Job Information
buildOn Student Engagement Specialist in Bronx, New York
Title: Student Engagement Specialist
Report to: Program Director
Type: Full Time/ Exempt
Location: Bronx, New York
Schedule: Tuesday-Saturday; Monday-Friday outside the academic year
Salary: $42,000 - $48,000 Annually, commensurate with experience
Number of Positions Available: Multiple
For consideration: Submit your resume and provide responses to the application questions on our Careers page.
Who We Are
buildOn is a not-for-profit organization working to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations through service and education. We’re not a charity, we’re a movement. In the United States, we run intensive service-learning programs in under-resourced, urban high schools in six major cities. Through these programs, buildOn empowers youth to transform their communities through high-impact service. Over the last 30 years, buildOn has empowered more than 100,000 urban youth to contribute more than 4,306,403 hours of service have touched the lives of more than one million people living below the U.S. poverty line.
Globally, teams of students from buildOn programs fan out across the world to help build schools in the economically poorest countries on the planet. We have now built over 2,363 schools in Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Malawi and Nepal. More than 309,951 children, parents and grandparents attend these schools every day and at least 50% of these buildOn students are girls or women. Community members have organized leadership committees and contributed more than 4 million volunteer workdays to build their schools.
What We Value
We’ve identified a set of core competencies that you’ll need to thrive within the buildOn family.
OPTIMISM & PASSION FOR THE POSSIBLE: You bring enthusiasm and energy to all activities you’ll lead while also identifying challenges as opportunities to shine!
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: Initiates and cultivates authentic, mission-driven relationships with students and all stakeholders.
PERSONALITY: Here at buildOn, we value individuals who are willing to show up as their whole authentic selves. We believe this encourages our students to do the same and form a strong connection with team members.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR FOCUS: Intense drive to deliver results of engaging youth in service learning.
PLANNING & EXECUTION: Proactively manages multiple projects simultaneously to achieve collective objectives with strong time management and organizational skills.
LEADERSHIP: Takes a hands-on approach and operates with high integrity, humility, and eagerness to grow.
What You’ll Do
You will work in partnership with teachers, administrators, guidance and students to implement buildOn’s IPARD service learning curriculum. Utilizing universal methodology and resources, you will develop students as leaders by engaging them in each step of IPARD. You will use an array of strategies ranging from digital to in-person in order to extend your reach. You will regularly partner with teachers to do classroom service learning projects as well as get students out in the community to serve after school, on weekends, and during other days off from school. Students will Investigate issues in their communities, digging deep into the systemic causes which perpetuate homelessness, poverty, blight, etc. Students will Prepare to address either the root causes or to help alleviate the immediate human suffering and then take Action by serving those who need it most. After service, careful Reflection helps the students understand the power of their service - understanding the effect it has on themselves and on the community they serve. Finally, students Demonstrate what they have learned along with the effects of their service to their community. Demonstration also offers an opportunity to advocate for system change.
Core Job Functions
Student Engagement in Service Learning
In partnership with a local high school, facilitate buildOn IPARD Service Learning for 150 students monthly through classroom IPARD instruction alongside teachers, after school, on Saturdays, and during time off from school.
Work closely with teachers to engage students in IPARD service learning which is curriculum-aligned, increasing academic engagement and connection to school, and/or leading to social and emotional learning.
Utilize a mix of in-person interactions and digital tools which will include but are not limited to social media (such as Instagram), virtual meeting platforms (such as Google Meet or Zoom), and learning platforms such as Google Classroom to facilitate student engagement.
Achievement of KPI Focuses & Data Input
Use the Salesforce platform analytics to drive tactics for expanding program reach and engaging more students in service.
Meet student recruitment goals for participation in Immersions with buildOn stakeholders.
Meet Monthy programmatic KPI goals as assigned by school.
Ensure that KPI data is submitted into the salesforce system on a weekly basis.
Monitoring & Evaluation Support
All engagement specialists will be responsible for facilitating quantitative data collection
Support MERL representative with student recruitment for focus groups (Once Per Semester).
Student Recruitment
Recruit and support students for Immersions to serve in solidarity with donors (Service Days, All- In’s, Leading for Growth, Virtual Service Projects )
Recruit and support students for Afterschool & Saturday Service
Support U.S. Trek department by facilitating trek information sessions in-class + Recruiting assigned amount of students.
Cross-Departmental Collaboration (One buildOn)
Support collaboration with other departments, such as Development, Marketing, Global, Finance, and HR to meet organizational goals, such as fund development and elevating student voice, to work as ONE buildOn.
Work collaboratively with Marketing to elevate student's voice and identify students who can demonstrate the transformational impact of service learning.
Support the planning and execution of all regional events, including Service Kick Off, Citywide Service, Celebrate buildOn!, and other large-scale events.
Manage school budget and personal expense report
Constructive Leadership
Serve as the adult facilitator for the school-based Leadership Committee which will inform school-based events and service learning projects.
Incorporate opportunities for young people to lead in each part of IPARD.
Relationship Building
Establish, develop, and maintain strategic partnerships with school advisors and counselors, administrators, faculty, support staff, parents and local community partners.
Work in partnership with the teachers to engage students in the classroom.
Provide outreach to parents/guardians and gain their support for engaging students in service learning.
Establish relationships with partner organizations to connect students to needed services that are outside of buildOn’s scope .
*Other duties as assigned.
What You Bring
Optimism & Passion for the Possible - You bring enthusiasm and energy to all activities you’ll lead while also identifying challenges as opportunities to shine!
Personal commitment to buildOn’s mission – the power of service to change lives, communities, and the world.
buildOn Alumni preferred (indicate buildOn Alumni status in the application, if applicable). Extensive experience living and/or working in underserved communities. Commitment to creating programs for youth that are empowering and antiracist.
2+ years of engaging youth in service out in the community or in the classroom through service learning.
Ability to work cooperatively and responsibly as a member of a team with colleagues extending into the school community.
Demonstrated skills as a teacher/facilitator or experience working side-by-side teachers/facilitators particularly implementing service learning projects
Experience and commitment to data-driven or evidence-based practices to increase student engagement and achieve goals.
Functional knowledge of regional school district(s) and educational and nonprofit landscape.
Relevant educational background (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience).
What We Offer
When you join us in this movement, you’ll enjoy a rewarding career that provides you with the benefits and flexibility you need; while ensuring that you have the opportunity to learn and grow through annual performance reviews, opportunities for advancement and professional development opportunities.
Our Benefits
Opportunity to connect and network with leaders of Fortune 500 organizations
A generous time off policy that includes paid vacation (10), personal and sick(12) days along with a summer and end-of-year shutdown week (10 days).
100% insurance premium paid for medical, dental and vision along with subsidized deductibles.
Opportunities for advancement.
Opportunity to go on Trek - a service immersion to work and living in solidarity with rural community members from Guatemala, Nicaragua, Malawi, Senegal, or Nepal to build a school.
Annual performance reviews with merit increases .
403 (b) retirement plan.
Pre-tax benefits (Commuter, FSA).
Professional development opportunities.
Up to $50 monthly cell phone reimbursement.
Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
buildOn is committed to building and maintaining an inclusive environment that drives innovation, strengthens ONE buildOn and bolsters a culture where people truly feel valued, heard and respected. buildOn provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, amnesty, or veteran status.
To learn more about buildOn, please visit our website at www.buildOn.org.
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