Specialist, ARCO Career & Technical Education Completion (CTE) (PT)

Spectrum 360 A NJ Non Profit Corp.; Trenton (NJ); On-site; USD 28,000 - 33,000; Part time

Job summary

Mercer County Community College is seeking a part-time CTE Completion Specialist to empower students in completing credentials, balancing coursework, and building academic success. The role emphasizes guiding CTE students, fostering retention, and coordinating with college resources across the Mercer campuses.

The position collaborates with faculty, counselors, and support services to promote student achievement, with a focus on persistence, completion, and successful transitions after program

Qualifications

• Associate's degree required (preferably in arts, education, or related field).
• Experience working in a higher education setting, particularly with diverse student populations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to engage and build rapport with students, faculty, and staff.

Responsibilities

• Conduct individual and group sessions to enhance understanding of available support services, nurture academic self-efficacy, and facilitate student retention.
• Formulate, oversee, and build awareness of success support services and resources by promoting programs, delivering class presentations, conducting training sessions, and fostering collaborations with faculty and the college community.
• Develop collaborative relationships with a diverse network of internal and external partners to connect students with supportive resources, addressing their needs and bolstering their path to success.
• Create and execute impactful engagement and support strategies that significantly enhance a sense of belonging, ultimately strengthening student outcomes.
• Engage in relevant professional development in order to integrate current strategies, evidence-based techniques, and best practices.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Education

Associate's degree

Higher education experience

Job description

Salary: $20.00 Hourly

Location: West Windsor and Trenton, NJ

Job Type: Part-Time

Job Number: 202600036

Division: Academic Affairs

Department: Arts & Communication

Opening Date: 07/08/2026

JOB SUMMARY AND DUTIES

If you are considering a new job, work environment or career opportunities you should look at Mercer County Community College. MCCC is a publicly supported college that is open to all and dedicated to student success. In order to support that mission Mercer seeks to attract, retain, and support a skilled diverse workforce which is our most valuable resource. We thrive on and are proud of our diversity and open access. Our students and employees find the College large enough for a multitude of offerings yet small enough to keep the "Community" feel for all. The College consists of two campuses, the James Kerney Campus (JKC) in the capital city of Trenton, NJ and a larger 292 acre suburban campus just six miles north of Trenton.

As part of the comprehensive and valuable benefits package the College offers credit course tuition waivers for employees, spouses and dependents. This allows for employees and their families to take advantage of earning a higher retention degree without the high cost. The College offers students 69 Degree Program Options and 35 Credit Certificates from which to choose.

JOB DUTIES

• CTE Completion Specialist will empower CTE students to optimize their potential by providing support and assistance in acquiring effective strategies and behaviors that enhance both their personal and academic lives.
• The supports provided by the CTE Completion Specialist will lead to more students persevering to complete credentialing, leading to better employment and brighter futures.
• Assist CTE students to navigate through the completion of coursework, particularly as it relates to balancing the management of design, project completion, and portfolios.
• Promote and cultivate academic success for CTE students in their general education courses.
• Create and conduct group workshops to bolster time management, academic organization and planning, for course and career success.
• Provide one-on-one guidance for students in CTE programs to identify and navigate barriers that impact retention, persistence completion, and academic success.
• Facilitate student relationships with faculty, faculty advisors, and LA program coordinators.
• Work closely with Mercer's student support services such as: Center for Accessibility Resources (CAR), Academic Support Center, Military & Veteran Services, Office of Financial Aid, Career and Transfer Services.
• Ensure that CTE students are fully aware of all opportunities and resources available to them through the college.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following tasks, knowledge, skills and other characteristics. This list of tasks is illustrative ONLY and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by positions in this class. It does not imply that all positions within the class perform all of the duties listed, nor does it necessarily list all possible duties that may be assigned.

• Conduct individual and group sessions to enhance understanding of available support services, nurture academic self-efficacy, and facilitate student retention.
• Formulate, oversee, and build awareness of success support services and resources by promoting programs, delivering class presentations, conducting training sessions, and fostering collaborations with faculty and the college community.
• Develop collaborative relationships with a diverse network of internal and external partners to connect students with supportive resources, addressing their needs and bolstering their path to success.
• Create and execute impactful engagement and support strategies that significantly enhance a sense of belonging, ultimately strengthening student outcomes.
• Engage in relevant professional development in order to integrate current strategies, evidence-based techniques, and best practices.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

No Supervisory Responsibilities

WORKING CONDITIONS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to lift, stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.

Please note that assigned tasks and responsibilities span both campuses for all MCCC positions.

Please note this position is grant funded and continued employment is subject to grant renewal.

ADA AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Positions in this class typically require: ability to use a keyboard, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions.

Sedentary Work: Exerting

up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Associate's degree required (preferably in the arts, education, or related field).
• Experience working in a higher education setting, particularly with diverse student populations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to engage and build rapport with students, faculty, and staff.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in visual art or related field.
• Experience in academic advising, coaching, Guided Pathways, first-year experience, retention, and career services.
• Working knowledge of Ellucian Software and Student Planning.
• Bilingual/ Multilingual

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Student-centric attitude and growth mindset approach.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices and professional learning strategies that create a sense of belonging and address historic and systemic inequities for student success.
• Thorough understanding of college and community resources that address holistic student needs including student basic needs, mental health and wellness, academic development, and advocacy programming.
• Proficiency in aiding students to recognize and navigate obstacles that influence their ability to stay enrolled, persevere, complete their academic journey, and achieve success.
• Ability to treat people with respect; works with integrity and ethically; upholds organizational values.

CORE COMPETENCIES

The successful candidate should demonstrate the following competencies:

Adaptability

Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work tasks or the work environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures.

Building Trust

Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one's intentions and those of the organization.

Customer Focus

Making students and their needs a primary focus of one's actions; developing and sustaining productive student relationships.

Decision Making

Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities; comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.

Problem Solving

Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in group problem solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.

Communication

Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message.

Contributing to Team Success

Actively participating as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of goals.

Diversity & Inclusion

Working with situations involving different cultures/languages and responding to the ambiguity of unexpected/unfamiliar approaches.

Initiating Action

Taking prompt action to accomplish objectives; taking action to achieve goals beyond what is required; being proactive.

Building Partnerships

Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one's area and other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations to help achieve business goals.

Mercer County Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, marital status, religion, age, disability, handicap or other legally protected status in its provision of employment, education, and activities, or other services. Mercer County Community College is an EEO/AAP Employer/Protected Veteran/Disabled.

Disclaimer: This job description outlines the general nature and key features performed by various positions that share the same job classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties and qualifications required of all employees assigned to the job. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or re-assign duties to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodations or other business reasons.

Part Time Employee Benefits

• Defined Contribution Retirement Plan (DCRP) - enrollment requirement with minimum annual base salary of $5,000 or more
• Life Insurance - 1.5 times the annual base salary with DCRP participation
• Long Term Disability Coverage after 1 year of DCRP participation
• Sick Time - accrue 1 hour for every 30 hours worked
• Health and Prescription Plan - (employee paid)