Kindergarten to College, Program Manager

Oakland Promise

Oakland Promise is working to ensure that every Oakland child will graduate from high school with the expectation, skills, and resources to complete college and be successful in the career of their choice. Oakland Promise includes four programs: Brilliant Baby, Kindergarten to College (K2C), Future Centers, and College Scholarships and Completion, that provide a cradle to career continuum of college-focused support for students. Our program strategies touch the lives of children and families in early childhood (ages 0-5), elementary, middle, and high school, culminating in multi-year scholarships and support for students in college. Our goal is to dramatically increase the number of college graduates from Oakland and ensure that all students, regardless of background, hold a college-bound identity. Oakland Promise provides two-year and four-year college scholarships and mentoring to Oakland public high school students. We are especially interested in skilled individuals committed to social change, who want to ensure the success of students underrepresented in college, attend, and graduate and expand their life opportunities. College Completion serves over 2000 scholars in postsecondary education.

About the programs: 

The Brilliant Baby (BB) program supports children’s early healthy development and school-readiness by setting up College Savings Accounts (CSAs) for babies, offering financial coaching and early learning resources to parents and caregivers, and building a supportive community for the whole family.  Brilliant Baby supports parents’ early expectations for their child’s educational success.

Kindergarten to College (K2C) helps K through 5th graders in Oakland think of themselves as college-and career-bound individuals. We provide scholarships, as well as technical support and incentives to families who open a family-owned college savings account. Additionally, we provide program support to build a college- and career-going identity within students, which includes Cal Day, college visits, family and student workshops, scholarship celebrations, and more.

College Access serves both middle and high school students in Oakland’s district and charter schools! Our vision is to support all students in accessing a clear and solid path to post-secondary educational experiences that lead to a variety of career options – 2-year, 4-year, and vocational or technical programs. Our goal is to offer integrated programming to students and families that targets the elimination of structural and cultural barriers to intergenerational social mobility. 

College Completion supports college and CTE students with scholarships and persistence support and equips students with social and emotional support through mentoring, peer advising, counseling, retreats, and scholarship distribution. Oakland Promise designs holistic educational programming to create a culture of career and college preparedness in students, families, and educators, so we can dramatically increase the number of college graduates from Oakland public schools.

About the role:

The Program Manager will use organizational knowledge and management tactics to provide structured expertise to the K2C program. The Program Manager is responsible for overseeing the implementation of K2C’s programs or initiatives and supporting efforts to assist K2C students, families, and caregivers in achieving opportunities that enable their students to achieve higher educational success.

K2C is one of four programs within Oakland Promise working to ensure that every child will graduate from high school with the expectation, skills, and resources to complete college and/or be successful in the career of their choice.

Under the supervision of the K2C Program Director, the K2C Program Manager is responsible for supporting the work of the K2C team. The Program Manager will ensure that the K2C team’s work is in line with its purpose and mission by using their knowledge of the K2C Program and management practices to provide structured expertise to the program.  The Program Manager will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the K2C program and its goals and initiatives that will help the team achieve a higher level of success. The Program Manager will also support program coordinators and program associates in fulfilling their job duties.

While the person in this role will have the opportunity to work with students, the majority of the work involves supporting the Program Director in implementing the program’s strategies. Some of the work will also include co-creating program strategies with the Director and K2C team.

Duties:

Lead Oakland Promise Scholarship and college savings account sign-up efforts in grades K-5

• Manage the strategy for increasing sign-ups, including messaging, in-person work, tapping into existing systems and policies.
• Support the team in building & implementing processes/strategies to get to our goals.
• Manage Outcome Tracker & my529 systems.

Lead in program development, specifically thought partnering with the Director to create the strategies and materials for the following:

• Our pilot programs, including Oakland Promise/Parent Leadership Program and East Oakland Promise Neighborhood. 
• Our pillar programming, including but not limited to college visits for our elementary students, college & career programming with our community partners.

Lead K2C Data Management Efforts

• Collaborate with the Impact & Evaluation team.
• Ensure functionality of Salesforce, Outcome Tracker and my529 to meet program outcomes.
• Support the development of surveys and other tools to evaluate the impact of the work.
• Ensure the team is entering all the necessary data into our systems.
• Use data to drive outcomes as well as to measure and communicate program impact both internally and externally. 

Create and Manage Key Program Content and Plans

• Create and manage a year-long plan for program delivery, using prior year data to inform a strategic and nuanced approach. 
• Create supporting documents for the rest of the team to manage the workflow effectively.
• In collaboration with the Communications team, lead the development of effective communications and marketing materials.

Internal and External Collaboration

• Collaborate with other Oakland Promise teams to ensure efficiency and alignment across the organization.
• Collaborate with new and existing partners to support K2C events across Oakland.
• Manage K2C community partners.
• Attend school events (ceremonies, graduations) and Oakland Promise meetings (k2c staff, mandatory OP staff meetings) as required.
• Collaborate with new and existing partners to support K2C events across Oakland.
• Facilitate translation and interpretation as needed (if candidate is bilingual, they will assist in providing this service)
• Support Program Coordinators and/or Associates in building and maintaining relationships with Brilliant Baby and College Access programs to create a cohort model for Oakland Promise families and students.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with school-based counseling and administrative teams.

Learning & Program Development

• Stay up-to-date on best practices for building a college and career-bound identity, options for paying for. college/postsecondary, and more, which includes staying current on K-12 education policy as it relates to our work.
• Support with the planning of quarterly partnership meetings with K2C subcontractors to identify key learning gaps and strategize efforts to close those gaps.                   
• Research CSAs, building a college-bound identity, etc. as needed.
• Be a team player and support general Oakland Promise events.
• Collaborate with new and existing partners to support K2C events across Oakland.
• Other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to communicate in a language other than English.
• Experience in creating and modifying material, as well as direct experiences in schools with students, families, and community, preferred.
• Strong leadership, management, thought partnership, and interpersonal skills.
•  Excellent verbal and written communication skills and experience with both internal organizational communications and external relations.
• Excellent interpersonal and writing skills.
• Own vehicle/transportation for travel to the site.

Knowledge, Education & Experience Required                          

• At least 3 years of experience managing a non-profit community-based social program.
• Experience building relationships and leading across lines of difference.
• Ability to organize, manage and work with large teams in multiple departments.
• Strategic planning and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritize important tasks over others. 
• Ability to analyze and compile a large amount of data and come up with conclusive results.
• Ability to develop and execute data collection and evaluation plans.
• Experience supporting and partnering with an organizational leader to achieve goals.
• Passion for the OP’s mission and commitment to supporting a diverse, inclusive, transparent, and equity-centered organization.
• Experience managing multiple calendars and scheduling for teams.
• Ability to interact effectively within racially and culturally diverse communities.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule (required to work some evenings/weekends for OP events)

Compensation:

• A full-time non-exempt position, salary $70k-$90k with medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Oakland Promise offers 401k, medical, dental, vision benefits, vacation, and sick time.

Pre-employment process:

Employment eligibility will include background check, fingerprints, tuberculosis, and other employment clearance.

Application Process: 

We are looking for candidates with availability to start immediately and encourage you to apply if you are interested in and qualified for the position. The deadline to submit your application is August 21, 2023.

To apply:

Send a single PDF (NOT a Microsoft Word document) of a resume and thoughtful cover letter to [email protected] with “Program Manager, K2C – [Your Name]” in the subject line. Please use your last name and first initial (ex: Doe_J) as the filename of your PDF containing your resume and cover letter.

Failure to follow these instructions may delay the review of your application. Applications will be reviewed immediately and candidates with the best fit will be contacted for interviews. Unfortunately, the volume of applications will prevent us from responding to all applications received.

Non-Discrimination Policy:

Oakland Promise is a place-based organization located in Oakland, California. Oakland Promise requires that employees work in person at various engagements. Currently, Oakland Promise staff are working in a hybrid model, with some work being done remotely and some work being done in the office or at specific locations in or around Oakland. It is a requirement that all staff reside within commuting distance to the main office, located at 484 9th Street, Oakland CA 94607. Please note that at any time, a full in-person work plan may be required, and it is of utmost importance that all staff are able to meet this requirement.

Oakland Promise is a proud equal opportunity employer. Oakland Promise is committed to providing a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and disrespectful or other unprofessional conduct based on sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sex stereotype, race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, gender (including gender identity, gender expression, and transgender), national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual orientation, military, and veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation. It also prohibits discrimination, harassment, disrespectful or unprofessional conduct based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.