Post-Secondary Success Advisor

cihadf; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance

401(k) matching program

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Cihadf is seeking a Post-Secondary Success Advisor in Denver, Colorado, who will guide and support youth in their transitions post-graduation. The advisor will closely work with high school seniors to tailor individualized pathways for college, career, or trade opportunities, ensuring sustained support and mentorship.

The ideal candidate will have a background in education or social work, possess a strong belief in youth potential, and be committed to fostering equity and inclusion in their advising practices. This full-time role includes a competitive salary and benefits.

Qualifications

• Minimum of an Associate’s degree required; Bachelor’s preferred.
• Two or more years of experience working with youth in advising or coaching.
• Strong belief in youth potential and success.

Responsibilities

• Guide and advocate for high school seniors and post-secondary youth.
• Map college and career pathways with students.
• Provide mentorship and long-term support beyond graduation.

Skills

Advising

Mentorship

Problem-solving

Interpersonal Communication

Education

Associate’s degree

Bachelor’s degree in Education, Social Work, Counseling, or related field

Tools

Advising software

Student Information Systems (SIS)

Job description

About the Colorado LiftED Foundation

The Colorado LiftED Foundation is a long‑term partner to youth. We believe that when we make a deep, long‑term commitment to youth and their families, our whole community thrives. We walk side‑by‑side with youth and their families as they navigate school and life, offering academic, social, and emotional support as they learn, grow, and work toward their dreams.

No one should have to take this journey alone. Since our founding in 1988, we have leveraged proven methods to give youth equal access to the resources they need to succeed and ignite their innate potential. When we keep our promises, anything is possible.

A Colorado where every young person has equal access to educational and career opportunities that will ignite their innate potential.

About the Position

The Post-Secondary Success Advisor is a long‑term guide, advocate, and thought partner to a defined caseload of high school seniors or post‑secondary cohort navigating the transition beyond graduation. This role sits at the intersection of personalized advising, barrier removal, and relationship‑centered planning; working directly with youth to map college, career, trade, military, and workforce pathways that are grounded in their own strengths, values, and community context.

You will stay in relationship with young people beyond the end of the program year — maintaining mentorship and support through the years following high school graduation — because CLF's commitment to youth doesn't end at the diploma. Across every interaction, you will operate from the conviction that every young person deserves guidance that is accessible, culturally affirming, trauma‑responsive, and healing‑centered.

This role lives all five CLF values:

• A Seat at the Table | You will ensure that youth are not passive recipients of guidance but active co‑designers of their own plans — bringing their experiences, values, and community wisdom to every advising conversation and into the decisions that shape their futures.
• Once a Dreamer, Always a Dreamer | You will stay in relationship with youth through the years after high school graduation, providing ongoing support, encouragement, and connection to resources — because CLF's investment in a young person doesn't expire when the program year ends.
• An Inch Wide, A Mile Deep | You will carry a focused caseload with full investment — knowing each young person by name, by dream, and by the specific barrier standing between them and their next step, and staying in that depth of relationship long after graduation.
• Whatever It Takes | When financial aid falls through, when an application hits a wall, when a family concern threatens to derail a plan — you will find the way forward, resourceful and persistent, scaffolding with creativity and urgency until the path is accessible.
• We Not Me | You will build and activate a network of partners (tutors, mental health resources, financial aid counselors, community organizations) treating collaboration as a strategic asset, not a referral list, so that no young person navigates this transition alone.

Key Responsibilities

Advising & Personalized Guidance

• Work directly with a cohort to identify each student's interests, strengths, and goals — knowing each young person by name and by the specific vision they are working toward — and develop personalized, co‑designed post‑secondary plans.
• Promote and celebrate all post‑secondary options, ensuring youth fully understand the value and viability of college, trade, military, and career pathways without hierarchy or assumption.
• Ensure that youth are active co‑designers of their plans — not passive recipients of guidance — bringing their own experiences, values, and community wisdom to the table at every step.
• Maintain mentorship and consistent support for youth through the years following high school graduation, honoring CLF's commitment to long‑term relationship over short‑term programming.

Future Planning & Pathway Development

• Assist youth in mapping post‑secondary pathways (college, career, internships, apprenticeships, trade programs, military, and workforce) and aligning those pathways with each student's long‑term goals and vision.
• Support youth in building concrete action plans with clear next steps, timelines, and accountability structures that keep momentum going even when obstacles arise.
• Co‑design exposure opportunities aligned with youth interests, including Summer Pre‑Collegiate experiences, college visits, career nights, and apprenticeship or internship exploration, ensuring young people have meaningful access to pathways that spark curiosity and expand possibilities.

Direct Support & Caseload Management

• Scaffolding with persistence and creativity — navigating financial aid challenges, application obstacles, family concerns, and system failures with a Whatever It Takes orientation until the way forward is found.
• Connect students with financial aid, tutoring, mental health resources, and community supports, treating each referral as a genuine handoff and following through until the student is connected and resourced.
• Anticipate the barriers most likely to derail students at critical transition points and intervene proactively, not just reactively.
• Manage a defined caseload with full investment; monitoring each student's progress, proactively reaching out when engagement drops, and maintaining the depth of relationship that makes this work different from transactional advising.
• Maintain accurate, confidential records of all student advising sessions in the Student Information System (SIS), ensuring documentation is complete, timely, and useful for continuity of care.
• Use data from advising sessions and caseload tracking to identify patterns, surface gaps, and inform programmatic decisions alongside the Director of Post‑Secondary Success.

Collaboration & Partnership

• Build and steward a network of community partners (financial aid counselors, tutors, mental health providers, workforce organizations, etc.) activating that network on behalf of students rather than simply maintaining a referral list.
• Collaborate closely with CLF's broader youth programs team to ensure seamless continuity of care as students transition from high school programming into LiftED Next.
• Represent CLF's post‑secondary model to school and community partners with clarity and conviction, contributing to a shared vision for what every student deserves as they cross the threshold into adulthood and careers.

Skills & Qualifications

Education

• Minimum: Associate’s degree
• Preferred: Bachelor’s degree in Education, Social Work, Counseling, Human Services, or a related field

Experience: Preferred two or more years of experience working with high school and/or post‑secondary aged youth in an advising, coaching, case management, or direct‑service capacity.

Belief System: An unwavering belief that all youth can achieve and be successful — and a track record of decisions, relationships, and systems that prove it, not just profess it.

Equity & Inclusion: A demonstrated record of contributing to organizational cultures that foster equity, inclusion, and a true sense of belonging — including in how you define success for the young people you serve.

Youth & Community Voice: A practice of making youth active co‑designers of their own plans — centering their values, experiences, and community context rather than defaulting to prescriptive advising.

Depth in Relationship: Demonstrated capacity to carry a focused caseload with genuine depth — knowing each young person fully, staying in relationship through setbacks, and maintaining investment long past the point where others would move on.

Long‑Term Orientation: A practice of staying with young people beyond the program year, the graduation, and the immediate transition — because once a dreamer, always a dreamer.

Problem‑Solving: A persistent, resourceful approach to complex challenges — capable of guiding students through difficult academic policies, financial aid obstacles, and personal roadblocks without flinching.

Technical Knowledge: Proficiency in advising software and Student Information Systems (SIS); ability to collect, track, and reflect on data; and working knowledge of social‑emotional learning principles.

Interpersonal Communication: Active listening, relationship‑building across diverse student populations, and the ability to navigate difficult conversations — with families, institutions, and youth — with clarity and care.

Local Knowledge: Experience working with community and partners in the Denver Metro area.

Requirements

• Qualified Behavioral Health Assistant Certification (CLF provides opportunity to sponsor and obtain within the first year of employment)
• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• Valid Colorado Driver's License.
• Flexibility to work hours that meet the needs of youth and families.
• Ability to pass a criminal background check.
• Values Alignment: Demonstrated belief in and lived practice of CLF's core values: A Seat at the Table, We Not Me, Whatever It Takes, An Inch Wide / A Mile Deep, and Once a Dreamer, Always a Dreamer — with a track record of translating those values into role‑specific decisions.

Compensation & Benefits

Employment Status: Full‑Time (1.0 FTE), Salaried/Exempt.

Salary Range: $50,000 - $60,000 / year

Health Benefits: Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.

Additional Benefits: Life insurance and 401(k) matching program.

Time Off: Paid time off, holidays, and birthdays off.

Professional Growth: Dedicated professional development opportunities.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

At CLF, we use tools like Claude.ai as part of how we think, draft, and work. AI can be a genuine asset for organizing your thoughts, working through writer's block, or strengthening how you communicate your ideas.

That said, what we're looking for in your application is you — your voice, your reflection, and your real connection to this work. When responses feel like they were generated rather than considered, we lose the very thing we're trying to understand: how you think about relationships, complexity, and mission.

So as you prepare your materials, we ask that AI supplement your thinking, not replace it. If you used AI assistance in drafting your application, we simply ask that you briefly note how in your submission. There's no wrong answer — honesty here is itself a signal of the self‑awareness we value in our team.

Commitment to Equity

Colorado LiftED Foundation is dedicated to equal employment opportunities and fair labor practices. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals based on job‑related qualifications and the ability to perform a job without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, religious creed, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, legally protected medical condition, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other basis made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. Our policy is to maintain a non‑discriminatory environment free from intimidation, harassment, or bias. We invite all qualified candidates who share our mission to apply.