TITLE: STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION SPECIALIST - 2 Year Grant Funded Role

WHO WE ARE:

Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) is a student-focused, innovative educational organization committed to academic excellence. Our mission is to empower and educate all students to think critically, creatively, and responsibly, to embrace diversity, and to pursue their dreams with a purpose. We are a family of excellent public schools in which every student has the opportunity to succeed and the power to create their own future.

Led by forward-thinking leadership and our commitment to prioritizing students, racial equity, and authentic engagement with our families, team members, and communities, our staff have diverse opportunities to develop their careers in a challenging but rewarding environment. We are an organization for people who are passionate about education and who are committed to the Indianapolis community.

SUMMARY OF OPPORTUNITY:

We are looking for a skilled professional who has experience in student recruitment and retention in an urban setting . Professional development opportunities are available to enhance growth, as well as competitive benefits and salary.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

The following outlines what your core duties and responsibilities will be for this position and provides a sample overview of what your day-to-day may look like.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

• The Student Recruitment and Retention Specialist (SRRS) will serve as a critical member of the Indianapolis Public Schools Recruitment and Retention team, which is part of the Enrollment and broader Portfolio team.
• Each SRRS will work directly with one of IPS’ school learning communities, supporting a subset of 12-15 schools in their recruitment and retention efforts.
• The SRRS will contribute to the development and leading of district-, learning community-, and school-specific initiatives relating to student recruitment and retention, working in close collaboration with and reporting directly to the Director of Student Recruitment and Retention.
• The SRRS will help develop a continuum of professional development opportunities and recruitment resources for district-, learning community-, and school-based staff to aid in effective student recruitment and retention.
• The SRRS will develop a range of events and activities to support student recruitment and retention across the district, including supporting schools in their learning community as they develop their own range of events.
• Each SRRS will work with their specific school learning community to develop a range of PR and marketing materials to support student recruitment and retention school-specific materials, including supporting schools in their learning community as they develop their own range of materials.
• Each SRRS will implement tracking and accountability systems to monitor their Learning Community’s and individual schools’ progress on student recruitment and retention.
• The SRRS will develop and manage strategic partnerships for their learning community and schools as it pertains to student recruitment and retention.
• Each SRRS will populate a database on prospective students for outreach and recruitment, tracking students through the enrollment phase.
• Each SRRS will collaborate directly with school-based staff assigned recruitment and retention responsibilities, providing resources, support, and accountability for achieving school-based recruitment and retention goals.
• The SRRS will work directly with families to support them as they select and enroll in an IPS school and to support families as they choose to remain in an IPS school.

“Day In the Life” Overview

On a regular day, as the SRRS, you might:

• Review tracking system for student recruitment and retention to individualize learning community and schoo-based support to improve recruitment and retention outcomes, including encouraging nimble adjustments in strategy as needed
• Develop and present student recruitment and retention professional development sessions for district and school leaders
• Update and distribute recruitment communication materials
• Respond to questions and concerns from teachers, administrators and students
• Plan for district-wide events focusing on retention of PreK students to K, 6th grade students to 7th and 8th grade students to 9th
• Meet with community leaders to develop recruitment and retention partnerships to benefit IPS enrollment
• Meet with family members to recruit and retain students in IPS

WHAT YOU’ll BRING: SKILLS AND MINDSETS

As an ideal candidate for this role, you will be able to achieve the following:

• Growth Mindset - Continuously seeks to improve individual work, demonstrating candor and ability identify weaknesses. Finds lessons in failures and successes of others. Proactively seeks and acts on feedback.
• Effective Influencer - Inspires others to work towards common goals to meet the needs of urban school students, despite obstacles. Advocates the importance of the district’s role in serving schools and communicates with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong Collaboration & Cross-Functional Skills - Builds rapport and cooperative relationships with others. Establishes and maintains strong relationships with relevant stakeholders. Places high priority on team and organizational goals.
• Confidentiality - Makes effective decisions regarding sensitive and confidential information. Respects the privacy of others and maintains the confidentiality of information to which exposed.
• Communication Skills - Possesses effective verbal and written communication and should be able to adapt communication style to suit different audiences.
• Strategic Thinking - Identifies challenges and guides team toward solutions. Creates space for productive debate and alternative perspectives. Encourages innovation and creativity from team. Identifies risks and ways to mitigate.
• Project Management - Manages projects from end to end, identifying and monitoring project milestones and holding team accountable for achieving results.

EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION, AND LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: BS/BA or equivalent plus 3-5 years of professional experience.

FLSA CLASSIFICATION:

Exempt

ELIGIBILITY FOR REMOTE WORK:

Eligible

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
• WORK ENRVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally to wet and humid conditions and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work

environment is usually moderate.

EEOC STATEMENT:

Indianapolis Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, will not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy,