Program Associate
Hope Chicago
Details
Description
About TasselTurn
TasselTurn Education is a mission-driven education technology company working at the intersection of child welfare and higher education. We address a persistent systems gap: foster care–involved students are encouraged to pursue college, yet institutions lack shared infrastructure, data, and accountability to support postsecondary success.
Homeplace is TasselTurn’s college network designed to help institutions identify, recruit, and support foster care–involved students through coordinated partnerships, implementation support, and data-informed practices. Homeplace is launching with a pilot cohort of colleges and will scale nationally.
About the Role
The Program Associate plays a central role in executing Homeplace’s Year 1 Strategic Framework while also supporting select cross-cutting priorities for TasselTurn. This role supports implementation, coordination, and day-to-day execution across programs, partnerships, and internal operations.
The Program Associate works closely with the Founder & CEO and serves as a key generalist supporting early-stage execution, learning, and systems-building. This role does not own sales, fundraising, or external revenue targets, but directly supports the work that enables those efforts to succeed.
Key Responsibilities
Homeplace Program Execution (Primary Focus)
- Support the execution of Homeplace’s Year 1 Strategic Framework and milestones
- Coordinate onboarding and implementation logistics for participating college partners
- Track partner engagement, timelines, and deliverables
- Prepare materials and follow-ups for college partner meetings
- Support planning and execution of Homeplace virtual college fairs and convenings
- Serve as a consistent point of contact for day-to-day program coordination
Partnerships & Implementation Support
- Support founder-led college partnerships by managing preparation, documentation, and follow-up
- Coordinate schedules, communications, and implementation workflows with college partners
- Capture partner feedback and implementation learnings
- Maintain organized records of partner communications and agreements
Cross-Organizational & Strategic Support
- Support execution of select TasselTurn priorities aligned with the Year 1 Strategic Framework
- Assist with internal project coordination across research, product, and operations
- Support preparation of materials for funders, partners, and advisors
- Help track progress against strategic goals and deadlines
Learning, Documentation & Systems
- Support documentation of program processes, learnings, and implementation insights
- Assist with basic data tracking, reporting, and internal dashboards as needed
- Help organize internal systems, templates, and workflows to support scale
Qualifications
Must-Haves
- Post-secondary education, credential, or equivalent professional experience
- Strong organizational and project management skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, early-stage environment
- Comfort working independently with guidance and direction
- Strong attention to detail and follow-through
- Alignment with TasselTurn’s mission and equity-centered values
Nice-to-Haves
- Experience in education, higher education, nonprofits, or social impact organizations
- Familiarity with foster care, child welfare, or college access initiatives
- Experience supporting program implementation or partnerships
- Comfort using tools such as Google Workspace, project management platforms, and CRMs
This is a part-time, W-2 position (approximately 15–20 hours per week) and is not eligible for benefits.
The Program Associate is expected to work a hybrid schedule, with in-office hours from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and remote work on Mondays and Wednesdays. Specific hours may vary slightly based on organizational needs and mutual agreement.
Benefits
This position is not eligible for benefits.
Level of Language Proficiency
English