The Project Manager for Student Services for the LaGuardia Community College (LaGCC) ACCES Pre-Employment Transition Services Program plays a crucial role in facilitating the successful transition of students with disabilities from postsecondary education to meaningful employment opportunities. The Project Manager will lead the development and implementation of all student support services pertaining to the college's ACCES Pre-ETS grant. This person is responsible for coordinating, developing, and implementing pre-employment services and resources for students in the program, and will do so in collaboration with various LaGCC departments and external disability agencies. This position is supervised by the grant designated Project Directors (within the Division of Student Affairs) and requires engagement with the Office of Accessibility and broader college community to facilitate and assess workplace readiness initiatives. The Project Manager will oversee and manage job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on post-secondary education opportunities, program development and workplace readiness training.

This is a grant-funded, hybrid position through the Research Foundation of CUNY. Appointments are subject to availability of funding and satisfactory performance.

Management and Oversight:

• Oversee and manage initiatives including job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on post-secondary education opportunities, and workplace readiness training of the grant program
• Supervise relevant staff under the grant-funded ACESS Pre-ETS program
• Collaborate with external disability agencies in the community to enhance program services and opportunities, including partner and community high schools, Committee on Special Education Districts, and NYC Special Education District 75
• Assess student satisfaction and engagement on a monthly basis
• Connect students to relevant campus services as needed to ensure their success
• Ensure compliance with and execution of reasonable accommodations to ensure equal opportunities for participants in Pre-ETS programming

Curriculum Development and Programming:

• Develop and implement curriculum for Pre-Employment Transition Services, including job exploration counseling, workplace readiness, social skills, independent living, and self-advocacy skills
• Collaborate with related service offices to develop educative programs and workshops

Collaboration and Outreach:

• Collaborate with student affairs staff to support career and disability-related programming
• Collaborate with LaGCC CARES and Career Services to ensure that students’ city/state benefits are not impacted by participation in the program.
• Participate in New Student Orientation to facilitate the transition of students with disabilities to college

Mentoring Program Management:

• Organize and manage a mentoring program for Pre-ETS identified students
• Provide oversight and support for the program's peer-mentors

Soft Skills and Self-Advocacy Training:

• Provide instruction in soft skills and workplace etiquette through work-based learning experiences for students
• Deliver training in self-advocacy skills to empower students in educational, workplace, and community settings

• Possess a Master's degree in a relevant discipline such as personal or psychological counseling, mental health counseling, disability studies or social work and have a minimum of four (4) years of related experience in counseling, psychology, or social work
• Knowledge of student development and higher education systems
• Bilingual preferred but not required

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in Assistive Technology (AT) and disability-related career planning
• Knowledgeable in ADA-504 Regulations and disability Paradigms
• Familiarity with post-secondary education systems and working with diverse student populations from cross-disability backgrounds
• Experience collaborating with ACCES-VR, NYSCB, OPWDD, and other governmental agencies

About LaGuardia Community College

LaGuardia Community College is one of seven community colleges of the City University of New York/CUNY. LaGuardia offers more than 60 associate degree and certificate programs. Upon graduation most students transfer to four-year colleges, typically in CUNY, to complete their baccalaureate degrees. Graduates of career programs such as Nursing, Computer Technology, and Veterinary Technology enter the workforce.

In 2022, LaGuardia served over 23,000 students in pre-college, associate degree, and continuing education programs. More than one-third of LaGuardia students are foreign-born. They come from 130 countries and speak 54 heritage languages. More than half (54 percent) are first-generation college students. Virtually all students are ethnic minorities (88 percent), 57 percent are women, 29 percent are over the age of 25. Forty-eight percent of LaGuardia students are Hispanic, almost double the threshold of 25 percent required by the US Department of Education for designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Seventy-three percent of LaGuardia students receive some form of government financial aid.

The Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) was established as a not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the State of New York in 1963. RFCUNY supports CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external support (pre-award) from government and private sponsors and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award).

RFCUNY stands between CUNY’s principal investigators (PIs) and the sponsors who support them and strives to fulfill its essential responsibilities to both groups. Working closely with individual PIs and Grants Officers on the campuses, RFCUNY oversees employment, accounting, audit, reporting, purchasing, and special responsibilities that include management of a planned giving program; liaison with governmental agencies and foundations; negotiation of agreements; facility construction and renovation; protection and commercialization of intellectual property; and compliance with applicable standards in research involving human subjects, animal care, environmental and radiological safety, and conflicts of interest.