College Access Specialist

ABOUT RED HOOK INITIATIVE (RHI)

Red Hook Initiative (RHI) is a community-based nonprofit working to improve the lives of the more than 6,500 residents of Red Hook Houses, Brooklyn's largest public housing complex. RHI believes that the social change to overcome systemic inequities begins with empowered youth and that change in communities should come from within. In partnership with community adults, we nurture young people in Red Hook to be inspired, resilient, and healthy, and to envision themselves as co-creators of their lives, community, and society.

Youth development, community building, and community hiring are at the core of RHI's approach to strengthening Red Hook's future. Our model gives young people and residents the tools, resources, and opportunities they need to interrupt the systems and barriers that perpetuate historic inequities in the community. Residents lead the way toward a more equitable, hopeful future. Over our 20-year history, RHI's model and dedicated team have been nationally recognized for their innovative, place-based approach to social change.

RHI creates a culture of excellence with our ten core values as the foundation: community leadership, mutual respect, welcoming space, strengths-based perspective, trust, high expectations, encouragement, inspiration, holistic approach, and adaptability.

JOB SUMMARY

The College Access Specialist works across the Middle and High School programs to build and sustain a college-going culture and promotes awareness of the link between higher education and professional careers. There is a focus on supporting high school juniors and seniors who are participants in RHI's Youth Leader program. The College Access Specialist works with juniors and seniors to co-create a "right-fit" college roadmap in support of participants' post-secondary goals. This person provides comprehensive college-readiness support: informing and facilitating college-readiness programming and financial aid workshops; assisting with researching and applying for scholarships; engaging and coaching parents about the college application process; and cultivating and maintaining relationships with college admissions counselors. College Access Specialists will develop and lead an early college awareness program for 6th-8th graders. They will also be responsible for leading summer College Access programming for our Freedom School program.

This position is full-time, 40 hours per week, with regularly scheduled hours from 12pm to 8pm, Monday through Thursday, and from 10 am to 6 pm on Fridays. Weekends will be assigned, as needed. There is flexibility around this during the summer and non-program periods.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES + RESPONSIBILITIES

▪ Develop and facilitate programming to expose and prepare participants for college, including early awareness programming for 6-10th graders.

▪ Coach an estimated caseload of 40-50 juniors and seniors on college preparedness.

▪ Lead the college application process for college-bound participants and advise on a variety of post-secondary options.

▪ Develop workshops, events, and trips that will support, inspire, and inform participants about the skills needed to pursue higher education and other post-secondary opportunities (trips, panels, and college tours/fairs).

▪ Mobilize resources to connect participants with relevant resources important for post-secondary success (SAT courses, college prep mentors, additional tutoring, school/placement visits, etc.).

▪ Coordinate financial aid and FAFSA workshops; assist students and parents with navigating the financial aid/FAFSA process.

▪ Coordinate scholarship application process, including Jordan WINGS, SUNY Geneseo, and other notable programs and partnerships.

▪ Coordinate with program leadership in youth development to provide differentiated college prep support to participants according to their individual plans, in small group and one-on-one settings.

▪ Support with College/University partnerships

▪ Analyze report cards to co-develop improvement plans with participants.

▪ Work closely with students' guidance counselors or college advisors for additional assistance.

▪ Develop and lead parent workshop series on post-secondary options and processes

▪ Connect with parents/guardians regarding the financial aspect of the college application process [i.e., FAFSA/TAP, income documents].

▪ Track youth progress and provide consistent documentation/ progress notes about observed needs in the Salesforce Database and other tracking systems.

▪ Attend staff and planning meetings.

May be assigned other duties and responsibilities as determined by the Executive Director or an assigned member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

 

COMPETENCIES (Knowledge, Skills & Personal Attributes)

▪ Excited about community-based youth development work.

▪ Knowledge of the New York City public education system, the college application process, and college retention services.

▪ First-hand experience with youth programming and/or working with first-generation college students is preferred.

▪ Strong knowledge of CUNY/SUNY systems; understanding of colleges nationwide and their academic offerings.

▪ Extensive knowledge of FAFSA/TAP NYS financial aid processes.

▪ Must have strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

▪ Proven ability to serve as a role model in an after-school setting.

▪ Ability to create and implement an educational plan.

▪ Demonstrated ability to motivate and inspire youth, provide needed support, show patience, and maintain a positive attitude.

▪ Knowledge of the Red Hook community.

▪ Demonstrated ability to work individually and as part of a team.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

▪ Bachelor's Degree required

▪ Work experience in college access, readiness, or exposure (at least 2 yr) is strongly preferred

▪ Knowledge of the college application process and financial aid is required

▪ Experience teaching or facilitating groups

▪ Computer skills; experience working with Google Suite and Salesforce

▪ A resident of Red Hook preferred

WORKING CONDITIONS (ENVIRONMENT) & PHYSICAL DEMANDS

▪ The RHI work environment is characteristic of a typical indoor office/program environment and the noise level is generally quiet to moderate.

▪ While performing administrative duties, the employee will operate a computer and other office equipment. During this time, the employee may sit or stand at will. During youth program hours, there is more movement (e.g., standing and walking, moving tables and chairs to set up the room).

▪ RHI provides a hybrid work arrangement for employees, when possible. In this role, a hybrid schedule may be arranged when direct services are not in session.

▪ This job is primarily based on-site at RHI's main program office in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The ideal candidate will either be a resident of Red Hook or one of its neighboring communities or will be within reasonable commuting distance to RHI's main program office.

The ideal candidate should be able to meet the physical demands of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

COMMITMENT TO DEI & EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

RHI actively engages individuals from all backgrounds and is committed to embracing diversity across all areas and aspects of the organization. We firmly believe that an atmosphere of civility and mutual respect towards individual differences and embracing an inclusive and equitable environment is indispensable to building a successful organization, contributing to a positive and meaningful employment experience for staff, and advancing the best possible outcomes for the clients served by RHI's programs. We are also committed to community hiring and supporting the job prospects of Red Hook residents.

As an equal opportunity employer, RHI is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, age, marital status, military status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information, or any other characteristic or basis prohibited by applicable law.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

RHI strives to offer a competitive compensation and benefits package that reflects our core values and commitment to our employees. The salary range for this position is $50,000-$55,000 annually. Additionally, RHI has an employee assistance program (EAP), which includes 12 counseling sessions per year, a 403b retirement plan, flexible spending accounts for out-of-pocket health, dependent and commuter expenses, life insurance, and a flexible hybrid work schedule, including PTO days (prorated based on work schedule) and "Summer Fridays," when possible.

TO APPLY

Please log on to the RHI career portal at: https://rhicenter.applicantpro.com/jobs/ to apply for this position. Please be prepared to upload your cover letter and resume as a single PDF.

Date Issued: September 2, 2026