Who we are

Across the country, college completion rates are abysmal. Here in California, for instance, just over a quarter of students enrolled at a California State University (CSU) campus graduate within four years. Of students who do graduate from college, around four in 10 end up underemployed in a first job. Traditionally underserved populations — like working students, parent learners, and those who are the first in their families to attend college — disproportionately suffer.

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We think this status quo is unacceptable. Rivet School is college built for real life — a new type of college experience designed from the ground up to support traditionally underserved students. Rivet School students earn an accredited, job-relevant bachelor’s degree in as little as 2-3 years, and for around $10,000 total. We’re part of the Postsecondary Success Collective — network of innovative organizations that use a unique university to community model.

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​​Rivet School is a fast-growing nonprofit currently supporting ~300 students across California, Chicago, and New Orleans and aiming to grow to 800 students by 2026. We’re a tight-knit, supportive, and diverse team.

Why we need you

As a College Coach, you’ll be a member of the largest team at Rivet School, working with Natalie, Director of Coaching, and led by Sandra, Chief Program Officer. College Coaches are the cornerstone of our program, providing 1:1 support to students as they work toward earning their BA in 2-3 years through an affordable, flexible, and accredited degree program with Southern New Hampshire University.

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Each College Coach provides 1:1 (primarily virtual) coaching to a caseload of 50-60 diverse students. As part of this, your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Building strong relationships with all students through consistent and values-aligned communication. This includes regular contact with fellows via video meetings, phone calls, text, and email.
• Holding fellows accountable to meeting program expectations.
• Creating and executing detailed and effective fellow support plans.
• Adapting to the changing needs and individual circumstances of each fellow.
• Consistently and accurately using Rivet School tools to track and record student data and provide interventions as needed.

Who you are

Below we list some of the specific skills, experiences, and dispositions we're looking for in a candidate. We also don't expect all strong candidates to excel at each and every one of these skill areas! So if you're intrigued by this role, but have less familiarity with one of the bullets below, we strongly encourage you to apply anyway.

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Characteristics & qualities

• You believe shame has no place in education. You believe all students are whole people with complex lives, and you believe anyone can succeed with the right support and environment. You believe systemic barriers in postsecondary education, not people themselves, interrupt access to, and success in, college for many students.
• You love connecting with others. You are attuned to people’s needs and you honor those needs, while balancing them with your own.
• You jump at the chance to solve problems collaboratively. You’re quick to diagnose what isn’t working and come up with solutions. You ask a lot of questions to uncover the nature of things. When interacting with others, you listen first, then speak.
• You don’t assume that you have all the answers, and you are always open to new knowledge, even if it destabilizes your assumptions.
• You sweat the small stuff, always follow through on your commitments, and are meticulous about documenting, communicating and organizing your work.

Our Core Value Expectations

• Not Yet: You’re open & receptive to feedback, acknowledging gaps and taking steps to correct them.
• No BS: You are honest, communicative, and balance competing interests appropriately, and help foster an environment in which the full team can do the same.
• We are the Riveters: You treat Fellows and team members as whole people with whole lives and do not shame team members or fellows for falling short of expectations.
• Own the Journey: You adopt a low-ego, self-responsible approach to work and collaboration, taking accountability for mistakes and proactively seeking solutions to challenges.

Work experience & background

• You have experience mentoring, coaching, or teaching people from diverse backgrounds, especially across race and class.
• You are a keen communicator and writer. You have the emotional intelligence to shepherd a conversation to the desired outcome.
• You have experience following multi-step processes, maintaining spreadsheets, and documenting qualitative and quantitative information.

In general, we define “work experience” broadly, and we care as much about work experience as we do your character, potential, and belief in our mission of building a better college experience for low-income and working students.

Finally, we do not absolutely require a bachelor’s degree, but we do view it as an asset. Rivet School also supports staff members without a BA on their pathway to earning a college degree. We also are particularly enthusiastic about candidates who share proximity to our learners — candidates who worked while attending college, attended a community college en route to a BA, were an adult or parent learner, or in some other way deviated from the so-called “traditional” pathway.

Why you should apply

As a key member of our Program team, you’ll play a crucial role in taking Rivet School to the next level. Your work will directly impact the lives of our growing student body and will help increase equitable access to high-quality higher education and life-sustaining careers. Here’s what a few current students have to say about their Coach:

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The support I get from my Coach has been life-changing.

The coaching has been amazing. It's been really having someone that I can go to help me problem-solve, get out of my own head and help keep me on track.

The commitment of my Coach is beyond me, and it makes me so grateful that even when I feel like giving up I have my Coach to give me those pep talks and put plans into action.

The support I’ve gotten so far has been beyond great. I can’t appreciate it enough!

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You’ll also join a committed, high-performing, thoughtful, and very fun (if we say so ourselves) team. On our quarterly surveys in 2024, our team members rated (with a 100% response rate) an average 4.8 out of 5 on the question "My manager creates a trusting and open environment," and 4.6 out of 5 for "I would recommend Rivet School as a great place to work.”

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Here’s what a few team members say about working at Rivet School:

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I've never worked in a more supportive organization. The team fosters a culture of collaboration and openness that makes me feel comfortable bringing my whole self to work every day.

Collaborative work is woven into the Rivet School culture. As an introvert who usually prefers to work alone, I find collaborating with my team to be fun, productive, and supportive.

It is really wonderful knowing that when I'm having a bad day or challenge outside of work that I can ask for support or space and my manager/teammates will understand.

I appreciate our open discussions on race, equity and inclusion and how each of us takes responsibility to use this lens in our work.

I am so invested in our mission and the current goals we have in place. I actually believe in the work we do matters, and that's very motivating. It makes work fun when the people I interact with also believe that. Alignment!

This is consistently the most healthy, encouraging, and positive work environment I have ever been a part of. I feel valued, supported, and understood. Beyond grateful for Rivet School.

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Learn more about the Rivet School team on our website here, or on Glassdoor.

The nitty gritty

• Target start date: Tuesday, September 3, 2024
• This is a full-time role based in the San Francisco Bay Area with flexible hours and location. For this role, we have a preference for candidates based in the greater Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Illinois, but we’re open to considering fully remote candidates located elsewhere in the U.S. Team members in the Bay Area are expected to work in our office in Richmond, CA 1x/week. This policy is flexible and responsive to individual team member needs. Our hybrid work environment also enables team members to take extended periods of remote work.
• We do mandate proof of vaccination and boosters against COVID-19 for employment, to be submitted at the time of offer acceptance.
• We offer comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, vision, and life), including 50% premium support for spouses and dependents. We also offer 15 days of PTO per year, 18 recognized holiday days off in 2024, 1 floating holiday, 10 days of Wellness Time (formerly known as sick time), access to a professional development fund, and generous leave policies (parental leave, bereavement, etc.).

• To ensure equity in our hiring process, we assess candidates using pre-set questions and evaluate each step in the hiring process against a pre-set rubric. The steps in this hiring process are as follows: Initial application (below), phone screen (30 min), performance task, 1st virtual interview (45 min), final round virtual interview (2 hours), and reference checks. While we reserve the right to adjust this process, we’re committed to holding all candidates to the same process and sharing updates as soon as possible.

• At Rivet School, we use a competency-based hiring and leveling framework to ensure equity and fairness in promotions and compensation. The associated starting salary range for the level of this position is $60,300 - $74,700.

Rivet School works to upend historically entrenched inequities by reimagining the post-secondary school experience, especially for first-generation and non-traditional students. We commit to living our mission and values by hiring a diverse team, and especially welcome candidates who reflect the identities and experiences of the students we serve — who are majority parents, Black and Latinx, and low to middle-income — to apply.

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As an equal opportunity employer, Rivet School is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other basis prohibited by applicable laws.

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