College Access Mentor Specialist

Company Overview:

Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT) was founded in 2013 with the mission to increase the number of young men of color (YMOC) to attend and graduate from colleges and universities. We envision a world where men of color are overrepresented in higher education, underrepresented in the criminal justice system, and leaders in their communities. By embodying our core values of Character, Service, Teamwork, and Liberation we work to combat academic inequities and build a college-to-community pipeline.

Position Overview:

The Mentor Specialist is the primary relationship-builder, college advisor, and college-going culture anchor for students in grades 7–12 at Archway Charter School. This role operates as the site-based leader for IYT programming at Archway — responsible for the daily (and virtual) IYT experience for every student on the caseload, and serving as the consistent human connection between students, their families, and the college-going path ahead.

This is a role that requires deep cultural humility, genuine investment in the Delta community, and the ability to build lasting trust with young men of color who may have experienced broken promises from institutions. Showing up consistently, authentically, and with full presence — is the job.

Key Responsibilities:

Mentorship and Daily Student Support

• Serve as the senior IYT leader for all programming at Archway; maintain consistent, visible presence — in-person on campus days and active virtual engagement on remote days.
• Deliver 1:1 mentorship to all grade levels on the site roster, centering student identity, goals, and connection to a college-going future.
• Build trust intentionally and over time — do not rush the relationship; students in the Delta have every reason to be skeptical of adults who promise and disappear.

Virtual and Remote Engagement

• On remote instruction days, maintain active outreach to students through video calls, phone check-ins, texts, and digital tools to preserve relationship continuity.
• Track attendance and engagement patterns during remote cycles; flag students who are disengaging and initiate re-contact within 48 hours.
• Document all remote touchpoints in Salesforce within 24 hours.

In-Person Programming — Campus Days

• Lead structured programming at Archway on in-person days: own the full Brotherhood experience including rituals (Brotherhood Clap, Creed, Family Love, announcements, energizer) and the Member Development Workshop.
• Own and operate open and structured study hall on in-person days, keeping the space welcoming, structured, and purposeful.
• Prioritize students carrying D/F grades or below a 2.5 GPA during study hall; track attendance and follow up with students who are absent.
• Debrief with the Associate Program Director at the close of each in-person day to identify student follow-up priorities for the remote cycle ahead.

Family Engagement

• Conduct a family touchpoint after every mentorship session — affirm student growth, share a win, or invite the family into an upcoming opportunity.
• Lead quarterly family engagement touchpoints throughout the year (Q1 Orientation/Welcome, Q2 Milestone, Q3 Mid-Semester, Q4 Celebration). Given the Delta context, family outreach may require flexible timing and meeting families where they are.
• Approach family relationships with the same humility and patience as student relationships — trust is earned through consistency.

Academic Monitoring and College Readiness

• Monitor student GPA, college eligibility progress, and attendance across the assigned caseload — both during remote and in-person cycles.
• For 12th graders, coordinate FAFSA timelines, college applications, and senior readiness milestones.
• Introduce each senior to the College Completion Mentor Specialist by spring semester — this warm handoff is a required deliverable.

Data and Documentation

• Log all mentorship sessions, programming attendance, virtual touchpoints, and family engagements in Salesforce within 24 hours of occurrence.
• Maintain up-to-date academic records for each student — including GPA, college eligibility progress, attendance, and D/F flags — and surface concerns to the Associate Program Director in a timely manner.
• Track and document all grade-level milestones: FAFSA completion, college applications, intent-to-enroll, orientation, registration, declared major, education plan, and counselor connection for 12th grade students.
• Maintain accurate intervention notes and academic recovery plans for students carrying D/F grades or falling below a 2.0 GPA, documenting follow-up actions and progress.
• Document the warm handoff to the College Completion Mentor Specialist for each 12th grade student before graduation.
• Capture and submit regular site content — photos, short videos, student stories, and impactful program moments — to the Associate Program Director, with all required consent and release documentation on file.

Additional Duties as Assigned

Schedule:

Archway operates a highly flexible hybrid instructional model designed to serve students across the Mississippi Delta: 18 days of structured remote instruction followed by 2 intensive, high-impact in-person days at the Belzoni campus. This cycle repeats throughout the school year.

For the Mentor Specialist, this means:

• Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm; some weekends, evenings, and organization-wide events are required.
• In-person days: showing up fully at the Belzoni campus to lead Brotherhood programming, structured study hall, face-to-face mentorship, and relationship-building with students, school staff, and families. (In-person days are high-impact and should be treated as the anchor of the student relationship — plan them intentionally and arrive prepared.)
• Remote days: delivering virtual mentorship sessions, 1:1 check-ins, family outreach, academic monitoring, and Salesforce documentation from a home or office-based setting.

Location:

• Field-based — This position works specifically out of Archway Charter School which is located in Belzoni, Mississippi.

Pay Rate:

• $23.00 – $27.50/hr

Benefits:

IYT also offers the following Benefits:

• Medical 
• Dental
• Vision
• Life AD&D (with additional voluntary options)
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)
• 403(b) retirement plan with 3% employer match after one year of employment. 
• Sick Leave
• 2 weeks of accrued paid Vacation Leave
• 8 Paid Holidays
• Additional paid time off during select school breaks (about 3 weeks of additional PTO in total)

Must Haves:

• Commitment to the mission, vision, and values of IYT.
• Ability to self-motivate to achieve results.  
• A multi-tasker with a solid ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines, and produce quality results. 
• Excellent communication and management skills that can both inspire and push others to accomplish their goals.  
• Ability to operate with an appropriate, responsible level of transparency and vulnerability, engendering confidence and trust. 

Experience:

Required

• Strong relationship-building skills; ability to connect authentically with students, families, and school partners across both virtual and in-person settings.
• Cultural humility and awareness of the Mississippi Delta's historical and social context; ability to show up without savior framing.
• Comfort with hybrid or remote work environments and digital communication tools.

Preferred

• Lived experience in or strong familiarity with communities similar to the Mississippi Delta.
• Experience working with high school-age youth in under-resourced or rural settings.
• Salesforce or equivalent data system experience.
• Bilingual in Spanish preferred

Education

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university is required

Computer Skills

• G-Suite
• Microsoft Suite
• Zoom
• Salesforce