Academic Support Coordinator at MAKE A DIFFERENCE LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION

About the job

Want to Make a Difference by supporting South African youth? We are looking for you!

Make A Difference Leadership Foundation is seeking an energetic, motivated and professionally qualified person to join our dynamic team. We are offering an opportunity to be part of a supportive and multidisciplinary team that provides care for our scholars. We identify academically talented scholars with leadership potential who do not have the necessary financial resources and offer them support in the areas of education, leadership and life-skills development. It is a long-term, personal, financial and comprehensive commitment to each scholar to develop their potential through education, mentorship and exceptional leadership advancement opportunities. MAD Leadership Foundation aims to develop carefully selected scholars as leaders in their chosen fields: they define the leadership parameters applicable to their lives, but all scholars are expected to step forward whenever there is a need to drive positive change. We are seeking an enthusiastic person to join our multidisciplinary team as an Academic Support Coordinator. This role is student service-centric and aims to ensure that student communication and support services are optimised.

Qualifications

Tertiary Qualification in Education, Educational Psychology, Learning Support, Registered Psychometrist/or related field.

Location – Head Office, Newlands, Cape Town

Hours – Full-time

Remuneration – Market-related salary

The three key areas of responsibility for the Academic Support Coordinator are as follows:

1. Career Guidance, Career Counselling and Planning

• Coordinate and Host Subject and career guidance webinars;

• Coordinate Grade 9 subject choice;

• Provide Subject and career guides and services through engaging with identified service providers;

• Develop subject choice guides to support learners in selecting their subjects for FET Phase;

• Maintain accessible career resources for scholars, support coordinators;

• Partner with career guidance providers and/or platforms to provide career guidance at scale;

• Provide group career guidance to High School scholars to support them in subject selection and tertiary education;

• Conduct individual career counselling with students, including coordinating assessment of interests, values and skills;

• Coordinate and arrange Job shadowing with various case managers;

• Research, identify, engage, and sustain opportunities for scholars’ job shadowing and internship opportunities;

2. Tertiary education support

• Coordinate and Facilitate University readiness workshops;

• Research, identify, engage, and sustain opportunities to prepare scholars for university;

• Identify, and engage opportunities to create National Benchmark Test (NBT) preparation courses;

• Coordinate and track University applications;

• Support learners in matching subjects choices and grades to university study and career opportunities;

• Research and coordinate university application guidance webinars.

3. Oversight of administrative/support/academic-related matters pertaining to the Scholar Support Unit

• Overseeing the capturing of any and all data pertaining to the scholars, student administration and recordkeeping;

• Quarterly reviews of professional reports produced by the Scholar Support Unit to provide feedback on scholar’s performance;

• Ensures quality standards by supervising and evaluating day-to-day tasks;

• Ensuring all educational and academic support are provided to the scholars in a timeous manner;

• Actively monitoring academic interventions together with the relevant case manager;

• Manage the Red Flagging process for students, e.g. poor academic performance and ensure the associated student support is implemented.

Qualities you need to encompass:

• Initiative to perceive;

• Patience to build positive relationships with the scholars;

• A good work ethic;

• The ability to deliver high-quality care and support to our scholars;

• Strong interpersonal, administrative, organisational and problem-solving skills;

• The ability to work within a multidisciplinary team and to multi-task; and

• Be able to travel on a regular basis.

• Be able to operate within the budget and according to the established financial parameters and processes in place.

Candidate Profile:

• Tertiary Qualification in Education, Educational Psychology, Learning Support, Registered Psychometrist/or related field.

• 3+ years experience in a Guidance Counsellor role with experience working at a High School is preferential.

• Experience working with High School students would be advantageous.

• Previous experience in case management in a similar educational environment;

• A true multi-tasker able to work to set deadlines and priorities;

• Extensive experience in the education and academic sector;

• Ability to work with a variety of stakeholders and influence positive outcomes;

• Excellent communication and organisational skills.

• Ability to efficiently balance both administrative and support services.

• Integrity and professionalism.

• Demonstrates a focus on goals and deliverables;

• High level of professionalism and adaptability

• Ability to respond effectively to the needs of a diverse student pool.

• Ability to collect and analyse data.