key stakeholders such as families and partners
• Develop and lead training to support schools in utilizing the New Visions Data Portal (a comprehensive school management platform available to all NYC public schools to make timely and strategic decisions about students) and to track and monitor the development of postsecondary plans and expand engagement with postsecondary planning in the Portal
• Track user feedback to inform the development of supporting resources to scale use of the career pathways functionality in the portal

Project Management

• Support the execution of multiple, high-profile, strategic growth initiatives with partners including managing career readiness and workforce readiness pilots with accountability for high quality deliverables and timely results
• Ensure the success of complex projects by creating work plans, collaborating across the department and organization, incorporating direct feedback, thought partnership, and coaching
• Support the development of a career readiness framework that lives in grades 9-12 and is scalable across schools

Resource Development, Research, and Evaluation

• Create new resources to support educators in ensuring all students get to explore and identify careers of interest and the pathways to those careers
• Support research and analysis on program design and impact, in coordination with internal data analysis team and any external evaluators. This will include developing processes for collecting data from program sites, documenting program implementation and best practices, and preparing reports to capture program outcomes.
• Make recommendations to leadership based on program findings that suggest scalable potential of successful career pathways strategies.
• Prepare presentations for a wide audience of stakeholders and leadership on program design, policy and impact, and makes recommendations for changes that affect current program design and policies

Required Education and Experience

• B.A. required; Master's degree or working towards a Master's degree preferred or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum of five years satisfactory full-time professional experience in supporting career-readiness, preferably in NYC with workforce development organizations, employers, intermediaries, training programs and/or high schools
• Experience in creating and leading professional learning experiences (such as professional development workshops/series, coaching colleagues or leading professional learning communities) for seasoned professionals in the field
• Knowledge of youth development, college and career readiness, and public education
• Expertise in working with partners (ie; other non-profits, schools or employers) to identify mutual goals and ways of working to achieve successful outcomes

Required Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to successfully cultivate and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Strong background in providing professional development, technical assistance and/or capacity building supports to direct service staff, employer partners and/or schools
• Ability to use research to inform the design and management of school support systems and build programs at scale
• Excellent writing, communication, presentation, and facilitation skills
• Knowledge of workforce development organizations, industries of growth, NYC neighborhoods, CBOs, programs and resources
• Strong strategic thinking, project management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to proactively identify key issues and risks
• Flexible, collaborative attitude needed to effectively function in a fast-paced and highly-changeable environment
• Experience working with employer or corporate partners a plus
• Background in working with mentorship programs a plus
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed

Who We Are

At New Visions for Public Schools, we work to make great public schools common in New York City. We believe that all of New York City's students deserve public schools that make successful futures possible, especially Black, Latinx, and low-income students who have historically had inequitable access to a great public education. Since 1989, New Visions has been a driving force behind some of the most significant reforms to public education in New York City. Today, our diverse team of professionals develop and scale innovative tools and approaches that help educators address common challenges. Learn more about New Visions HERE.

We operate ten public charter schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens and, as a trusted partner of the NYC DOE, we help 1,600 public district schools plan for the success of over a million students citywide. In 2020-21, graduation rates in our Charter and Affinity networks were 95.4% and 89.2% and our support for postsecondary readiness has expanded exponentially.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

New Visions for Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of New Visions that all employees and applicants for employment will be treated in all respects on the basis of their merit and qualifications and without regards to their race, color, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, gender, military status, marital status, ancestry, or any other reason prohibited by law.

New Visions believes that our teams should reflect the diverse communities we serve and that our culture and internal structures should be inclusive and equitable for all employees. We also recognize that perspectives from communities that have been historically marginalized are critical to the work we do. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from individuals living in the communities that we serve or who are members of historically marginalized communities.

New Visions provides a comprehensive and competitive compensation and benefits package in addition to the opportunity to make a significant impact on education reform and in the lives of urban youth.