‍Who we are

Across the country, college completion rates are abysmal. In Louisiana in 2023, for instance, just under 30% (28.6%) of the state’s population 25 years or older has attained a Bachelor’s degree or higher. 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 the nation (including California, Chicago, and the Gulf South), and aiming to grow to 800 students by 2026. We’re a tight-knit, supportive, and diverse team.

Why we need you

While Rivet School was founded in California, we’re now beginning to expand nationally, going deep in Illinois, Nevada, and the Gulf South (including Louisiana and Mississippi) to serve new student populations. As part of this effort, in 2024, Rivet School absorbed Trellis, a program incubated in New Orleans, LA in 2020 with the same mission and model.

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At Rivet School, we find our students through a mix of direct online outreach, word-of-mouth referrals, and partnerships with employers and community organizations. While all three channels are valuable to our growth, partnerships demand a high level of attention to yield results. But when they work, it’s like magic! Partnerships lead to a win-win-win outcome for everyone involved: Rivet School grows, our partners get great outcomes for their clients/employees, and prospective students unlock new opportunities through a college degree. 

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Now, we’re now looking to bring on a Louisiana-based team member who can help us build a “meaningful presence” among Gulf South partners. Our virtual-first model allows us to enroll students regardless of where they live and work, but we know having strong partners on the ground makes all the difference. For example, we work closely with Ochsner Health, the largest medical provider in the state, where they enroll non-degree holding staff who want to advance within the sector. These students earn an AA or BA degree in Healthcare Management and gain the non-clinical skills necessary to move into leadership, management, and more specialized positions.

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We need you to help us source, successfully onboard, and maintain lasting Rivet School referral partnerships. Our students perform better when a committed partner is backing them. The more stakeholders we have rooting for our students’ success, the more likely it is they’ll make it to the finish line. You’ll join our Partnerships team and support in doubling down on effective partnership strategies (like partnering with healthcare employers for our Healthcare Pathway) while exploring innovative new partnership opportunities across new industries and sectors, all with the goal of recruiting future Riveters and growing our impact.  

As our next Partnerships Lead, you’ll be managed by our Director of Partnerships, Hanna Curhan, and will work directly with a team of Partnerships Leads, Dorothy Gray and Journey Chen. Each member of the Partnerships Team owns a portfolio of partners based in a specific geographic region or sector, and this new teammate will be responsible for managing partners across the Gulf South territory.

• Referral partnership sourcing (~15% of role): Help build out our referral partner portfolio in the Gulf South — from local employers to community-based organizations to K-12 schools — by finding and vetting referral partnership leads. Serve as the “face of Rivet School” at partner convenings, conferences, and community events to help us spread the word.
• Referral partnership onboarding (~15% of role): Onboard new referral partners through 1:1 conversations, info sessions with potential Rivet School students, custom collateral creation, and more. You’ll collaborate with cross-functional leadership at partner organizations, ensuring that partnership launches drive broad employee or client awareness and lead generation.
• Referral partnership account management and student recruitment (~60% of role): Help maintain long-lasting and effective referral partnerships through ongoing check-ins and collaboration with key partners. You’ll help partners refer potential students to Rivet School by sharing best practices and opportunities to align with the partner’s mission and strategy, and recruit prospective students both virtually and in-person via tabling events, info sessions, and more.
• Strategic planning and projects (~10% of role): Based on your knowledge of our partners’ and students’ needs, you’ll play an integral role in shaping our partnership strategy, and you’ll work to amplify the voice of our partners and students across the organization.

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 have a deep interest in helping traditionally underserved students access opportunity. A typical Riveter is 25-60 years old; a first-generation college student; Black, Latino, and/or AAPI; a parent or has significant family responsibilities; and has previously enrolled in and stopped out of college. You understand that our current education system discriminates against low-income people and people of color in systemic ways, and you want to be part of changing outcomes.
• You are an excellent communicator, writer, and presenter. You’re excited to serve as the face of Rivet School — communicating our mission, vision, and program elements to different audiences and in different environments. You’ve planned for and led high-stakes meetings, and you’ve been told your presentations are engaging and clear.
• You are a data-driven and rigorous thinker. You sweat the small stuff, always follow through on your commitments, and are meticulous about documenting, communicating, and organizing your work. 
• You are excellent at building and stewarding authentic relationships, and deftly navigate operational and organizational hurdles to make partnerships work. You’re great at building trust and establishing consensus within and across diverse groups. 
• You have a history of creating flawless deliverables, whether in school, at work, or in your personal life. These could include presentations, email communications, reports, handbooks or manuals, and/or spreadsheet trackers.
• You’re capable of juggling multiple projects at once. You’re a fast learner, like building new things, and are comfortable navigating complexity and ambiguity. You care deeply about achieving excellence, but never at the expense of yourself or others.
• You’re deeply invested in your own growth, and you actively seek out opportunities to improve.

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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.

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Work experience and background

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• You should have experience in sourcing, developing, and/or maintaining partnerships across organizations/companies — and you might also be a savvy networker in your sector. We’re particularly interested in candidates that have worked in a partnerships or business development capacity in the healthcare  or higher education fields prior to this role. 
• You’ve likely worked on a team with a shared goal or objective — perhaps working towards a shared sales goal or recruitment target.
• 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.
• ‍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 the fourth member of our Partnerships team, you’ll play a crucial role in taking Rivet School to the next level. Your work will directly impact the organization’s ability to grow and serve thousands of students in the coming years.

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You’ll also join a committed, high-performing, thoughtful, and very fun (if we say so ourselves) team. 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.

It’s hard to imagine a better workplace. Team members are genuine, empathetic, open to feedback, and competent.

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.

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

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

The nitty gritty

• Target start date: Monday, October 14th-21st, 2024
• For this role, candidates should live in or be willing to relocate to Louisiana. We have a preference for candidates with strong existing professional and personal networks in the Gulf South.
• This is a full-time remote role. Work hours can be flexible, but availability for and responsiveness to partners and Rivet team members is a must. Periodically, you may need to travel around the Gulf South for in-person partner meetings and events, but outside of that, you're free to work where you like.
• For non-remote candidates, we do mandate proof of vaccination and boosters against COVID-19 for employment, to be submitted at the time of offer acceptance. 
• We offer health benefits (medical, dental, and vision), 15 days of PTO per year, 17 recognized holiday days off, 1 floating holiday, and 10 days of Wellness Time (formerly known as sick time).
• At Rivet School, we use a competency-based hiring and leveling framework to ensure equity and fairness in promotions and compensation. The associated salary range for the level of this position is $69,750–82,000, and official titles range from Partnerships Specialist to Senior Partnerships Lead, commensurate with experience and skill. If you are in a more senior role, but have interest in joining our team, feel free to reach out directly to Hanna Curhan (hanna@rivetschool.org) to learn more.

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.

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.