Program Specialist, United for Student Success

ORANGE COUNTY UNITED WAY JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Program Specialist, United for Student Success

Reporting To: Program Manager, United for Student Success

Department: United for Student Success Position: FULL TIME/NON-EXEMPT

Purpose of Position The United for Student Success (U4SS) Program Specialist will align and support Orange County United Way’s (OCUW) FACE 2024 and United for Students Success (U4SS) Initiative to systematically increase our region’s high school graduation rate to 95% among students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. The U4SS Program Specialist will work with United Way’s U4SS team to innovate and improve employer engagement, which generates program participation, college and career awareness, and additional funding opportunities. This dynamic individual will also get to work with existing United Way corporate partners, and local organizations to cultivate new partnerships; raise visibility in the community; track and use data for program performance, and obtain fresh perspectives as continuous improvement is integral to our ability to effectively contribute to transformative systems changes that benefit students in Orange County. This entry-level U4SS Program Specialist position is a one-year grant-funded position and is full-time (37.5 hours/week). The Education Program Specialist will report to the Program Manager, United for Student Success. Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Support Youth Career Connections (YCC) and college and career readiness efforts at the school, district, and regional levels. Attend work-based learning meetings to enhance activities and stay updated on new work-based learning models.

o Support the development and management of OCUW’s “Youth Career Connections Program” for high school students which includes the following activities:

 Workplace Mentorship  Classroom Speakers  Industry Site Visits  Start-Up Bootcamp  Summer Career & Life Prep Academy

 First Responders Academy  Teacher Learning Panels

o Ensure compliance with state and federal laws and all district requirements, especially when placing and managing students in Workplace Mentorships.

• Assist the team with various programs, including the Class of 2025 e-Mentorship, Destination Graduation, and Youth Career Connections, in collaboration with educational partners.

o Conduct presentations on educational initiatives and programs to internal United Way staff, corporate partners, educational partners, students, parents, and teachers.

o Support coordination of high school and college interns. o Facilitate outreach and recruitment of students and volunteers into various educational

programs. o Maintain aspects of social media content and presence. o Create and coordinate marketing collateral for student outreach and education. o Maintain corporate, education, and agency lists of corporate partners on database

management software
• Support OCUW staff coordination of U4SS programs and committees, as well as other leadership

groups dedicated to strengthening our programmatic goals.
• Support U4SS social media and newsletter efforts by planning, creating, and posting content.
• Participate in community and school outreach events to build brand awareness and strengthen

relationships with parents and students.
• Coordinate capacity-building efforts (i.e. trainings, strategic planning, development of marketing

materials, etc.) to enhance OCUW’s organizational capacity as a leading work-based learning intermediary, advocate, and community leader. Maintain U4SS data tracking systems of collection, analysis, and reporting.

• Support external vendors and contractors, as assigned.
• Work interdepartmentally to create an effective, measurable, and sustainable employer/donor

pipeline for work-based learning engagement with local high schools
• Attend, organize and/or facilitate relevant meetings, trainings, workshops, outside events and

organization-wide activities.
• Additional responsibilities and functions as assigned.

Job Requirements /Technical Knowledge

• Minimum of an undergraduate degree in education, sociology, human services, social work, business administration, workforce development, communications or related field.

• 2+ years of experience in the field of education, academic support services and/or community outreach.

• Familiarity with equity-minded research-based approaches to: work-based learning, projects based learning models, differentiated instruction, mixed-skill and age grouping, culturally

relevant teaching practices and working with English Language Learners and under resourced youth.

• Demonstrated record in achieving results with low-income youth and teens.
• Understanding of and ability to meet performance-based outcomes.
• Knowledge of program development, implementation and evaluation, particularly as this relates

to high school students.
• Proven record of excellent writing and communication skills.
• Event planning and coordination, both small and large-scale events, preferred.
• Ability to work on multiple projects with different objectives simultaneously.

Employment Standards Strong Knowledge of:

• Communities Served - Priority will be given to applicants with experience working with underserved schools and school districts, key decision makers and stakeholders (e.g. businesses, community, service providers, teachers, students, and parents) within the Orange County region. Working knowledge of small school academies, Linked Learning pathways, California Partnership Academies, or National Academy Foundation academies is a plus.

• OCUW United for Student Success Programming
• Class of 2024 e-Mentorship campaign (eMc)
• Destination Graduation (DG)
• Youth Career Connections (YCC), regional occupational programs, career technical

education, and career-themed pathways is a plus.

Skilled in:
• Achieving Outcomes – Must be results-driven and able to demonstrate a history of meeting

goals in an ever-changing environment.
• Communications – Proficient interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.
• Organizational Management – Excellent project management and multi-tasking skills.
• Leadership – Well versed leadership skills (e.g. committed, honest, positive, reliable, creative,

flexible, etc.) with a proven track record in managing broad-based efforts with a diverse set of stakeholders and partners.

• Problem Solving – Collaborative in planning, decision-making, and seeking various creative solutions to resolve issues.

• Teamwork – Ability to work independently yet is highly team-oriented.
• Relationship Building – Experience in building and maintaining relationships with business,

education, and community partnerships is critical.

Compensation  Commensurate with experience, education, and market, the salary range is $26- $36/hour  Competitive benefits

View our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is frequently required to be able to remain in a stationary position 75% of the time. The person in this position needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, records, and office machinery. Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine and computer printer. Occasionally ascends/descends stairs, and constantly positions self to maintain computers in the office, including under the desks. The person in this position frequently communicates with coworkers and customers who have inquiries about our business operations and the community we service; therefore, the person must be able to exchange accurate information. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Send Resumes To: recruiting@unitedwayoc.org Orange County United Way 18012 Mitchell South, Irvine, CA 92614 www.unitedwayoc.org

https://www.unitedwayoc.org/about-us/commitment-to-diversity-equity-inclusion/ mailto:recruiting@unitedwayoc.org http://www.unitedwayoc.org/

• Purpose of Position
• Key Duties and Responsibilities
• Job Requirements /Technical Knowledge
• Employment Standards
• Physical Demands