Axis Talent Partners
Student Success Strategy Officer at Lumina Foundation
NewPay87k - 110k / year
LocationRemote
Employment typeFull-Time
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Job Description
- Req#: yMWU7Hlf7E
- Demonstrated alignment with Lumina’s mission and values, and proven track record of commitment to equity
- Strong, applied understanding of best practices for removing barriers to successful completion of bachelor’s degrees, particularly for working adults, and for those from Black, Hispanic Latino, and Native American communities
- Direct experience preferably in the higher education, nonprofit, public, and/or philanthropic sectors
- Demonstrated success in influencing, affecting, and implementing strategies for student success, including practical experience leading change initiatives at the department or institutional level highly preferred
- Experience building and managing diverse networks that support efforts to produce systemic change
- Demonstrated ability to extract key lessons from past or current work, including recognizing patterns across the field, and using those learnings to both shape and inform future work
- Ability to translate learnings and insights into thought leadership opportunities for the field through various channels for written and verbal communication and storytelling
- Comfort navigating ambiguous roles and evolving organizational strategies
- Ability to recommend how best to use the Foundation’s resources to ensure the policies and practices envisioned in the current Strategic Plan are aligned with
- Lumina’s principles of learning and credentialing
- Outstanding project management skills with demonstrated ability to execute and follow through to achieve intended results, by following through on commitments, prioritizing work, and managing time and resources well
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate accurately, effectively, and in ways appropriate to different audiences
- Strong ability to review, revise, and synthesize a variety of information sources and help connect the Foundation’s work to broader discussions within the higher education landscape
- Analytical, problem-solving, and research skills and an ability to coordinate and collaborate with internal colleagues and external field practitioners, researchers, and program evaluators
- Outstanding collaborator and relationship builder, with a track record of deliberately building authentic relationships both internally and externally to organizations, and across teams and levels within an organization
- Ability to learn quickly and connect learning to ongoing conversations related to the assigned body of work
- Ability to make decisions in concert with others without complete information and to thrive in an outcomes-oriented, continuously evolving work environment in which thinking beyond the curve is encouraged
- Ability to work collegially and diplomatically across the organization and audience groups, with a proven ability to resolve any conflicts
About Lumina Foundation
Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis committed to making
opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision higher learning that is
easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation’s talent needs through a broad
range of credentials. We work toward a system that prepares people for informed citizenship
and success in a global economy. With an endowment of nearly $1.5 billion and offices in
Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., Lumina has a passionate and committed staff that values
candor, collaboration, and connection. Learn more about our values here.
About the Opportunity
The Strategy Officer for Student Success on the BA Team works with the Strategy Director for
Student Success to implement Lumina’s strategy, approach, and portfolio of grants designed to
increase student success in attaining high-quality Bachelor’s degrees. The portfolio is centrally
focused on meeting the needs of marginalized students by remedying structural disparities
within postsecondary systems in order to foster more equitable outcomes. This portfolio is
focused on scaling the adoption of evidence-based student success strategies that center the
quality of student learning and equitable, valuable outcomes, particularly for students less well-
served by higher education, including Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Indigenous students, working
adults, and those from low-income backgrounds.
In 2025, Lumina will embark on the development of the portfolio’s next strategic phase. The
strategy officer will support portfolio planning and design, and ultimately, implementation through
grantmaking. The person in this role should have practical expertise in implementing effective
student success approaches andtand leading institutional reform efforts with a strong emphasis
on equity. In addition, the officer should be aware of the current array of strategies and reforms
that focus on racial equity and educational quality and have the potential to scale., . A general
understanding of related policy and sociopolitical contexts for institutional reforms is also
preferred.
At Lumina, how we approach the work is as important as what we accomplish. Candor,
collaboration, and connection are the organization’s core values and everyone at Lumina strives
to live these values through their words and actions.
Areas of Leadership
Mission and Values Alignment, and Commitment to Educational Equity: Advance Lumina’s
commitment to improving post-high school educational outcomes and increasing the proportion
of working-age adults in the United States with quality learning credentials, particularly Black,
Hispanic, Latino, and Native American individuals and those from low-income backgrounds.
Apply practices that strengthen and promote equitable approaches in hiring, contracting,
grantmaking, and strategic decision making to achieve fair and just outcomes in our work.
Effectively communicate Lumina’s commitment to equity to internal and external partners.
Key qualifications:
Student Success Landscape Analysis and Strategy Conceptualization: Assess current field
dynamics in four-year institutions, focusing on what works, what doesn't, and opportunities for
systemic impact , translating findings into recommendations to the Strategy Director and
executive team members about the design, development, and piloting of new initiatives aimed at
increasing student success in 4-year institutions. Clearly articulate and champion the bachelor’s
degree student success strategy to internal and external stakeholders, including leading thought
leadership by writing blog posts, participating in panels at conferences, and leading internal
learning sessions. Partner on integrated strategy approaches that aim to scale promising
practices.
Key qualifications:
Portfolio Design and Management: Manage an assigned portfolio of grants and contracts
through the lifecycle. Leverage existing relationships with trusted colleagues and cultivate new
partnerships to develop a portfolio of grants and contracts related to student success in
Bachelor’s degree granting institutions. Ensure that the portfolio of grants and contracts leads to
impactful investments, including the equitable completion of high-quality Bachelor’s degrees.
Help lead efforts in developing technical assistance strategies that empower grantees to
implement systemic changes . Review and revise incoming material and convey thoughts and
Lumina’s key messages in a clear and compelling manner.
Key qualifications:
Relationship Building and Collaboration: Work cross-functionally within the foundation, in an
intentional and forward-looking way, fostering coordination between operational and strategic
teams to advance shared goals, priorities, and equity . Engage with the Student Success
Strategy Director consistently for feedback, guidance, and alignment. Deliberately and
strategically build external relationships with peers and experts in the student success and
philanthropy communities.
Key qualifications:
Work Environment and Physical Demands
Work is performed in an office environment, mostly sedentary.
Extensive use of various forms of technology.
Travels about 15%, including overnight stays.
Compensation, Benefits, and Location
Salary range is $87,000-$110,000 (final pay commensurate with experience). Benefits include,
but are not limited to, Health Insurance (medical, dental, and vision), 401(k), Pension, Vacation
and Sick Time, Paid Leave, 100% Employer Paid Group Life, and Long-term Disability. This is a
hybrid position, and the preferred location for this position is Indianapolis, Indiana, but we
welcome applications from qualified candidates in other locations and may consider flexible
arrangements for the right fit.About the company
Axis Talent Partners is an executive search and talent strategy firm. We partner with social impact organizations to provide talent solutions that are grounded in relationship building and centered in equity and inclusivity.