Academic Advisor - Neighborhood Partnership Program

Academic Advisor - Neighborhood Partnership Program

Location: Los Angeles
Duration: 12 months – End Date:
September 30, 2026 (Possible Extension)
Employment Status: Non-Exempt, Full Time, 40 hours per week
Salary Range: $24.00/hr – $28.00/hr

Reporting to the Director, the Academic Advisor’s core focus is to help increase the number of low‑income, first‑generation students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post‑secondary education. The role builds persistence in college and prepares students for life‑long learning. Academic advisors are part of a strong college, academic, and financial counseling team for students and parents, organizing college visits and delivering workshops on financial aid, college applications, and peer mentoring activities.

Central to this role is supporting student outcomes by developing plans to ensure each student meets college and career‑ready benchmarks. The Academic Advisor works with the team and uses all available resources to meet grant goals and each student’s academic and longitudinal objectives.

• 70% – Develop positive relationships with GEAR UP students and families, provide individual support to ensure access to college and career information and planning tools, coordinate case management to support retention and grade promotion, analyze and utilize data to target services, collaborate with stakeholders across school site teams and local community, and advocate for post‑secondary education and the GEAR UP program.
  
  (Essential)
• 20% – Network and develop partnerships with postsecondary institutions and support programs to provide students with post‑secondary exposure and experiences, work with the Site Coordinator and GEAR UP team to deliver comprehensive college access and success services for middle and high school students, including academic planning, career exploration, tutoring, mentoring, college visits, financial planning, summer enrichment activities, annual orientation events, and college application completion.
  
  (Essential)
• 10% – Maintain accurate, ongoing data collection and documentation for GEAR UP student, family, and teacher service participation using an online database, as required by federal program requirements; participate in grant‑wide professional development opportunities such as all‑staff meetings, work‑along groups, and other conferences. (Essential)

• Bachelor’s Degree in education, counseling, communication, sociology or other related fields of study.
• Valid California driver’s license and access to transportation.
• One year of experience working with low‑income, first‑generation students from diverse backgrounds.
• Willingness to learn about secondary and post‑secondary education requirements, options, financial aid, scholarship opportunities, and application processes.
• Ability to analyze, synthesize, and organize data and present findings clearly to different audiences.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google drives/folders/forms, Adobe Acrobat, web editing, and social media applications.
• Detail‑oriented, efficient, and able to anticipate and prevent potential problems while handling a wide variety of tasks with accuracy.
• Effective verbal, written, and electronic communication skills.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills, collaboration ability, and commitment to justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity.
• Ability to adapt and perform work effectively in a high‑volume, confidential environment with multiple priorities.
• Strong organizational, logistical, time‑management, and planning skills to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
• Self‑motivation and the ability to work independently.
• Leadership and training abilities to work professionally across functions, disciplines, levels, and diverse groups.

• Master’s degree in education, counseling, social work or related field.
• Bilingual in Spanish.