Healthy Community Initiative

40 hours per week; reports to TORCH Director

Annual salary range $55,000 – $65,000, depending on qualifications

Summary

Launched in 2005, Tackling Obstacles & Raising College Hopes (TORCH) is a collaborative school-community partnership to address disparities in education. Originally, TORCH served exclusively Latine students, but because of the program’s success, TORCH is now available to all traditionally under-served students, including youth who would be first-generation college students and young people from low-income homes.  TORCH works with more than 500 Northfield youth in grades 6-12 (plus alumni) each year, providing academic advising, tutoring, social emotional support, postsecondary access, career exploration, and connections with community opportunities and resources.

TORCH is a program of the Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) and TORCH staff are employees of HCI.

The TORCH Middle School Program Manager leads the middle school program, serving youth in grades 6-8 and supporting students transition from elementary to middle school, and middle school to high school. The Program Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the program and ensuring its success in meeting program objectives for the students served.

Tasks

• Work with Northfield Schools staff to identify and recruit eligible students for school year and summer programs
• Communicate with teachers, school counselors, administrators and social workers in those cases where additional or different levels of support and intervention are necessary
• Monitor student progress and conduct holistic academic advising and/or tutoring sessions with each TORCH student in their cohort at least twice per month.
• Coordinate schedules and supervise volunteers, interns, and AmeriCorps members, providing guidance, feedback, and direction
• Work with TORCH team and students to create individual plans that identifies areas of need, goals, and college aspirations
• Communicate with parents and caregivers to discuss future plans and opportunities for youth. Ensure that parents and caregivers are aware of academic progress
• Coordinate events, activities and communication for the purpose of affirming and rewarding those TORCH students who have achieved academic success and/or met their goals
• Recruit and maintain a pool of volunteer tutors to work with TORCH students one-on-one or in small groups
• Attend and actively participate in meetings with school and community partners
• Arrange and lead college visits for groups of TORCH students
• Complete necessary data entry tasks and monitor data entry of Middle School TORCH Team to meet grant and funding requirements and evaluate program effectiveness
• Work collaboratively with school district staff and community partners to ensure adequate staffing for flagship programs, including Middle School Youth Center and EmpowHER. Promote these programs with students and encourage attendance and engagement in after school programming

Required qualities

• Postsecondary coursework and/or training (ideally in the field of counseling, social work, education, or a related area) and at least 5 years of related experience
• Ability to build relationships and communicate effectively with TORCH students and their families
• Ability to work collaboratively with TORCH team members, school district staff and other groups and organizations
• Ability to effectively supervise volunteer tutors and AmeriCorps members
• Experience evaluating program effectiveness through data collection, analysis and continuous improvement
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively with students from diverse cultures and backgrounds
• Excellent ability to manage simultaneous projects and troubleshoot issues in a calm manner
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, and Excel) and Google Suite
• Ability to speak before groups and make public presentations to promote the TORCH program
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to work select evening and weekend hours
• Must possess and maintain a valid Minnesota driver’s license, auto insurance and be able to travel throughout the community
• Willingness to maintain the standards, carry out the purpose, and adhere to the policies of HCI
• Maintenance of a cell phone is an expectation of employment

Preferred qualities

• Familiarity with Northfield and Rice County organizations and resources
• Familiarity with higher education resources and opportunities
• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• Experience in grant work plan and budget implementation and tracking

Application review will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. The aim is for the selected candidate to begin the role by mid-August 2024.

Apply online using the link below. Include a cover letter that describes why you are interested in working for TORCH. Include the name, title, and contact information for three professional references.

Questions about the position may be directed to tkiesow@northfieldschools.org. Please reference “TORCH Middle School Program Manager” in the subject line.

Apply here