About this role

As part of Agape’s poverty-reduction and place-based Powerlines Community Network (PCN) strategy, the Lead STARS Connector supports students and families through a Two-Generation approach grounded in the Science of Hope and Human Flourishing.

The Lead STARS Connector maintains a caseload of students and provides individualized, trauma-informed supports based on referral reasons, identified strengths and needs, and student and family goals. Using the Science of Hope, the Lead STARS Connector helps students and families identify meaningful goals, strengthen agency, develop pathways to achieve those goals, and navigate barriers to progress. A Human Flourishing lens guides support for the whole person, including educational, physical, emotional, social, relational, spiritual, and economic well-being.

The Lead STARS Connector builds strong relationships with students, families, school personnel, and community partners; coordinates services and referrals; and uses ASSM, Science of Hope, Human Flourishing, attendance, and goal-progress data to inform interventions and monitor outcomes.

The Lead STARS Connector is also responsible for timely and accurate documentation in CaseWorthy, ongoing collection of relevant school data, and maintaining data fidelity to support program quality, continuous improvement, transparency, and accurate reporting.

Responsibilities and Duties

Leadership, Staff Development & Program Support

- Assist the STARS Supervisor with day-to-day program coordination, implementation, and continuous improvement.

- Serve as a lead resource, mentor, and peer support for STARS Connectors, particularly new team members.

- Support onboarding and orientation of new STARS Connectors to program expectations, procedures, assessments, documentation, and school-based practices.

- Model high-quality practices in student and family engagement, professionalism, communication, case management, and documentation.

- Support implementation of STARS program goals, initiatives, action plans, and the STARS logic model.

- Help monitor program calendar, deadlines, deliverables, and data requirements.

- Assist with planning and coordinating STARS activities, workshops, family engagement opportunities, and student/family programming.

- Provide leadership coverage when the STARS Supervisor is unavailable, within clearly defined responsibilities and authority.

- Help identify implementation challenges, professional development needs, and opportunities to strengthen program quality and consistency across schools.

Student & Family Support

- Conduct and update student/family needs and strengths assessments and use findings, along with family voice and choice, to develop individualized service plans and goals for case-managed students.

- Provide Two-Generation, family-driven, strengths-based, trauma-informed services to students and families.

- Use Science of Hope and Human Flourishing principles to support meaningful goal setting, strengthen agency, identify pathways toward goals, and promote student and family well-being.

- Connect students and families to needed resources, including educational, behavioral and mental health, workforce development, parenting and relational health, housing, violence-prevention, and other community-based services.

- Coordinate and monitor services and interventions to support:

- Improved attendance and reduced chronic absenteeism

- Improved behavior and student engagement

- Increased parent/family engagement

- Progress toward individualized student and family goals

- Response to family crises and barriers to stability

- Maintain consistent contact with caseload students and families, including during summer months, while supporting Agape summer programming as assigned.

Data, Documentation & Continuous Improvement

- Maintain accurate and timely participant, service, referral, assessment, goal, outcome, and case-note documentation in CaseWorthy in accordance with Agape and grant requirements.

- Collect and monitor relevant school-based data, including attendance data for caseload students, to assess progress and inform interventions.

- Accurately administer and document required assessments, including ASSM, Science of Hope, and Human Flourishing assessments, and use results to inform student and family supports.

- Use program and outcome data to identify trends, monitor progress, strengthen interventions, and support continuous quality improvement.

- Support STARS Connectors in maintaining data fidelity and meeting documentation and reporting expectations.

- Complete required internal reports and provide timely information for program evaluation, grant reporting, and partner reporting as appropriate.

Collaboration & Professional Responsibilities

- Maintain positive and productive relationships with students, families, school faculty and administration, community partners, and other Agape departments.

- Work collaboratively through Agape's Powerlines Community Network and with community agencies to coordinate services and resources.

- Attend and represent Agape at appropriate school, community, partner, and agency meetings.

- Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, supervision, team meetings, in-service training, and relevant professional development.

- Participate in agency planning, community engagement, advocacy, and other organizational activities as appropriate.

- Maintain a flexible schedule that allows for evening, weekend, school-based, and community activities as needed.

- Perform other duties within the general scope of the position as assigned by STARS leadership or other members of Agape leadership.

Physical Requirements:

- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working at a computer.

- Prolonged walking and standing, and climbing stairs within schools and community sites.

- Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds at a time.

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Agape Child & Family Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Qualifications

Will perform all other duties within the general scope of this position as requested by the direct supervisor or other members of Agape Leadership.

Physical Requirements

- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working at a computer.

- Prolonged walking, standing, and climbing stairs within schools and community sites, and during community events.

- Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds at a time.

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Core Values Alignment

This role reflects and reinforces Agape’s VOICES values:

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties or responsibilities. Agape leadership reserves the right to modify the role to meet organizational needs.

Agape Child & Family Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

Required:

- Bachelor’s degree in Education, Social Work, or related field from an accredited college or university, with at least 2 years of relevant experience. The ideal candidate must have a demonstrated ability to work with a wide range of people, including children, and provide culturally competent service delivery. Demonstrated case management experience is preferred. Knowledge about community development and a passion for helping others. Must have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, demonstrated computer proficiency, including the use of Microsoft Office Suite and other software applications essential to this position. Should possess outstanding organizational and management skills and have proven ability as a problem solver and self-starter. Understanding of data collection procedures and the aptitude for using data to inform decisions and processes. Must have an automobile available for business use and maintain a current driver’s license and current auto insurance with acceptable levels of coverage. Will be required to work a flexible schedule to include evenings and weekends as needed. Candidate must be willing to engage in Agape’s Performance Quality and Improvement (also known as Continuous Quality Improvement) standards of quality & excellence.

Preferred:

Prior supervisory, lead-worker, or team-lead experience is preferred.