COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY ADVISOR
POSITION SUMMARY:
uAspire College Affordability Advisors work directly with young people to help them navigate the process of finding and financing an affordable path to college. We primarily support students who are low-income and/or first generation college students.
Currently, we are seeking to hire an advisor for our post-secondary cohort of students that get virtual advising.(Our Succeed team in the Bay/San Francisco area) We support students through a combination of text message advising and in-person advising in their local high schools in Oakland, Hayward and San Francisco. All advisors receive in-depth training on college affordability to successfully support students in key tasks such as financial aid form completion, understanding loans, and reviewing financial aid offers.
This position requires a highly motivated individual with a passion for supporting young people, a commitment to continuous learning about navigating the college access and success process, someone who is comfortable working independently, and who enjoys leveraging data and technology to support student success will be a strong fit in this role. The successful applicant will be someone who is excited about making a real impact on the lives of young people, strives to put learning into action, and thrives on new challenges. This is an entry-level position at uAspire with the first year focused on training.
We are seeking applicants who would be willing to make at least a one-year commitment to this role and uAspire given the significant amount of specialized training and time commitment, and so that we can also make the same commitment to our students and parents during a time where consistency is critically important. This request does not change the at-will nature of this position.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
College Affordability Advising:
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Provide in-person, text-message and Zoom-based advising based on uAspire’s college affordability curriculum to post-secondary students who attended and graduated from Bay Area high schools.
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Assist students in renewal of state, federal, and institutional financial aid forms.
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Maximize texting platform capabilities to foster strong advising relationships and rapport with students.
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Work collaboratively with staff from partner schools and community-based organizations to share pertinent information and strategize about student progress.
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Advocate for and coach students to engage with relevant individuals, offices, and resources to support their individual needs.
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Develop and implement creative approaches to drive student engagement with program text messages.
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Identify and maximize opportunities to engage students via other tech and communication means.
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Organize financial aid events with students and families in collaboration with school and/or community partners. Advisors should expect to participate in several evening events per month (both in-person and virtual).
Administrative Responsibilities:
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Maintain detailed records in uAspire’s Salesforce database and texting platform to track student data and progress to program goals.
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Regularly review advisor performance data to monitor own progress to goals. Pull and utilize pertinent Salesforce student data reports to inform outreach to students.
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Complete survey collection & other administrative responsibilities.
Program Support :
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Contribute to regionally specific research and resource gathering to improve training and knowledge for staff and promote efficiencies in our direct service to students.
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Facilitate college affordability presentations and student events in collaboration with regional and program partners. Advisors should expect to participate in several evening events per month (both in-person and virtual).
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Maintain positive and collaborative working relationships.
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Support Program leadership by assisting with special projects as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:
We understand that people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. We encourage candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications below. If you believe you have the transferable skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of this role, we encourage you to apply.
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Effective Communicator - Able to quickly process dense amounts of information and turn it into clear action steps for students. Takes the initiative to translate student experience to best influence program design
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Relationship Builder - Positively engages with students, teammates, and partners both internal and external to uAspire
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Comfort with Technology - Comfortable learning and/or using platforms such as Salesforce, in addition to daily platforms such as google sheets, in order to efficiently and accurately complete work
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Learning Orientation - Excited to become an expert on college affordability and contribute to a learning environment in both formal and informal ways with proactive enthusiasm
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Mission-Driven - Knowledge of barriers faced by low-income, first generation college bound students. Successful track record of supporting high school and/or college populations.
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Postsecondary Degree or Equivalent Professional Experience - Some college-going experience is required; degree attainment is optional.
Other qualifications:
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Knowledge of local community desired (Greater Bay area high schools and CA higher education system).
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Possess strong oral and written communication skills
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Organizational skills and ability to plan in a fast-paced environment
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Energetic, enthusiastic, and interested in learning within a growing, entrepreneurial organization
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Ability to work flexible hours that will occasionally include some evenings and weekends
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Proficiency with fundamental professional software: Google Mail/Docs, and Microsoft Office Suite – Word, Excel, PowerPoint – required
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Multilingual abilities are a plus
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Ability to take initiative and work independently, as well as a part of a team
ANTICIPATED START DATE: August 5th, 2026
STATUS: Non Exempt, full time
GRADE: I
CLASSIFICATION/LOCATION: Hybrid- Bay Area based, preferably San Francisco
REPORTS TO: Director of Advising, CA
ABOUT UASPIRE
Organization Vision: uAspire envisions a society where structural obstacles are removed from postsecondary pathways for systematically oppressed students so they can experience an improved quality of life for themselves and future generation
Organization Summary: Our mission is to improve the economic mobility of underrepresented communities by creating financial solutions to diverse educational pathways.
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Student Advising: We guide students, families, and communities to navigate complex financial aid systems in pursuit of equitable access to affordable postsecondary pathways through in-person and virtual advising
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Scholarship & Emergency Aid: We commit to placing money into the hands of students allowing them to use these funds to cover tuition bills and other unexpected expenses
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Training & Technical Assistance: We equip partners with the knowledge and confidence to navigate the financial aid process with their students by curating engaging training and student-centered resources
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Policy: We advocate for institutional, state, and federal policy change to transform financial aid and higher education systems, based on our students' lived experiences
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Consulting: We collaborate with partners to assess their needs and offer uniquely designed solutions in the areas of content development, program improvement and systems change, by leveraging our financial aid expertise, student-advising experience, and student-centered research
uAspire is an equal opportunity employer. The company’s policy regarding equal employment opportunity means that all decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, benefits, wage and salary administration, scheduling, disciplinary action and termination will be made without unlawful discrimination based on sex, gender, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, pregnancy or maternity, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to [email protected].
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