Job Type

Full-time

Description

Organizational Background

The Ford Family Foundation is focused on ensuring that children from all backgrounds have the family, educational and community supports they need to succeed in life. We are committed to the rural communities of Oregon and Siskiyou County, California with investments in rural community building, grantmaking and scholarships. Vibrant, robust rural communities and economies depend on their ability to attract and sustain working families. Likewise, outcomes in life often depend on community systems that support lifelong health, educational success, and wellbeing. We know that rural is its own inequity and work to champion rural causes, people, and places.

The Foundation was created in 1957 by the late Kenneth W. Ford, founder of Roseburg Forest Products Co., and Hallie E. Ford. Grants were made annually to charitable organizations in three core counties where the mills were located – Douglas and Coos counties in Oregon, and Siskiyou County, Calif. Currently, the Foundation employs 53 staff members.

Purpose and Background

The Postsecondary Success Department focuses on supporting high-need individuals across Oregon and Siskiyou County to better their lives, and the lives of their families through education beyond high school. A key component of this strategy is our scholarship programs which support nearly 1,000 students from diverse backgrounds (rural, non-traditional, underrepresented groups, etc.).

The Student Engagement Coordinator is supervised by the Student Success Counselor and is primarily responsible for the development and implementation of engagement strategies supporting current Scholars. The position develops and implements strategies based on internal and external research, ranging from interventions that serve the broader scholarship community to those targeting priority populations identified by the Foundation. The Student Engagement Coordinator will work with the Student Success Counselor and other members of the team supporting student success to implement a holistic approach to student well-being. In addition to work focused on increasing student engagement in the areas identified, the position will also provide individual counseling, educational advice, support, and encouragement to scholarship recipients. This position is a critical part of the team ensuring the Foundation’s programs support students’ smooth transition to and through college. The position also engages in other activities related to the selection and support of scholarship recipients as needed.

This position is located at the Foundation’s scholarship office in Eugene and is required to occasionally travel and work outside normal business hours, including some evenings and weekends.

This is an exempt position, and the annual salary is $75,000.00. Our excellent benefit package includes paid time off and holidays, health and dental insurance, health savings account, generous retirement plan, matching gifts program, access to an employee assistance program, professional development opportunities, rejuvenation leave and more.

Deadline to submit applications with a thoughtful and engaging cover letter and resume is February 19, 2024, 5:00 pm.

Requirements

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Coordination of Scholar Engagement (60%)

· Under oversight of the Student Success Counselor, develops and implements scholar engagement strategies, including targeted strategies for groups identified by research, demographic shifts and Foundation priorities (e.g., rural, tribal, Latinx, men, etc.).

· Researches and implements engagement strategies identified as priorities in the Student Support Audit, including support of students in their transition from student to career professional (e.g., building strong networks, career exploration, development of financial literacy, etc.).

· Works with the Scholarship Programs Manager to assess and act on learnings from data collection strategies such as renewals, exit and alumni surveys, and interactions with campus partners.

· Builds relationships with outside partners to support the engagement needs of students.

· Communicates with eligible scholarship recipients about opportunities for graduate scholarship funding, application guidelines and deadlines.

· Responds to scholarship recipients seeking letters of recommendation for graduate school, internships, etc.

· In concert with other members of the student supports team, identifies resources to support and connect current recipients around identified engagement priorities (e.g., building community, career development, etc.).

· Oversees the development and implementation of the Mentor program, in partnership with the Administrative Associate of Student Supports.

· Works with the Manager of Selection and Events to develop student-informed offerings for “choice” sessions at Ford Scholars Leadership Conference and other events as needed.

Individual Support for Scholarship Recipients (30%)

· Develops and maintains regular contact with undergraduate and graduate recipients in support of retention using a variety of communication tools.

· Understands academic programs across partner institutions to provide direction to students about academic, social and career needs (e.g., major selection, graduation requirements, graduate school and career exploration).

· Connects students to career development opportunities, both on their campuses and offered by the department.

· In concert with the student support team, reviews student renewals and other records to prioritize support resources and responses.

· Counsels and monitors assigned scholarship recipients not meeting satisfactory academic progress.

· Regularly communicates and coordinates with other scholarship support staff regarding individual student needs and proposed solutions.

· Maintains a working level knowledge of financial aid and award policies as back up for other student support team members.

Scholarship Selection Activities (5%)

· Serves as a member of the review and selection teams for new undergraduate and graduate scholarship recipients as needed.

Additional Duties (5%)

· Participates as part of the Postsecondary Success Department in planning, supporting, attending, and presenting at summer award events and conferences.

· Brings subject matter expertise to the development and review of broader postsecondary work (alumni, grantmaking, etc.).

· Assists in research and reports on new program ideas generated at Board and staff level.

· Other tasks as assigned.

Required Competencies and Skills

· Minimum of a bachelor’s degree and 5-7 years working to engage college and university students in practices to support their success, or related work.

· Ability to use research, data, and good judgement to develop new opportunities and implement strategies to support and engage diverse student populations.

· Detail-oriented and ability to work independently and simultaneously on multiple projects within close, overlapping and/or conflicting deadlines.

· Must be a flexible team player and have excellent organizational skills.

· Shows empathy and compassion for individuals facing challenging, often emotional, situations.

· Strong written and oral communication skills.

· Strong interpersonal skills.

· Knowledge and ability to work easily with Microsoft 365, Zoom, Salesforce and other platforms.

Candidate Profile

Ideal employees will embody and model Foundation-wide practices and principles in how they conduct themselves while representing the Foundation within and outside of the workplace. These practices include excellent listening skills, being profoundly inclusive and relationship driven. This position requires exceptional organizational and communication skills, attention to detail, teamwork and collaboration, ability to manage multiple priorities, comfort working in an adaptive and fast-paced work environment and the ability to be flexible and adjust quickly to new tasks and assignments while supporting multiple people and organizational areas. Employees will also demonstrate humility, kindness, and a sense of humor.

Physical Demands of Job Duties and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to see, talk, and hear. This position is active, but requires periods of standing, sitting, and keyboarding and occasional driving. The employee would rarely lift or move items over 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. While performing duties of this job, the employee is exposed to a normal office type environment with some exposure to the outside environment. This position is rarely exposed to dust, odors, water, fumes, and noise. Work is always performed in a safety-conscious manner. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform essential functions.

Salary Description

$75,000 annual salary

The Ford Family Foundation

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