Career Pathway Director, Consulting (Location Flexible)

The Organization
At Thrive Scholars, our goal is to see talented BIPOC students from economically disadvantaged communities develop economic mobility and financial security, and become the diverse corporate, civic, and academic leaders our country so desperately needs.
Our comprehensive, data-driven, high-touch program model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college, and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in careers that equip Scholars for economic mobility.
The Career Development Program
Our career development program specifically includes two years of intensive, personalized career coaching, and access to our professional network and to corporate partnerships for internships and jobs. In recent years, Thrive Scholars has moved from a generalist career development program model to an industry pathway model to ensure that Scholars receive the tailored preparation, and gain the specialized skills, experiences and networks they need for the industries they are pursuing. Currently, Thrive Scholars has the following Career Pathways programs: Life Sciences, Engineering, Technology, Law, Finance, and Consulting. Scholars interested in other fields participate in our generalist Core pathway. Pathway Teams consist of a Pathway Director, and multiple staff focused on career coaching, stewarding partner relationships, and managing Scholar and partner events and programming. Each Pathway also collaborates with other program teams to support mentorship and Scholar internship and job placement.
The Position
Thrive Scholars is looking to recruit a strategic and effective Career Pathway Director, who will lead the Consulting Pathway, working to ensure that Scholars are exposed to career options in management consulting, land excellent internships and jobs in the field, and that they develop the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in those roles.
Additionally, in the first 1-2 years of the role, while we are growing our career program, the Director will also oversee our generalist Core Pathway. The goal of the Core Pathway is to ensure that Scholars are equipped to succeed in a range of functions that align with their interests and that position them for economic mobility, within the corporate sector and beyond.
Across the two pathways (Consulting Pathway and Core Pathway), you will oversee a team that includes career coaches, an account stewardship manager, and a partner & events manager. In this leadership capacity, you will bring together your industry experience, and your knowledge in program, project design, and implementation to create and deliver a transformative career development experience for our Scholars, including industry exploration and engagement curriculum, career coaching and roadmapping, internship and job search support, interview prep (including consulting-specific interview prep), and internship and job success support. Additionally, you will leverage external partnerships with top employers in management consulting and beyond to help Scholars gain an understanding of, and a network in, the consulting and general business fields and to prepare Scholars for successful careers.
In this role, you will have the opportunity to innovate, bring ambitious ideas to fruition, and build and lead a growing team.
Reports to:
The Career Pathway Director will report to the Managing Director of Career Pathways.
Key Responsibilities:
Consulting Pathway Program Design and Management
GOAL: Ensure students are effectively introduced to consulting, that they obtain excellent internships and jobs in management consulting, and that they have the preparation to enter and grow in the industry

• Manage a Consulting Advisory Council that will advise Thrive on the preparation needed for Scholars to enter and succeed in the consulting industry, learn and share about best practices, and be champions for Thrive in the field. The Advisory Council will be made up of a range of individuals in the consulting industry, including, for example, Thrive employer partners and Thrive alumni with early career experience in consulting.
• Develop and drive an early exposure strategy, particularly leveraging our pre-college Summer Academies, ensuring that Scholars in a wide range of majors understand and consider career options within management consulting
• Collaborate with Account Managers/Directors to maintain an up-to-date understanding of the skills and training future interns and employees need to be prepared for roles within the industry (i.e. consulting-specific interviewing skills; quantitative skills; etc.)
• Design and implement a Consulting-focused program that spans the entire six-year Scholar experience
• Oversee the creation and implementation of resources, online courses, and virtual and in-person workshops and panels on topics that support students in navigating their consulting career path, including, for example: consulting across industries, case interviewing, etc.
• Research employment trends, industry insights, and coaching best practices; curate and share this information with Consulting Career Coach(es) and Account Manager(s).

Core Pathway Program Design and Management
GOAL: Ensure students are effectively introduced to a range of business roles that align with their interests and equip them for economic mobility, and support them in obtaining and succeed in a range of roles

• Research employment trends, industry insights, and coaching best practices; curate and share this information with Core Career Coach(es) and Account Manager(s).
• Collaborate with Account Managers to maintain an up-to-date understanding of the skills and training future interns and employees need to be prepared for roles across the corporate sector and beyond.
• Oversee the creation and implementation of resources, online courses, and virtual and in-person workshops and panels on topics that support students in navigating their internship and early career experiences (i.e. career roadmapping, interviewing skills, workplace navigation, etc).
• Design and implement a generalist career program that spans the entire six-year Scholar experience

Team Leadership and Management
GOAL: Foster a positive and effective team culture focused on high performance, talent development, and staff engagement, through the work of hiring, onboarding, coaching, and leading:

• Account Manager who manages relationships with corporate partners that provide internship and job opportunities for scholars and alumni and that provide funding to the Thrive Scholars organization. Account Managers are charged with ensuring partners are effectively integrated into the program, have a positive partnership experience, and renew and increase their partnership, which provides internships, jobs, and funding for Thrive Scholars.
• Career Coach who introduces Scholars to consulting and, for the generalist core pathway, various industries, provides individual coaching and support to Scholars in the pathway, focusing on career exploration, career road mapping, and skills development; applying for internships and jobs; and being equipped to succeed in consulting and general business.
• Partner and Program Manager who is responsible for organizing events with partners such as industry panels, industry TREKS, company visits, company presentations.
• Provide coaching and advising directly to Scholars as needed.

Cross-Departmental Effectiveness
GOAL: Partner with departments across the Program team to ensure successful program and partner activation and stewardship.

• Report against cross-departmental goals and metrics.
• In collaboration with others on the Career Pathways team, support the implementation of career programming across industries, including events, workshops, webinars, conferences, and the production of integrated resources.
• Partner with the Corporate Partnership and placement team to ensure successful internship/job placement of Scholars as applicable.
• Partner with Account Managers and with the Managing Director of Corporate Partnerships to maximize collaboration with partners, recruitment, CSR leads, or talent acquisition at Big 4 consulting firms and other corporate partners. This may include activities like preparing or participating in pitch meetings and ideating on partner program integrations.
• Partner with the Mentorship team to ensure Scholars participate and benefit from high-impact relationships with industry mentors.

Qualifications And Experience
There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. The qualifications and experiences listed below are intended as a guide; we do not expect candidates to check every box. If you believe you can meet the expectations and responsibilities of this position, we want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work.

• Deep understanding of the college to career journey for underrepresented students
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Experience using a database for documentation and reporting
• Strong knowledge of management consulting
• Excellent analytical, and organizational skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Experience preferred in advising, coaching, talent recruitment, or talent development
• Results-driven with an ability to adapt your approach to achieve stated results
• Expertise in and passion for diversity, equity and inclusion in a professional setting
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience, including at least 4 years in a management consulting firm
• Minimum of 3 years in people management role
• Capacity to balance multiple and varied tasks, meet deadlines, and use well-developed time management and organizational skills
• Clear strategic thinker combined with a practical approach and close attention to detail
• Entrepreneurial attitude towards problem solving and demonstrated track record of designing, building and implementing programs or initiatives

COMPETENCIES
Along with the specific qualifications and experiences noted above, people leaders at Thrive Scholars are expected to demonstrate the following leadership competencies:

• Strategic Collaboration: Understands how and when to work with others to drive strong results. Able to balance attention to both results and relationships.
• Setting Strategy: Creates clear, effective strategies that inform the team’s work and build towards the larger vision.
• Building: Creates new and better ways for the organization to be successful, shaping theory and/or practice in the field.
• Leading through Change: Effectively engages and mobilizes stakeholders through change by mitigating stress, demonstrating compassion, and illustrating and planning for a desirable future.

Compensation & Benefits
Thrive Scholars offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including high-quality health and dental insurance, three weeks of paid vacation, generous professional development funding, and access to an employer-matched retirement plan. This is a full-time exempt position.
Starting Salary Range: $136,400-$170,500
COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement
Thrive has a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees, including remote staff. Individuals selected for job opportunities must be fully vaccinated and up to date, per CDC guidelines, and will be required to provide proof of vaccination status in advance of your hire date.
If you are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons or sincerely-held religious beliefs, Thrive will consider requests for reasonable accommodations consistent with our policy. Accommodation requests cannot be guaranteed, Thrive will consider requests where we are able to provide such accommodations without undue hardship to the organization pursuant to applicable law.  Any such accommodation must be approved in advance of signing an offer letter.
Thrive Scholars provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status. Knowing its importance to the success of our work, Thrive Scholars is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we aspire to build a diverse staff team and community. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.
For more information, please visit thrivescholars.org