Launchpad Background:

Launchpad is a new initiative from Building 21 that seeks to directly connect young people to living-wage paying jobs that offer upwardly mobile career opportunities, while providing them with the credentials, skills, mindsets, and experience to thrive in these roles. The program will begin preparing students during their final two years in high school and will continue in the two years that follow. The students we seek to partner with are those in the “middle” – not on a clear track for a four year college but also not in need of significant academic remediation. These students too often struggle to find success in college or in career right out of high school, failing to “latch on” to life trajectories that reflect their potential.

Vision: Realize the equitable distribution of opportunity for young people.

Mission: Bring together networks of students, high schools, post-secondary institutions, and employers to co-create new pathways for young people that lead to good jobs in growing industries.

By integrating career-connected learning, authentic work experiences, and the development of “future ready” skills, Launchpad will harness the power of connected networks of schools and employers to prepare students to thrive as they transition into full-time work. If we support students to mastery across all future ready skills, support students in their acquisition of job/industry specific skills, create lower-stakes opportunities for students to do real work with real customers at Launchpad Inc., and place them in good-fit living wage roles, then students will be launched into the next phase of their lives, ready to thrive in their first role and along an upward career trajectory in a growing industry.

Building 21 Background:

The mission of Building 21 is to empower networks of learners to connect with their passions and build agency to impact their world. Building 21 is a nonprofit organization that is reimagining secondary schooling to meet the needs of all learners. Building 21 partners with school districts to design, launch and operate innovative schools. Our schools are afforded significant flexibility and autonomy by our district partners to pursue our vision for student and adult learning. We also work with schools and districts that are making the transition to competency-based education through our Learning Innovation Network. Our mission is to create a network approach to secondary and post-secondary learning for high school age youth that fundamentally reorients the system to place the learner at the center. www.building21.org

Position Overview:

Launchpad is currently looking for a passionate and experienced individual to serve as the 11th Grade Coordinator. The ideal 11th Grade Coordinator possesses a deep commitment to our mission, and a strong belief in positive youth development and the power of innovative solutions to help young people connect with their bright futures. The 11th Grade Coordinator will work with the Launchpad team to design and implement programming that focuses on Future Ready skill building, offers industry discovery focused initially on Information Technology, and builds a strong and cohesive community with the inaugural cohort. This individual will be the primary point of contact for interested students and participants, offering holistic support to ensure the long term success of each student.

What you’ll do:

Work directly with school partners within the Launchpad network to ensure that there is a candidate pool of interested and qualified applicants
Coordinate the application and selection process for interested 11th graders at partner high schools
Support the design, implementation, and evaluation of an intensive summer program for Launchpad participants that occurs after their 11th grade year
Create engaging opportunities for participants to build competency in Future Ready Skills including but not limited to Wayfinding Experiences, Personal Development, and Habits of Success
Develop ongoing programming for participants in their 11th and 12th grade years that supports students’ readiness and retention in the Launchpad program
Create partnerships with industry experts, who are aligned with our mission, to offer exposure opportunities for Launchpad participants
Create meaningful partnerships with students’ family/outside support networks that support the holistic success and retention of students in the Launchpad program
Integrate career focused mentoring into the 11th grade program year that offers intentional and innovative opportunities for career exploration while helping students understand the transferable skills obtained through training in Information Technology
Provide individual support tailored to the needs of each participant
Gather, analyze, and process program data, including student feedback, to ensure continuous program improvement
Other responsibilities as assigned by the Program Director

The beliefs, mindsets, and skills you possess:

Belief that building strong and caring relationships with students and adults is the foundation upon which a successful workforce development program is built
Deep commitment to positive youth development and an unwavering faith in the potential of every student
Fundamental belief that every student has the ability to design their own path to success in the postsecondary world and in the value that transferable skills attained through workforce training programs can offer along this pathway
Comfort with utilizing multiple types of data to support student development
Comfort with change, iteration, and ambiguity
A growth mindset, understanding that failure is the path to success
Commitment to working on personal growth and continuous learning
Willingness to contribute to a collaborative culture in a way that builds trust, challenges and supports each member of the Launchpad community
Solid understanding of secondary education, youth development, and workforce development
High level of self-awareness, humility, interpersonal skills, and emotional intelligence
Capacity to accept feedback from others, make decisions, and exhibit sound and accurate judgment in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment

Salary and Benefits:

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience
Benefits: Strong benefits package provided
Applicants will be provided with a salary range and information about benefits early in the interview process

Application Submission:

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Building 21 is a non-profit organization that is committed to attracting, developing and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding

and enables each of us to realize our potential. Building 21’s work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of races, ethnicities, national

origins, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities, beliefs, religions, faiths and ideologies, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and levels of physical ability.

Apply online at https://building21.org/careers/