GEAR UP First Year College Advisor, Pahrump (Part-time)

Nevada System of Higher Education; Pahrump (NV); On-site; USD 32,000 - 43,000; Part time

Job summary

Great Basin College is seeking a GEAR UP First Year College Advisor (FYCA) based at the Pahrump Center, NV. You will work with high school students to guide them through graduation and their first year of college or postsecondary training, focusing on early college awareness and admissions/navigation of financial aid.

This grant-funded role (through May 31, 2027) requires advising across FAFSA completion, college applications, and transition programming, with select evenings and weekends

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred but not required.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience working with youth.
• Deep understanding of barriers faced by low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students.
• Advanced proficiency navigating FAFSA, college applications, and testing procedures.

Responsibilities

• Provide individualized academic advising to ensure college prep coursework is completed and college lists are built.
• Guide students through college applications, entrance exams, and admission requirements.
• Coordinate FAFSA/WASFA workshops, scholarship searches and aid letter reviews.
• Organize college campus visits, financial literacy workshops, and summer bridge activities.
• Maintain grant reporting: document student contacts, workshops, and milestones.

Skills

Youth experience

Advising experience

FAFSA knowledge

Intercultural competence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Education/related field

Tools

College admissions platforms

Job description

Job Description

The GEAR UP First Year College Advisor (FYCA) is based at the Pahrump Center in Pahrump, Nevada. The FYCA works directly with high school students, guiding them through graduation, and continuing intensive advising through their first full year of college or postsecondary training. The primary objective is to build early college awareness, navigate the admissions and financial aid pipeline, and deliver intrusive advising to ensure successful first-year college persistence.

Grant-Funded Position

This position is currently funded through May 31, 2027, with the possibility of extension into subsequent years, contingent upon the availability of grant funding.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Education, Counseling, Social Work, Higher Education Administration, or a closely related field, preferred but not required.
• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of experience working with youth, preferably in a high school counseling office, college access program (e.g., TRIO, GEAR UP), or higher education student affairs.
• Target Population Knowledge: Deep understanding of the distinct cultural, financial, and institutional barriers faced by low-income, first-generation, and historically underrepresented students.
• Process Expertise: Advanced proficiency navigating federal financial aid processes (FAFSA), college application platforms, and standardized testing procedures.
• Logistics: Access to reliable transportation for travel between high school campuses, partner universities, and regional student events; ability to work select evenings and weekends.

Key Responsibilities

High School Pipeline Support

• College and Career Planning: Deliver individualized academic advising to ensure students complete college-preparatory coursework, explore career pathways, and build balanced college lists.
• Admissions and Milestones Management: Guide students through college applications, entrance exam preparation (ACT/SAT), and institutional admission requirements.
• Financial Aid Advising: Coordinate and execute mandatory FAFSA/WASFA completion workshops, scholarship searches, and financial aid award letter review sessions for families.
• Transition Programming: Organize college campus visits, financial literacy workshops, and summer bridge activities to familiarize students with postsecondary environments.

First-Year College Transition and Persistence

• Summer Melt Prevention: Maintain high-touch outreach during the critical summer months between high school graduation and college day-one to finalize enrollment, housing, and tuition payments.
• Intrusive Postsecondary Advising: Deliver proactive, regular check-ins (in-person or virtual) with college freshmen to monitor academic performance, mental health, and social adjustment.
• Campus Resource Mapping: Connect first-year college students to existing on-campus support networks, including tutoring, counseling, disability services, and peer mentoring.
• Re-enrollment Support: Assist first-year college students with second-semester course registration, satisfactory academic progress (SAP) monitoring, and early FAFSA renewal.

Compliance, Data, and Administration

• Grant Metric Tracking: Strictly document and track all student contacts, workshops, and milestones in the designated database to comply with federal grant reporting mandates.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Act as the primary liaison between high school administration, partner college retention teams, and parents/guardians.

Salary/Benefits

The hourly rate for this position is $27.00

This is a part-time, non-benefits-eligible position with a maximum of 79 hours per month.

Exempt

No

Full-Time Equivalent

47.5%

Required Attachment(s)

• Resume/CV – List a detailed description of the major duties that you performed as part of each job. You must demonstrate that you qualify for the position and your education and experience must be clearly documented.
• Cover Letter
• Three Supervisory References – Please make a note if you do not want your present employer contacted unless necessary to determine your qualifications for the position.

Background Check

An online background check will be required of the selected applicant; a third-party administrator will perform this.

Sponsorship

GBC isnot able to support sponsorship for employment. Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States.

All document(s) must be received on or before the closing date of the job announcements.

Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.

HR will attempt to verify academic credentials upon receipt of hiring documents.

NSHE is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person’s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairstyles such as natural hairstyles, afros, bantu knots, curls, braids, locks and twists), color, or religion (protected classes).

About Great Basin College

Located in the high desert of rural Nevada, Great Basin College is a Carnegie classified baccalaureate and associates degree granting institution embracing a comprehensive hybrid mission to deliver a full four-year liberal arts and sciences, community college and applied technical learning curricula. With its main campus in Elko, a beautiful site with residential housing and state-of-the-art learning technologies, GBC serves the largest geographic area of Nevada’s colleges. Great Basin College serves the citizens residing in ten of Nevada’s most rural counties, covering 86,514 square miles and bordering five states. This service area includes centers in Battle Mountain, Ely, Pahrump and Winnemucca. Additionally, satellite locations can be found in twenty other frontier communities.

Our vast geography is known for its spectacular mountain ranges and picturesque valleys, providing a myriad of outdoor recreational opportunities. In addition, Elko is home to several well-known western museums and the world renown, National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, begun 35 years ago to honor and share the traditions of Western storytelling, nurturing the expressive culture of the American West.

GBC provides a “private college” experience with public college affordable access to postsecondary education in an environment that embraces and respects all cultures. It stands among the most innovative colleges in America, integrating many disciplines into single courses and programs, helping students to develop critical thinking and self-directed learning skills. Graduates of Great Basin College are fully prepared to enter their chosen careers with the knowledge and confidence to succeed in the global marketplace.

For more information visitGBCor theArea website.