Please read through the entire job description below before applying.
The Organization:
Duet is a non-profit based in Boston that partners deeply with the non-profit Southern New Hampshire University to coach working adults through a college degree and to leverage that degree in the job market. Students enroll with Duet to complete their degree, and to do so as quickly and as affordably as possible. This year, Duet will work with more than 1,000 students.
Our students are smart and hard-working and care deeply about graduating from college and the impact it will have on their careers. Despite these facts, most of our students come to us having tried college in the past without ever earning a degree. We believe this is because the design and cost of most college experiences do not work for people who have other significant life responsibilities, such as jobs and/or families they need to take care of. We partnered with SNHU and developed a new way of earning a college degree that breaks down many of the typical barriers (namely, cost and scheduling) associated with traditional college while also providing a uniquely personalized level of coaching to ensure students earn their degree.
Objective of the Senior Academic Coach Role:
“Coaching” is everywhere and has many meanings. At Duet, academic coaching means helping students complete more schoolwork and earn more credits than they would have otherwise. The Senior Academic Coach coaches a set of enrolled students and is responsible for ensuring that they have successful terms, persist from term to term, and graduate. The quality of the academic coaching a student receives while enrolled impacts if, and how fast, a student will earn their degree. A student's chances of earning a college degree rise and fall with the effectiveness of the coaching they receive. It’s high stakes! Senior Academic Coaches are evaluated based on the percentage of their students who achieve successful terms throughout the year. This is different from most higher education coaching roles in which coaches are measured on inputs, not outcomes.
The Work:
Duet coaching is complex, personalized, and interrelated in ways that are unique in higher education. Senior Academic Coaches are experts who get to know and build relationships with their students, coach them through challenging academic and technical tasks, provide them with feedback, remind them of the reasons behind their hard work, keep them on track, and motivate them to accomplish more than they would have on their own.
To do this, the Senior Academic Coach is assessing each of their students’ situations every day, reviewing academic data, and using their knowledge about each student (which is a lot! - work schedules, study habits, vacation plans, academic challenges, etc.) to provide the coaching necessary to move each student forward.
Each Senior Academic Coach coaches a group of students. All students at Duet are enrolled in one of SNHU’s unique online project-based associate and bachelor’s degree programs. The terms at SNHU overlap, and the group of students a Senior Academic Coach is working with is broken down across simultaneously operating terms, 12 months a year. Ultimately, the number of students a coach works with is determined by their capacity and the team's overall needs.
Senior Academic Coaches report to Team Leaders and are part of the Academic Team at Duet. While this team meets and works on their coaching practice together, its overall impact is determined by the individual contributions of each Senior Academic Coach.
Skills, Experience, and Attitudes:
- Unwavering commitment to the mission of Duet, including a deep belief in the idea that all of our students have the right to a college degree and a path to a career-track job.
- An interest in, and experience working with, people from a wide range of backgrounds and ages.
- An interest in and ability to engage with and understand college-level academic coursework.
- A proven ability to quickly build meaningful relationships.
- Willingness and ability to work some weekend and evening hours.
- 7+ years of professional experience.
- Mature interpersonal style, ability to interact and relate well with a range of people from diverse backgrounds.
- Excellent attention to detail, ability to work both independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.
- Deeply committed to self-improvement.
Compensation and Benefits:
The salary band for this position is between $80,000 and $86,000.
Duet offers generous benefits, including medical, vision, and life insurance.
In-Person Requirements
This is not a remote position. The frequency and location that an employee meets with students and teammates in any given week depends on the context of the situation. For instance, a new employee can expect to commute to the Duet spaces in downtown Boston, near South Station, 4-5 days per week during training over the first few months of employment and work closely with their manager.
Over time, a Senior Academic Coach will experience a level of flexibility in their workflow in terms of where and when they are coaching. This comes with the expectation that they transfer that flexibility to their students, consistently offering meeting times during evenings and some weekends and meetings in-person at the Duet student center or elsewhere.
How to Apply:
If you are interested in applying for this position, please send your resume and a thoughtful cover letter to [email protected].
In your cover letter, please address the following:
Why are you interested in the Senior Academic Coach position?
Your previous experiences coaching someone, either personally or professionally.
Pay: $80,000.00 - $86,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Boston, MA 02110
