Maven Role

This position reports to Reports to My Brother’s Keeper (SOS) Program Specialist and Office of Innovation, Equity, and Engagement in a midsize urban school district located in the Capital region of Upstate New York. This position supports the My Brother’s Keeper (SOS) initiative that is aimed to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by girls and young ladies and ensures that all young people can reach their full potential. In Schenectady we have created a small group mentoring program in each of our elementary middle and high schools for Young ladies. This position requires a high degree of open-mindedness, intuitiveness and flexibility.

Maven Expectations

? Serve as a check and Connect for the SOS students in the building;

? Facilitate group mentoring sessions in designated building

? Weekly communication with SOS Program Specialist about individual and group progress;

? Assist SOS students with goal setting & organization skills;

? Serve as an advocate for students & maintain contact with teachers to facilitate success of SOS students;

? Communicate with families regularly on SOS student progress;

? Support planning and attend program events after school hours including weekends.

 

Maven Key Qualities

Dedication and understanding of girls and young ladies;

? Exceptional interpersonal skills and communication skills;

? Takes an advocacy approach to coaching and mentoring;

? Strives to foster and motivate in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.

JOB DESCRIPTION: 

The New York State MBK initiative is part of a national effort to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color. Through mentorship, leadership development, and community engagement, MBK aims to close opportunity gaps and ensure that all youth, particularly young men of color, can reach their full potential.

The My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Fellows Mentor will play a pivotal role in guiding and supporting high school students participating in the New York State Education Department’s MBK Fellows Program. Mentors will be responsible for helping Fellows meet program milestones through structured support, engagement, and leadership development activities. This is a part-time, project-based role that requires consistent interaction with assigned Fellows and participation in statewide MBK events.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

• Facilitate regular, one-on-one meetings with assigned MBK Fellow(s) to provide guidance, encouragement, and accountability.
   
• Support and oversee the planning, execution, and completion of a Fellow-led service project that benefits the Fellow’s school and/or community, aligned with one or more MBK initiatives.
   
• Ensure active participation of both mentor and Fellow in at least two (2) virtual masterminds/book studies hosted by the Assistant Commissioner or designee.
   
• Attend and participate in the MBK Statewide Symposium alongside Fellows to promote leadership, advocacy, and community engagement.
   
• Attend and participate in the Fall Fellows Retreat, designed to foster team-building, goal setting, and leadership growth.
   

Support Fellows in preparation for and participation in the “Stand and Deliver” Workshop and Leadership Presentations, highlighting their projects and personal development.

COMMITMENT & COMPENSATION

• Mentors are expected to be engaged throughout the project period October 09, 2025- June 24, 2026

Location: New York State (Virtual and In-Person Participation Required)
Reports To: Schenectady MBK Program Specialist

Stipend: $1,500 (Disbursed at End of Project Period)

 

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:  This position exists in the Schenectady City School District and involves the responsibility for the coordination of all aspects of the My Brothers’ Keeper Program in the District. This includes, but is not limited to coordinating the MBK Ambassadors; functioning as District Liaison to the Community and Community Organizations and ensuring that family and community engagement is a priority in the participating schools.  Direct supervision is received from the District Director of Pupil Personnel Services with wide leeway given for carrying out the details of the work.  The incumbent does related work as required.

 

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES: 

 

• Conduct outreach and recruit community partners to support MBK initiatives, coordinate with building principals, MBK Turnkey Trainers and MBK Ambassadors in each school in meeting the goals of the program;
• Coordinate and monitor the activities of the My Brothers’ Keeper (MBK) Ambassadors who work with families and school stakeholders to ensure that family engagement activities meet the needs of families and students;

• Recruit for and supervises the Success Mentors connecting highly at-risk young men of color with mentors from our schools and network of community partner organizations to meet the goals of providing encouragement, guidance and support to help students to come to school regularly;
• Ensure that the Success Mentors program Identify nontraditional services that the district may provide within the community to support families and achievement;

• Recruit faculty and principals to be MBK Turnkey Trainers;
• Ensure that faculty in all target schools receive training by the Turnkey Trainers in PLCs and at Principals meetings;
• Schedule MBK Advisory Council  meetings and assure that books and other materials are ordered for book talks and explore other areas for expanded partnership;
• Establish collaboration between educators and community members in an administrative assistant role to the MBK Advisory Council which will include parents, teachers, principals, students, partners and community stakeholders;
• Schedule quarterly meetings of the MBK Advisory Council for to review data and program progress; assure that their program guidance is provided as feedback to building administrators and program participants;
• Maintain progress monitoring and reporting to assess impact of the MBK program;
• Develop and supervise a system for coordinated parent and community volunteers;

• Develop plans and procedures for the MBK program;

• Coordinate and maintain the record-keeping and materials required to support the MBK program;
• Collaborate with administrators to develop protocols for establishing effective communication between parents and building staff;
• Ensure building level data and parent surveys drive the focus of engagement opportunities;

• Recruit teachers and parents to participate in facilitated workshops;
• Work with parents and families to address concerns and to foster communication between the home and the school;
• Coordinate the work of the building level liaisons, building systems for the work to be consistent and cohesive across the district so that there are more opportunities for parents and families to be involved in the education of their child(ren);
• Inform and assist families with services, resources and activities that are on-going within the district and community;
• Work with liaisons to assure parent conferences are well attended and informative for parents;
• Recruit community leaders to serve as resources and advocates for parents;

• Represent the district at community events and conferences, neighborhood meetings and related community activities on behalf of MBK program;
• Serve as primary district liaison to community organizations, local government agencies, and non-profit agencies;
• Other duties as assigned by the Superintendent and/or District Director of Pupil Personnel Services.

 

 

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:  Good knowledge of school district programs;  Good knowledge of methods and procedures used in record maintenance;  Good organizational skills; Excellent interpersonal skills; Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing;  Ability to enlist the cooperation of others to meet a defined goal;  Ability to understand and carry out complex oral and written instructions; Ability to work with youth in an urban setting; Ability to develop quality relationships with parents, students, administration and the school board; Ability to assist the schools in effective communication with parents; Ability to organize meetings; Ability to organize members of the community to develop grassroots concerns and communicate them effectively; Ability to advocate for parents; Ability to seek information to assist families; Compassion and respect for others; Cultural sensitivity to various populations within the school district; Tact, courtesy and resourcefulness in dealing with people; Ability to work evenings and attend evening meetings.

 

Position Title: Maven – Shades of Sisterhood (SOS) Program
 Reports To: Assistant Superintendent of Innovation, Equity, and Engagement
 Department: Office of Innovation, Equity, and Engagement
 Location: Schenectady City School District – Capital Region, Upstate New York

Position Summary

The Schenectady City School District is seeking a highly motivated, compassionate, and skilled individual to serve as a Maven for our Shades of Sisterhood (SOS) initiative. This initiative is designed to address systemic opportunity gaps affecting girls and young women by providing mentorship, advocacy, and socio-emotional support that empowers them to reach their full potential.

Mavens will be embedded within our middle and high schools and are responsible for implementing structured group mentoring programs. The ideal candidate must demonstrate exceptional emotional intelligence, cultural responsiveness, flexibility, and a commitment to youth development and educational equity.

Key Responsibilities

The Maven will be expected to carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

• Program Facilitation & Instruction
   
  • Lead regularly scheduled small-group mentoring sessions aligned with the SOS curriculum.
  • Facilitate engaging lessons and activities that promote leadership, self-confidence, self-awareness, and academic success.
     
• Mentorship & Relationship Building
   
  • Serve as the primary mentor and point of contact (“Check and Connect”) for all SOS students assigned within their designated school building.
     
  • Build trusting, supportive relationships with students, families, and school staff.
    
     

 

• Progress Monitoring & Communication
   
  • Attend weekly check-ins with SOS Leads to discuss individual student progress and overall group dynamics.
     
  • Track students' academic, behavioral, and emotional progress and maintain detailed records.
     
  • Maintain consistent, professional communication with families to keep them informed of student participation, accomplishments, and areas of concern.
     
• Student Advocacy & Support
   
  • Assist students with personal goal-setting, time management, and organizational strategies.
     
  • Actively advocate for student needs by maintaining ongoing communication with teachers and school staff to remove barriers to student success.
     
• Program Engagement
   
  • Attend and support planning for after-school and weekend SOS events, activities, and field trips as part of program enrichment.
     

Qualifications & Core Competencies

The ideal candidate must possess the following attributes:

• Passion for Youth Empowerment – Demonstrated commitment to supporting the academic, emotional, and personal growth of girls and young women.
   
• Cultural Responsiveness – Deep understanding of the cultural, racial, and socioeconomic factors impacting youth in urban school settings.
   
• Strong Communication Skills – Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to connect with students, families, and colleagues from diverse backgrounds.
   
• Mentorship & Advocacy – Proven ability to advocate for and mentor youth in one-on-one and group settings.
   
• Professionalism & Collaboration – Highly organized, dependable, and able to thrive in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
   
• Flexibility & Initiative – Able to adapt to changing needs, take initiative, and manage multiple responsibilities with minimal supervision.
   

Additional Requirements

• Availability to work outside of regular school hours, including evenings and weekends, as needed for program events and activities.
   
• Background check and clearance in accordance with district policy.

If you are a passionate, student-centered professional who believes in the power of mentorship and equity-driven practices, we encourage you to apply for this impactful role.

 

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:   The work involves the performance of a wide variety of duties related to substance abuse prevention and treatment provided to students in a school district.  Primary emphasis is on providing counseling and guidance to students and their families.  Other duties include the dissemination of information on programs and services provided by the agency, follow-up on former student cases and the preparation of records and reports.  The purpose of the work is to coordinate services being provided to students with substance abuse problems to facilitate their transition to employment.  The work is performed under the general supervision of a professional staff member in accordance with established policies and procedures.  The incumbent does related work as required.

 

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

• Maintains records of interviews and meetings with students and their families;
• Keeps abreast of new developments, programs and techniques in addictive abuse prevention and rehabilitation
• Works with addictive substance abusers to gain their confidence
• May disseminate information concerning programs and services to public and private agencies and to the general public through speaking engagements, media releases and educational programs
• Develops treatment plans for assigned students and maintains case progress notes in accordance with State guidelines
• Makes the community aware of the services available
• May prepare monthly student status and demographic reports
• Performs counseling function using an in-depth knowledge of alcoholism and drug addiction with students having special, social, adjust mental, addictive or personal problems in order to provide appropriate counseling relative to the student’s stage of recovery
• Performs case management functions as well as managing an assigned caseload of specific hard to serve  students using knowledge of long term recovery process so as to have the educational program enhance, or at least not jeopardize, the recovery
• Develops needed community resources and maintains working relationships with these groups and programs for hard to serve students
• May act as case coordinator with other community service agencies such as social services, alcohol rehabilitation organizations, mental health, private hospitals, educational  institutions, etc. to provide more integrated services to students
• May perform specialized follow-up visits and studies to assist in evaluating program         effectiveness
• May carry out special projects through research study and development in areas such as case management, integrated service planning and delivery for hard to serve students, etc.
• May supervise the administration of standardized testing instruments and procedures used in the evaluation of hard to serve students
• Performs a variety of related duties as required

 

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:   Good knowledge of the problems of those addicted to or dependent on addictive substances; Good knowledge of the symptoms and physical signs of addictive substance use; Good knowledge of group and individual counseling; Working knowledge of services provided in a school district; Working knowledge of the public and private agencies available to provide assistance to the addicted; Ability to relate to and be accepted by addictive substance abusers; Ability to evaluate student interests and aptitudes; Ability to work with students in a variety of counseling and educational guidance situations; Ability to work in a team approach as part of an educational support team when primary goals are educational success; Ability to follow oral and written directions; Ability to maintain records.

 

 

Restorative Practices Specialist

10-Month Position - minimum salary $38,000- Commensurate with experience

12-Month Position - minimum salary $48,000- Commensurate with experience

 DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:  This position exists in the Schenectady City School District and involves the responsibility of working with school building staff to embed and build capacity in the use of Restorative Practices. The candidate will work to ensure staff beliefs, assumptions, values, and ways of interacting to support an environment that will have a positive effect on social and psychological experiences of all students from all backgrounds (i.e. race, ethnicity, SES, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.) with an increase in student engagement. The incumbent will provide embedded coaching and professional development to staff on the implementation of Trauma Informed strategies, to include Restorative Practices. This position requires a high degree of cultural awareness, understanding of culturally responsive education and collaboration.

The Direct supervision is received from the Assistant Director of Pupil Personnel Services with wide leeway given for carrying out the details of the work.  The incumbent does related work as required.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

• Develop a strong understanding about how things like implicit biases, systemic racism, adverse childhood experiences, and inequity contribute to negative student outcomes. Works with the school team to engage in planning and executing an action plan to improve these outcomes;
• Maintains alignment between all positive behavior support systems;
• Leveraging of mental health programming (i.e. counseling, school psychologist, social workers, etc.);
• Supports culturally responsive practices to include the implementation of restorative circles;
•  Engages in mediations involving students, staff and community members to reduce incidents leading to school discipline systems;
• Facilitates professional development for staff and community aimed at decreasing disproportionality;
•  Provides ongoing disaggregated data analysis and action planning with staff and administrative team;
• Conducts classroom visits, ongoing feedback and coaching on best practice;
• Ensures alignment to the practices identified in the Code of Conduct.
• Other duties as assigned by the Superintendent and/or Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services.

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:  Good knowledge of school district programs;  Good knowledge of methods and procedures used in record maintenance;  Good organizational skills; Excellent interpersonal skills; Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing;  Ability to enlist the cooperation of others to meet a defined goal;  Ability to understand and carry out complex oral and written instructions; Ability to work with youth in an urban setting; knowledge and skills in Restorative Practices; Ability to develop quality relationships with parents, students, administration and the school board; Ability to assist the schools in effective communication with parents; Ability to organize meetings; Ability to organize members of the community to develop grassroots concerns and communicate them effectively; Ability to advocate for parents; Ability to seek information to assist families; Compassion and respect for others; Cultural sensitivity to various populations within the school district; Tact, courtesy and resourcefulness in dealing with people; Ability to work evenings and attend evening meetings.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:   The work involves the performance of a wide variety of duties related to substance abuse prevention and treatment provided to students in a school district.  Primary emphasis is on providing counseling and guidance to students and their families.  Other duties include the dissemination of information on programs and services provided by the agency, follow-up on former student cases and the preparation of records and reports.  The purpose of the work is to coordinate services being provided to students with substance abuse problems to facilitate their transition to employment.  The work is performed under the general supervision of a professional staff member in accordance with established policies and procedures.  The incumbent does related work as required.

 

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

• Maintains records of interviews and meetings with students and their families;
• Keeps abreast of new developments, programs and techniques in addictive abuse prevention and rehabilitation
• Works with addictive substance abusers to gain their confidence
• May disseminate information concerning programs and services to public and private agencies and to the general public through speaking engagements, media releases and educational programs
• Develops treatment plans for assigned students and maintains case progress notes in accordance with State guidelines
• Makes the community aware of the services available
• May prepare monthly student status and demographic reports
• Performs counseling function using an in-depth knowledge of alcoholism and drug addiction with students having special, social, adjust mental, addictive or personal problems in order to provide appropriate counseling relative to the student’s stage of recovery
• Performs case management functions as well as managing an assigned caseload of specific hard to serve  students using knowledge of long term recovery process so as to have the educational program enhance, or at least not jeopardize, the recovery
• Develops needed community resources and maintains working relationships with these groups and programs for hard to serve students
• May act as case coordinator with other community service agencies such as social services, alcohol rehabilitation organizations, mental health, private hospitals, educational  institutions, etc. to provide more integrated services to students
• May perform specialized follow-up visits and studies to assist in evaluating program         effectiveness
• May carry out special projects through research study and development in areas such as case management, integrated service planning and delivery for hard to serve students, etc.
• May supervise the administration of standardized testing instruments and procedures used in the evaluation of hard to serve students
• Performs a variety of related duties as required

 

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:   Good knowledge of the problems of those addicted to or dependent on addictive substances; Good knowledge of the symptoms and physical signs of addictive substance use; Good knowledge of group and individual counseling; Working knowledge of services provided in a school district; Working knowledge of the public and private agencies available to provide assistance to the addicted; Ability to relate to and be accepted by addictive substance abusers; Ability to evaluate student interests and aptitudes; Ability to work with students in a variety of counseling and educational guidance situations; Ability to work in a team approach as part of an educational support team when primary goals are educational success; Ability to follow oral and written directions; Ability to maintain records.

 

 

Distinguishing Features of the Class and Information Processing Specialist II Role

This position involves responsibility for performing complex information processing activities often involving the utilization of word processing and related software.  This position differs from that of Information Processing Specialist I in that the activities performed are more complex.  Incumbents format, type, revise and print text, reports, budgets, etc. following well-established guidelines.  Additionally, when not engaged in equipment operation, an incumbent performs a variety of clerical duties.  General supervision may be exercised over a variety of Information Processing Specialist I and other clerical positions.  The work is performed under general supervision of a higher level employee.  The incumbent does related work as required.

 

Typical Work Activities and Information Processing Specialist II Expectations

• Assigns and reviews work and instructs new employees in specialized clerical and/or information processing activities of a unit; Designs parameters for selective information storage on information processing equipment to produce specialized outputs of this information in response to users' needs;
• Designs methods of assembling pre-recorded pieces of information (usually each having a number of variables to be inserted) into complete documents;
• Designs complex formats and layouts for work assignments;
• Creates word processing, spreadsheets or data base designs based on oral and written directions;
• Creates charts, statistical reports and/or performs mathematical computations;
• Manipulates data to produce requested reports;
• Chooses document formats and designs document layouts to be used for entering information which will be printed in selected areas on pre-printed forms;
• May use e-mail as a communications linkage;
• Types complex charts, statistical reports and/or performs mathematic computations;
• Discusses assigned projects with supervisors to clarify specific needs and problems;
• May attend meetings outside the normal business hours, records the minutes of the meeting and transcribes the minutes;
• Performs a variety of clerical functions related to the position.

Full Performance Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Personal Characteristics and Key Qualities of Information Processing Specialist II: 

• Thorough knowledge of the use and operation of information processing equipment and related peripheral equipment;
• Thorough knowledge and skill in classic desk top applications including word processing, spreadsheets and data bases;
• Good knowledge of office terminology and procedures;
• Good knowledge of proper grammatical usage and punctuation;
• Good knowledge of business vocabulary;
• Ability to plan and supervise the work of others;
• Ability to design complex formats and layouts for work assignments;
• Ability to understand and follow complex oral and written directions; accuracy.

 

NOTE:  The essential functions of this job are determined by the department/jurisdiction where the job is located.