Pathways Coordinator Full Time

Reports to: Pathways and Partnerships Manager

Location: Kigutu, Burundi

Organization Background:

Village Health Works (VHW) is a 501(c) (3) corporation. It is a social justice organization founded on the belief that health equity is not a commodity but a right. Founded in partnership with our communities, VHW’s mission is to provide the neediest with high-quality, compassionate health care and education based on critical thinking in a dignified environment. VHW’s holistic approach integrates clinical services with education, food security, economic development, environmental protection, music, and the arts. In the context of where we currently work, this is the only way we can sustainably end the extreme, multigenerational scarcity in a way that uplifts and engages communities with dignity and in their context. We believe the lack of access to quality healthcare and education is the biggest threat to development and world peace.

VHW established Kigutu International Academy (KIA), a grade 9-12 boarding school, to equip young minds with an education based on critical thinking and prepare them to become the leaders we wish their country and the continent to have for a better future. KIA is a secondary boarding school created to educate a new generation of Burundi’s ethical and entrepreneurial young leaders.

The students are at the core of their transformative education at KIA. The school recruits, identifies, and selects the most promising students throughout Burundi. Those selected have demonstrated academic success, leadership, and commitment to improving their schools and communities. KIA brings together this cohort of students from diverse backgrounds for a powerful educational and leadership journey over four years. Competencies and skills such as critical thinking and character development are intentionally folded into a sustained high level of academic achievement. KIA helps these young students reinvent what is possible in a progressive and intentional sequence throughout their four years of secondary school and their careers.

One of KIA’s missions is to serve as a model school to help reinforce and enrich the Burundian educational system. It also prepares the KIA graduates for success in universities within the East African community, within Africa, and internationally.

Our core values are as follows:

• Every member of VHW’s team must value the dignity inherent in each individual, aspire to excellence in all we do, and proceed with boldness and perseverance.
• Compassion and justice must be at the heart of our organization.
• To accomplish our organization’s mission, we must all be accountable to each other and our community.

At KIA, all staff members will work to ensure that the learners (students) are provided with a safe learning environment that enables them to flourish academically, physically, and emotionally.

Position Overview

The Pathways Coordinator will be responsible for implementing the Pathways Program, working directly with the KIA student body to prepare students to transition from high school to college, and positioning themselves to succeed in their professional careers. They will work with the Pathways & Partnerships Manager to implement student-facing programs, serving as the on-campus point person for student support, including SAT and Duolingo preparation, college application preparation, and the summer college preparation program. The Pathways Coordinator will continue to support KIA students after graduation, helping to coordinate internships, alum outreach, and alums support to ensure continued guidance and opportunities for KIA graduates. They will also work with the Pathways & Partnerships Manager to build and strengthen partnerships with universities and programs worldwide to expand post-graduate opportunities for KIA students.

The Pathways Coordinator will report directly to the Pathways & Partnerships Manager regarding all programmatic activities and will report to the Head of Student Discipline and Affairs regarding on-campus work and policies, including coordinating their work with students.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Guiding and supporting students’ college planning and applications, including personal support and group workshops.
• Creating and leading workshops and classes across all four years of high school education to prepare students for all college applications, including SAT and English learning and testing, essay and application writing, program research and selection, scholarship/financial aid research and applications, etc.
• Supporting teachers and the school administration by providing in-classroom support as requested and aligned with the Pathways program to support essential skills development.
• Coordinating with the Head of Student Discipline and Affairs regarding student scheduling and logistics on campus.
• Supporting the creation, maintenance, and strengthening of key relationships with universities, programs, and other partners.
• Preparing reports and collecting data to evaluate and consistently improve the Pathways program’s efficacy, assessing students’ preparation for and successful transition to postgraduate education.
• Overseeing administrative tasks related to Pathways, including facilitating students’ testing and serving as the SAT testing coordinator.
• Support students’ external educational programs, such as online and summer learning opportunities, supporting students’ applications, enrollment, and logistical planning.
• Assisting with coordinating and implementing the alum program, including facilitating internship opportunities, maintaining alum outreach efforts, and providing continued support for graduates.
• Pending experience and expertise, teaching and evaluating a non-core class (3-6 weekly periods).
• Other relevant duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• Fluent/native English speaker; French strongly preferred, and Kirundi is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with international university applications.
• Experience working with adolescents.
• Professional experience in schools or educational programs.
• Self-motivated and able to meet deadlines.
• Dynamic, creative, and energetic individual who will bring these characteristics to the classroom and be eager and willing to jump into extracurricular and ad hoc projects and responsibilities.
• Strong interpersonal skills, commitment to and appreciation for diversity, and working in a multicultural environment.
• Commitment to VHW and KIA’s mission and values.

Preferred qualifications:

• Familiarity with the landscape of international universities and scholarships, with a preference for area knowledge of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and/or Europe and Oceania.
• Educational management experience
• Experience in planning and implementing educational professional development programs and/or general staff development programs
• Experience teaching research and communication skills

Salary and Benefits

Competitive salary, commensurate with experience.

Village Health Works considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran or military status.

Tagged as: Burundi, Village Health Works