Job Title: Student Services Representative

Department: Student Services

Reports To: Director of Student Services

FLSA Status: Under Review

Employment Status: Full-time

Location: Asheville, North Carolina

Supervision: None

Revision Date: 11/18/2024

Summary:

Founded in 1967, North Carolina Outward Bound School (NCOBS) is a charter member of the leading outdoor education network in the world. Our wilderness courses, from the mountains of North Carolina to the shores of south Florida to the peaks of South America, deliver our mission to " change lives through challenge and discovery ."

The Student Services Representative handles the customer journey from time of enrollment to the day of course start for Open Enrollment students and Veterans. This position is accountable for the majority of the pre-course conversations with enrolled students and for delivering virtual and in-person presentations for enrolled groups. The ideal candidate will thrive in an energetic, fast-paced, collaborative work environment that heavily utilizes the SalesForce platform to provide a highly personalized and streamlined customer experience.

Success for this position is defined by:

• Positive and constructive feedback received from parents, students, and NCOBS staff

• Running full (or close to full) crews of motivated, prepared Outward Bound participants

• Low early departure rate

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Confidently build trusting relationships with parents and/or students. Communicate clearly and compassionately regarding:

• Our mission - who we serve (and who we do not serve based on our non-therapeutic curriculum). Act independently to refer families to therapeutic sector when appropriate.

• Focus of our course types

• Parent expectations of goals/outcomes. If not within scope of program, make the decision to re-direct the enrollment.

• Cancellation and Refund Policies

• Strategies for parents to help youth applicants achieve increased motivation

• Fears and anxieties of being away from home, friends/family, and technology

• Parents' high need for certainty contrasted with our remote wilderness settings which do not provide certainty

• Accommodations for dietary allergens or medical needs

• Gear recommendations, advising on Clothing and gear list

• Act independently to require re-booking of incorrect travel plans and when to make exceptions

• Risk management - physical and emotional well-being on course

• NCOBS COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases Protocols

Facilitate the application process from time of enrollment to the day of course start:

• Welcome students and families to the start of their NCOBS course experience.

• Handle all aspects of forms, tuition and travel - select appropriate forms to be completed, set and revise due dates, send reminders, review once submitted, follow-up on past due.

• Work collaboratively with the Medical Screener to address student needs

• Review Level 1 and Level 2 applications and approve for participation.

• Engage all wait list enrollments fully in application process

• Work with NCOBS Partnerships Manager and / or Scholarship Partner Agency contacts to fully support their students

• Make recommendations to Director of Student Services regarding scholarship, Requests to Attend with a Friend/Relative and Age Override Requests

• Cancel applicants when appropriate

• Work with National Admission Office (NAO) and/or other OB schools to facilitate transfers

• Review course for gender balance.

• Make recommendation to Director of Student Services when each course is ready to be called a GO

• Work with our Travel Agent to book travel and hotel for Veterans and support travel reconciliation post-course

• Accept medical and medication updates prior to course start. Act independently to approve or relay to Medical Screener for further review.

Conduct Pre-Course Conversations and Presentations

• Facilitate applicant pre-course phone conversations for the majority of open enrollment applicants.

• Assess conversation in real-time to decide if further actions need to be taken based on lack of motivation or other concerns.

• Plan and facilitate in-person and virtual presentations for students and parents including for school groups

Collaborate with Program Department

• Attend periodic pre-courses and course end debriefs virtually and in person

• Assist Student Services team in assessing program trends and feedback, and using these data points to enhance Student Services processes

Manage course hand-off to program staff

• Ensure all application materials and travel plans are posted to the CD Dashboard in a timely manner

• Provide end of course certificates

• Provide CD Dashboard link to the appropriate Program Director

Contribute to Department's Process Improvements and Goals

• Engage in periodic team-based "deep-dives" into SalesForce to innovate, improve processes, and create reports and dashboards

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) - incorporate a DEIB lens into all we do as we personalize our approach to continue to help keep Outward Bound accessible and attractive to underserved populations

• Make periodic updates to the Student Services portion of our website

• Cross train with Group Education Programs to support when available

Other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions:

• Occasional irregular work schedule.

• Occasional travel to base camps, regional events and other sites as needed.

• Must be able to lift 20 pounds.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrate knowledge of Outward Bound program delivery, or program delivery of similar outdoor-based programs.

• Ability to articulate and deliver difficult or complex messaging to parents and students with compassion and empathy

• Highly effective communicator, both written and oral including face to face

• Able to establish rapport with adults, organization administrators, teenagers and parents

• Exceptional listening skills

• Ability and drive to meet numerous time sensitive deadlines each week

• Prior experience in SalesForce or comparable platform strongly preferred

• Understanding of medications often prescribed to our student population a plus (antidepressants, ADHD meds, etc)

• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office 365 programs (Outlook, Teams, Word & Excel)

• Represent NCOBS appropriately and professionally - position is very "forward-facing."

• Self-starter and able to work independently as well as within a team structure

• Be able to collaborate and seek out answers within team or other departments

• Detail oriented with strong organizational skills - required ability to effectively multi-task

• Be able to clear all background and motor vehicle screening

Compensation & Benefits:

• This is a full-time salaried position paying $40,000 - $41,000 annually

• Eligible for full-time benefits that includes Medical, Accident, Dental and Vision benefits

• Eligibility in our 403(b) Retirement plan with matching funds

• Company paid Long Term Disability and Group Term Life Insurance

• Generous Paid Time Off: including vacation time, sick time, comp time and 13 paid holiday per year

• Company paid Employee Assistance Program

• Incredible work culture within a mission driven organization

North Carolina Outward Bound School prohibits discrimination against, and harassment of, any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, age, religion, sex, gender, pregnancy, genetic information, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, military or veteran status, qualified individuals with a disability on the basis of the disability, or any other category which may be protected under applicable local, state or federal law. NCOBS promotes respect for all people and will not tolerate harassment based on any of these characteristics nor on differences based on gender identity or expression.