Career and Co-Op Specialist

Company: Franklin Cummings Tech

Job Location:

Category: Career Development and Services

Type: Full-Time

Description

Who We Are:

Are you ready to work at a dynamic institution that believes in higher education with lower obstacles? Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (now known as Franklin Cummings Tech) is a nationally accredited non-profit, technical college serving Eastern Massachusetts and beyond. The college was seeded in 1791 with funds from the estate of Benjamin Franklin given to the City of Boston to proliferate access to education and level the playing field for aspiring talent with meager financial means.

Today, Franklin Cummings Tech continues to build on that legacy by offering post-secondary education in high-demand technical and skilled trade fields that lead to excellent careers. Our majors intentionally focus on select industries connected to sustainability and the clean energy transition including electric vehicle technology, smart manufacturing, practical electricity, power engineering, heat pumps/HVAC, biotechnology, automation, construction management, and more.

With a mission to deliver transformative technical and trade education that leads to economic advancement, we offer a unique mix of certificate and degree-granting programs that appeal to enterprising students and respond to employer's demand for a well-prepared workforce. Intentional partnerships with the industries we serve coupled with high graduation and job placement rates, recently attracted the largest philanthropic gift in the history of the college from the Cummings Foundation.

Last year, Franklin Cummings Tech educated more than 1,000 learners across three student types: 1) certificate and degree seekers, 2) continuing education clients, and 3) high schoolers pursuing early college. As further evidence that our mission holds resonance, this year the college tracked a 25% year-over-year jump in fall new student enrollment and applications soared.

We seek team members who are optimistic, entrepreneurial, data-informed, and excited about the prospect of continuing to strategically increase student success outcomes and total enrollment from 1,000 learners today to at least 1,500 learners by 2030. Join us in this mission-driven work!

In early 2024, Franklin Cummings Tech launched a co-op (co-operative education) program, where students are matched with employer partners and get paid to learn on the job, providing a path to better careers and higher salaries. In 2025 we expanded on this model by adding registered apprenticeships in three of our majors. By 2026, all our programs will offer a co-op program. Companies co-invest and pay students well in return for a quality guarantee. In this way, the college becomes a trusted source of talent. At a time when so many question the value of higher education, the co-op provides clear value. It doesn't have to be a choice between work or school. It can now be both.

Position Summary:

The Career and Co-op specialist leads projects and systems to ensure smooth and effective program delivery, including student recruitment and selection, job application, matching, and onboarding, and our apprenticeship compliance management for the MA Department of Apprentice Services. The Specialist will also play a key role in our continuous improvement of these systems so that we can scale the co-op program to 280 students in fall 2028.

Requirements

Specific responsibilities:

• Lead our co-op student recruitment and ensure we meet our recruitment targets
• Lead our co-op application system and ensure timely completion of student paperwork
• Run Interview Day and Match Day to ensure we match students to employers and prepare them to start their co-ops
• Lead matching and onboarding of students and companies, including background checks, drug tests, and checks on driver's licenses
• Oversee the systems to collect data on ongoing student progress on their co-op
• Manage the compliance paperwork required to remain in good standing as an apprenticeship sponsor
• Evaluate student eligibility and support students interested in the apprenticeship program in applying for WIOA funds via regional Mass Hire boards
• Ensure our team uses information management systems effectively, especially Jenzabar and Handshake but also Microsoft Teams
• Lead the transition to Jenzabar Advancement Module
• Run our earned income systems, including processing of earned income contracts and prompt payment by employers in collaboration with our Finance Team
• For each of these systems, make recommendations for our continuous improvement efforts, specifically how we might scale the program without a linear increase in staffing
• Work closely with our Student Affairs, Enrollment Services, Academic Affairs and Finance teams on these projects and systems
• Support the projects of other members of the Career and Co-op team, including the two annual Career Fairs and the Science of Success seminar
• Manage additional administrative tasks as needed

Requirements:

• Proven systems-building experience
• Proven experience with CRMs
• Proven project management skills
• Experience supporting students
• Excellent collaborative skills
• Detail-oriented
• Results-driven and dependable
• Strong listening skills
• Integrity
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excited to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial work environment
• Passionate about the college mission and working in a diverse environment
• Experience in Handshake and Jenzabar a plus

Education, Experience, & Licensing Requirements:

• 3+ years of work experience at a high-performance organization in project management, systems building, and continuous improvement
• Associates Degree or higher required
• Valid Driver's License

Application Process:

Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names, titles, telephone numbers, and email addresses of two professional references. Review of applications will begin immediately.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

FCT is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any applicant or employee on any grounds protected under federal, state, or local law, including race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, national origin, ancestry, marital status, pregnancy, disability (including those related to pregnancy or childbirth), sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any other characteristic or activity protected under federal, state or local law.

Note: The position begins October 1.

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