Careers

TITLE:                         Scholarship and Student Success Manager / Say Yes Syracuse

REPORTS TO:           Vice President of Scholarships & Student Success / Executive Director of Say Yes Syracuse

STATUS:                    Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt

POSITION DESCRIPTION: This position assists in the overall administration and coordination of the Community Foundation’s scholarship programs and the Say Yes Syracuse (SYS) initiative. This position manages the full scholarship lifecycle – from application through award and renewal – ensuring efficient operations, accurate documentation, and a positive experience for students and partners. The Scholarship Manager works closely with the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) and surrounding school districts, partnering colleges and universities, scholarship fund holders, and service providers to collaborate on activities that support college matriculation and the completion of degree programs among students.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Scholarship Programs. Assists in the management of all Community Foundation scholarship programs:
  • Manages the end-to-end scholarship lifecycle, including application, review coordination, award decisions, disbursements, post-award communications, and annual follow-ups.
  • Responds to student, parent/guardian, and external partner inquiries about scholarship awards, payments, eligibility, enrollment status, application processes, and exceptions/appeals.
  • Coordinates with scholarship committees, councils, and internal teams to support the review and selection process, and accurate documentation of committee decisions for Community Foundation scholarships.
  • Assists in managing appeals processes for high school and college students.
• Community Outreach. Represents the Community Foundation and SYS at events. Builds and sustains relationships with school districts, colleges, and community organizations to enhance outreach and student engagement.
• Data and Information. Supports the process for managing student scholarship data and data reporting in the Community Foundation’s scholarship software and the SYS scholarship data platform:
  • Manages and maintains the scholarship database systems, including configuration of applications, scholarship eligibility criteria, applicant workflows, and automated follow-ups.
  • Ensures that data is updated on a timely basis into the software to uphold program integrity and maintain compliance with scholarship guidelines.
• Teamwork with other departments. Collaborates with other departments on the marketing, outreach, processing and management of student scholarship awards.
• Other Duties. Other duties and projects as assigned.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Deep interest in and commitment to philanthropy and the work of the Community Foundation, with a demonstrated commitment to the Central New York area, its people and their concerns.
• Minimum of three years of related work experience required. Familiarity and direct experience with college student admissions processes, financial aid and/or scholarship support programs preferred.
• Computer proficiency including knowledge of Microsoft components and database systems, and a willingness to learn all appropriate Community Foundation software.
• Attention to detail with the ability to organize and prioritize work and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

• Strong interpersonal, relationship building and networking skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral. Comfortably interact with diverse audiences including students and parents, high school and college partners, as well as nonprofit and community groups.

TIME REQUIREMENT: This is a full-time, non-exempt position requiring 37.5 hours per week. Work hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with some flexibility in a hybrid work schedule; availability to attend occasional evening events.  Tuesdays through Thursdays are designated in-office days. Staff that choose to work a hybrid work schedule may choose to do so on Mondays and/or Fridays, dependent on approval.

BENEFITS: Salary range $50,000 – $55,000. Employee benefits include health insurance, annual vacation and sick days, twelve paid holidays, term life insurance, additional disability insurance, parking, 401(k) retirement savings program with employer contribution and match, optional flex spending accounts for medical or dependent care expenses and other benefits as outlined in the employee handbook.

HOW TO APPLY: Please send a letter of interest and resume to careers@cnycf.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.