Assistant Director Of Student Development

Title: Assistant Director of Student Development

Department: SEO Law

Report to: Director of SEO Law

Compensation: $103,300 - $118,100 (Annually)

FLSA: Exempt

LOCATION/HOURS

This is a full-time, hybrid position based out of our New York City office. It is expected that some duties will be performed on-site at least 2-days a week, and some remotely, with the understanding that government and public health guidelines will help determine the extent to which it is safe to carry out in-person and onsite activities.

POSITION OVERVIEW & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Assistant Director (AD) of Student Development of the SEO Law Program will assist the Director of SEO Law in supporting program participants through academic and professional advising and coaching. For our Catalyst program, SEO Law’s virtual prelaw pipeline program, the AD of Student Development will support engagement with all aspects of the year-long programming, collaborate with LSAT and Admissions Consultants on student progress, and lead the team’s review of law school application materials. For our Fellowship program, the AD of Student Development will support the Fellows with academic and professional advising to ensure the Fellows’ academic success during their first year of law school and professional success in obtaining 1L and 2L summer positions, particularly clerkships or law firm summer associateships.

Responsibilities include:

Catalyst:

• Counsel Catalysts through the law school application process, including hosting one-on-one meeting with participants to refine their overall application strategies and statement subject matter.
• Provide guidance to Catalysts on navigating LSAC’s website, Credential Assembly Service, fee waiver requests, accommodations requests and online applications.
• Review and provide written feedback or edits to application materials (personal statements, optional statements, resumes, addenda) for Catalysts.
• Design and lead workshops to assist in the development of law school application materials.
• Work with the Director and Assistant Director of Outreach, Recruitment & Marketing to coordinate SEO Law’s Summer Law School Application Webinar Series with law school admissions officials and for exclusive virtual information sessions with Catalysts.
• Co-lead or lead Summer Law School Application Webinars

Fellowship:

• Counsel Fellows on long-range academic plans and goals, as well as non-academic factors affecting academic performance throughout Fellows’ first year of law school
• Counsel Fellows in all aspects of their professional formation and job search activities. Conduct practice interviews with students and alumni; provides career advice regarding job search strategy; narrative development; drafting career documentation; preparing for successful interviews; identification of potential legal employers, career paths and work environments most consistent with their personal and professional needs, etc.
• Oversee and manage 1L academic support for Fellows, including but not limited to recruiting law school tutors and conducting mid-semester check-ins with all Fellows
• Review and revise resumes, statements and cover letters for employment applications

General Duties:

• Stay abreast of legal recruiting industry trends by periodically reviewing relevant publications and other resources

• Attend in-person and virtual career and prelaw fairs and conferences, serving as a representative to prospective applicants
• Meet one-on-one with participants and alumni to develop supportive relationships
• Work with the Operations Manager and/or Analyst to ensure payment of tutors, academic coaches and consultants and on designing surveys to gather information, such as program attendance, LSAT scores, academic transcripts, employment plans, journal or clinic participation, etc.
• Assist in the planning, coordination, and execution of programmatic events such as workshops and trainings; collaborate with SEO Law team members to execute the program’s annual 2-week Law Institute in May
• Conduct research to support the Director with discrete special projects
• Assist in refining/editing publications and communications sent to Catalysts and Fellows, planning and executing special projects/events, and undertake other related tasks as requested

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree required; a J.D. strongly preferred.
• 2-3 years of direct professional experience in a law firm, law school admissions, graduate student advising, or legal recruiting.
• Experience in learning and development practices and frameworks is a plus.
• Strong organizational skills; must be comfortable managing multiple competing priorities and meeting deadlines independently and as part of a larger team.
• Technical proficiency in core workplace applications, including MS365 (Word, Excel, Outlook) is required; must have intermediate Excel skills.
• High attention to detail and accountability for quality work product. Must be able to work with minimum supervision as well as within a team.
• Practiced written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills; must be comfortable addressing and engaging with different communities at various levels and through different mediums, including in-person, email, messaging platforms, and phone calls
• A deep curiosity and passion for closing the opportunity gap for underserved and underrepresented communities is non-negotiable.
• Availability to travel in the Fall and to work evenings and weekends throughout the year, such as attending webinars or kick-off events.

COMPETENCIES:

• Passion for closing the opportunity gap for underserved and underrepresented students and young professionals.
• Relationship Management: The emotional intelligence, professional presence, and intellectual depth to build relationships effectively and authentically and interact with a wide range of stakeholders, including current and prospective program participants, colleagues, and external partners.
• Project Management: An affinity for strategic planning with the ability to break down issues into component pieces, build project work plans, assume accountability for timelines, lead cross-functional working teams, evaluate data for continuous improvement, and navigate ambiguity along the way.
• Content Development: An ability to leverage subject matter expertise to create culturally relevant, interesting, and engaging industry-specific professional development content.
• Empathy and Awareness: A demonstrated commitment to continuous learning, improvement, and practice in engaging and empathizing with colleagues and communities from different backgrounds.

• Discretion: Ability to exercise sound judgment in the handling of sensitive and highly confidential information.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

SEO offers a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plan including low-cost health, vision, and dental options, a generous holiday schedule and PTO policies, disability coverage, fully paid time off for new parents, and employer contributions to health reimbursement and retirement accounts. We are constantly working to improve our benefits each year based on the needs of our employees. We value wellness and strive to consistently use a DEIB lens to put people first and foremost.

The compensation listed in this posting reflects what SEO believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and SEO reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time.

EEOC Policy

At SEO we are committed to cultivating a team that embodies the backgrounds and experiences of the constituencies we serve and the communities we live in, and a workplace that reflects the impact we make in the world. Candidates from historically excluded and underrepresented communities – including people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ Community, veterans, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Equal Employment Opportunity is not just the law, it is our commitment.

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer – M/F/D/V. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment regardless 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 legally protected status.

If you need accommodation while applying for a role with SEO, due to a disability, please email SEO Talent.

ABOUT SEO LAW

SEO Law provides participants with critical educational, career development, and internship opportunities that propel them to law school and subsequent employment. SEO Law programming includes Catalyst, which supports aspiring law students nationwide apply to law school and the Fellowship, which is the only program of its kind, offering talented, incoming, underrepresented law school students the opportunity to secure a paid internship at a top law firm the summer before law school. SEO Law alumni have gone on to work as Chief Legal Officers, U.S. District Attorneys, Deputy/Assistant Attorneys General, U.S. District Court Judges, and U.S. Cabinet/Congress Members.

Learn more about the SEO Law program here.