Advisor, Support Services

About Rise

Rise is a program that supports promising young people and provides them with opportunities that allow them to work together to serve others over their lifetimes. The program starts at ages 15-17 and offers benefits including secondary education opportunities, a technology package, a Rise Residential Summit, college advising, higher education scholarships, additional convenings, funding, and more.

The Role

Reporting to the Executive Director, Rise, the Advisor, Support Services will provide direct Fellow support and operational capacity across the Support Services function during a period of planned staffing transitions. Working closely with the Support Services Advisors, the Advisor will help ensure continuity in the delivery of education funding, benefits, wellbeing support, and other services to nearly 400 Rise Fellows around the world.

During the appointment, the Advisor will assume an assigned portfolio of Fellows ordinarily managed by an Advisor, Support Services who is on an extended leave. The assigned portfolio and related responsibilities will shift during the term as staffing needs change. The Advisor will manage routine matters within established Support Services policies, processes, and decision-making frameworks, with ongoing guidance and oversight from the active Advisor, Support Services. Matters requiring elevated judgment, including complex cases, funding exceptions and appeals, safeguarding concerns, and significant policy interpretation, will be escalated as appropriate.

The Advisor will also work closely with the Associate, Program Delivery & Operations; colleagues across Rise and The Rhodes Trust; and external consultants, higher education partners, and service providers. While primarily focused on direct Fellow support and execution of established Support Services processes, the Advisor will provide additional capacity during seasonal peaks, major events, and other periods of increased demand.

Key Responsibilities

A) Fellow Support, Advising & Case Management

• Manage an assigned portfolio of Fellows within established Support Services policies and processes, serving as a primary point of contact, responding to routine inquiries, maintaining accurate records, and providing timely and consistent support related to education, funding, benefits, wellbeing, and other needs.
• Conduct Fellow support and advising calls related to education, funding, benefits, wellbeing, and other needs, coordinating with the active Support Services Advisor and other partners as needed.
• Identify and promptly escalate complex cases, funding exceptions and appeals, hardship needs, wellbeing concerns, safeguarding matters, and other situations requiring elevated judgment, policy interpretation, or decision-making.
• Adhere to Rise safeguarding, privacy, data protection, and documentation standards in all Fellow interactions and case-management activities.

B) Higher Education Funding & Benefits Administration

• Support the annual higher education funding workflow, including collecting and reviewing information, tracking requests and approvals, coordinating payments, and maintaining accurate records.
• Perform due diligence checks and support the timely administration of Fellow funding and benefits in accordance with established policies and processes.
• Support financial need assessments, stipends, university payments, forward-funding requests, graduate education funding, hardship funding, and other approved Fellow benefits.
• Coordinate with Fellows, universities, The Rhodes Trust, and other partners to collect required information, resolve routine issues, and track funding requests and payments through completion.

C) Communications, Community & Events

• Contribute to Support Services communications, helping ensure Fellows receive timely information about benefits, requirements, deadlines, policies, and available resources.
• Support the planning and delivery of the 2027 Rise Global Convening, Regional Meetups, and other virtual and in-person events, including participant travel, visas, accommodations, registrations, communications, and event logistics.
• Provide on-site operational support for major events, including registration, transportation, meals, meeting spaces, materials, and vendor coordination.

D) Support Services Operations & Data

• Maintain accurate Fellow, funding, and partner information in Airtable and other Support Services systems, supporting data quality, workflow tracking, reporting, and documentation.
• Follow and help maintain established workflows, standard operating procedures, and operational resources, and identify recurring issues or inefficiencies for consideration by the Support Services Advisors and Associate, Program Delivery & Operations.
• Provide additional Support Services capacity during seasonal peaks and staffing transitions; contribute to organizational priorities and special projects; and perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience working with young people across global cultures, with the ability to communicate with sensitivity, sound judgment, and respect for different backgrounds and circumstances.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and problem-solving ability, with the capacity to manage a substantial portfolio of Fellows and multiple time-sensitive workflows simultaneously.
• Ability to learn and consistently apply established policies, processes, and decision-making frameworks while recognizing when a matter requires guidance or escalation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with Fellows, colleagues, universities, and external partners.
• Experience supporting financial administration, operational reporting, databases, and process improvement initiatives.
• Comfort using databases, project management systems, and digital collaboration tools such as Airtable and Google Workspace, with the ability to learn new technologies and systems quickly.
• Values-based, collaborative working style, including the ability to seek guidance and incorporate feedback, with a demonstrated commitment to ethics, integrity, confidentiality, and the safeguarding of young people.
• Ability to adapt responsibilities and priorities as staffing needs and Fellow service demands change, while adhering to Rise safeguarding, privacy, and data protection standards.

Suggested Background

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Experience supporting students, young adults, scholarship recipients, fellowship participants, or others navigating education, funding, or complex administrative processes is preferred.
• Experience managing a caseload, portfolio, customer or client population, or similarly high-volume set of individual relationships and requests is preferred.
• Experience in education, higher education access, scholarships, youth development, nonprofit or philanthropic programs, or another service-oriented environment is helpful.
• Willingness to work additional or extended hours when needed to support Fellows across global time zones and major Rise events, including potential international travel.
• Position is based in the Schmidt New York office, five days per week.