Senior Manager, Student Recruitment and Retention

Title: Senior Manager, Student Recruitment & Retention

Department: SEO Scholars Miami

Reporting to: Executive Director, SEO Scholars Miami

Location: Miami, FL   

FLSA: Exempt 

Compensation: $63,450 - $72,540

LOCATION/HOURS

This is a full-time, hybrid position based out of Miami. All candidates must be located in the Miami-Dade region at the time of hire.

SEO is set to launch the Scholar Miami program and welcome our first 9th grade student cohort in the Spring of 2025! The Manager, Student Recruitment & Retention (SRR) will work remotely in the first year. Once an office location is established, the Manager will be required to maintain a hybrid schedule of at least 2-3 days a week in-office. Additional location and availability requirements are as follows:

• Ability to work some nights and weekends as dictated by organizational needs.
• Able to work a Tuesday – Saturday work schedule, as needed.
• Work requires 50-75% local travel beyond the office to different physical locations across the Miami area for recruitment sessions and Saturday programming.

_ABOUT SEO _

For more than 60 years, SEO has created a more equitable society by closing the educational and career opportunity gap for ambitious Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American young people. All are welcome to apply to our programs.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Senior Manager, Student Recruitment & Retention position uniquely combines student-facing and strategic responsibilities. Student enrollment plays an essential role in introducing potential Scholars and families as well as partners to SEO Scholars Miami. In this position you will lead and manage the execution of the Recruitment & Admissions strategy for our new hybrid program in Miami. Additionally, the SMSRR will develop special initiatives that support marketing, communications, partnerships, and outreach; manage the admissions process; and work directly with incoming Scholars and their families to provide individualized guidance and advisory programming to reduce student attrition from SEO and ensure successful student outcomes. An ideal candidate will enjoy and excel at public speaking, marketing, partnership development, and project management. This role reports to the Executive Director of High School Scholars Miami and has the following key responsibilities:

Student Recruitment Strategy

• Collaborate with the Executive Director, SEO Scholars Miami to set and refine the recruitment strategy each year, including establishing benchmarks for expansion, and new pipelines.
• Develop a robust recruitment calendar in partnership with the Executive Director.
• Provide updates to ensure prospective Scholars and their families understand the hybrid model, expectations, and benefits of being an SEO Scholar.
• Oversee the annual application including refinements based on feedback from prior recruitment cycles.
• Lead team to participate in the Scholar selection process including interviews, application reading, and deliberations to ensure student recruitment and enrollment goals are met annually.
• Oversee the tracking, management, and analysis of recruitment data to ensure strategies remain data driven and responsive to changing landscapes.

Partnership Development

• Conduct regular outreach to and meetings with recruitment partner prospects, sharing the benefits of the program and encouraging their support with Scholar cultivation.
• Build relationships with partners, including local school officials and community organizations, ensuring SEO Scholars is on their college access lists.
• Attend events and conferences to stay abreast of the education landscape in the Miami Area and connect with prospective recruitment partners.
• Host events and deliver presentations about SEO Scholars at current and potential partner sites including local middle and high schools.

Programming

• Successfully onboard incoming Scholars by providing individualized guidance and support and quality advisory programming to meet target retention and attendance goals.
• When necessary, step in to provide support and guidance to ensure Scholars meet academic and behavioral expectations.
• Track progress and manage qualitative and quantitative data to make evidence-based decisions to improve Scholar recruitment, enrollment, performance and engagement.
• Participate in effective and supportive check-ins with Scholar Advisors and Instructors that yield concrete support plans for at-risk Scholars.

Staff Collaboration and Development 

• Coordinate with 9th Grade Scholar Advisor(s) to lead, track and execute a recruitment strategy for the program. 
• Inspire, coach, and help develop and support a team of Scholar Advisors as it relates to student recruitment through weekly department meetings, regular check-ins, observations, and feedback.  
• Set meaningful, outcomes-oriented department goals that meet overall program goals.
• Create and nurture a culture that encourages intellectual curiosity and an inclusive, close-knit and supportive community. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelors’ degree required.
• Direct experience working with high school-age students. 2+ year’s public teaching experience strongly preferred.
• Experience working in community outreach, student recruitment, or college admissions. A familiarity and/or experience with public education and youth communities in Miami is a plus.
• Exemplary written, and verbal communications skills; must be able to create compelling narratives and engage with diverse and multicultural communities through different mediums, including in-person and through messaging platforms, video chats/conferences, and phone calls.
• At least one year of people management experience required. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills, strong work ethic, and high level of professionalism. 
• Exceptional leadership skills and aptitude in building strong culture and community.
• Highly adaptable and solutions-oriented with an ability to solve complex problems.
• Must be experienced and technically proficient in MS Office, Google Suite and standard workplace applications like Zoom and Box.
• Bilingual Spanish/English skills are highly desired. Haitian Creole is a plus.

_COMPETENCIES _

• Passion for SEO's mission: A deep curiosity and working knowledge of the barriers to access and obstacles for under-resourced and first-generation students in pursuit of college completion.
• Creativity & Innovation: An ability and openness to drawing inspiration from multiple sources (including arts, culture, data, and insights) and applying inventive thought processes to drive innovation, solve problems, and deliver results.
• Relationship Management: Proven ability to center the client experience and deliver high-touch services as both a self-starter and a team player who builds people-first relationships and prioritizes the SEO mission every step of the way.
• Critical Thinking: The capacity to anticipate needs, utilize best resources, and employ careful decision-making. Able to adjust to changes and work demands quickly while maintaining a strategic and tactical vision to complete work efficiently.
• Project Management: An affinity for strategic planning with the ability to break down issues into component pieces, build project work plans, assume accountability for timelines, lead cross-functional working teams, evaluate data for continuous improvement, and navigate ambiguity along the way.

_COMPENSATION & BENEFITS _

SEO offers a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plan including low-cost health, vision, and dental options, a generous holiday schedule and PTO policies, disability coverage, fully paid time off for new parents, and employer contributions to health reimbursement and retirement accounts. We are constantly working to improve our benefits each year based on the needs of our employees. We value wellness and strive to consistently use a DEIB lens to put people first and foremost.

The compensation listed in this posting reflects what SEO believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and SEO reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time.

EEOC Policy

At SEO we are committed to cultivating a team that embodies the backgrounds and experiences of the constituencies we serve and the communities we live in, and a workplace that reflects the impact we make in the world. Candidates from all communities – including people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ Community, veterans, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Equal Employment Opportunity is not just the law, it is our commitment.

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer – M/F/D/V. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other legally protected status.

If you need accommodation while applying for a role with SEO, due to a disability, please email SEO Talent.

THE ORGANIZATION

Established in 1963 by Michael Osheowitz, SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity), is an educational non-profit focused on improving outcomes for students from underserved backgrounds. For over 60 years, SEO has been an innovator in education, mentorship, and creating educational programs and opportunities that maximize the full potential of our participants. Each year SEO serves 7,000+ participants nationally, and the organization is widely recognized for developing best-in-class programs with exceptional results.

Not every SEO participant is on the same journey, but all are hungry for opportunity and SEO creates an ecosystem of excellence.

_ABOUT SEO SCHOALRS _

SEO Scholars is a free, eight-year, academic program that transforms public high school students into college graduates. SEO Scholars successfully educates and mentors underserved, low-income public high school students to and through college. 100% of Scholars are accepted into four-year colleges, and 90% of Scholars graduate from college and earn a Bachelor’s degree. This is compared to only 60% of all students who enter college nationally, and 20% of students who come from similar backgrounds as our Scholars.

Learn more about SEO Scholars at www.seo-usa.org/scholars/