Admissions Officer At Better Days Greece

About Gekko

Gekko was conceived by Better Days on Lesvos in May 2017 to challenge existing models of education in emergencies by integrating high-quality education with mental health and psychosocial support services in a dignified, trauma-aware environment. Gekko operations in Lesvos reached optimal capacity in 2019-20 with 915 registered students and 452 psychosocial support sessions. Due to interconnected factors including Covid-19, the fire that destroyed Moria camp, and the implementation of closed, securitised camps on the islands, we expanded our projects to mainland Greece.

Displaced young people in Athens are in need of services that lie at the heart of Gekko: trauma-aware psychosocial support integrated with high-quality, individualised education. Thus, Gekko in Athens was born. Our summer pilot program (50 students) launched in July 2023 and the full-scale project (120 students) in fall 2023. Gekko offers a safe learning environment for 15-24 year-olds who are experiencing displacement, and serves as a space where they can offload their troubles and fight for their dreams. We aim to reduce the barriers students face and pave the path to quality education and accreditation.

Working with Better Days

Better Days is a small and dynamic organisation looking to hire people who are passionate about humanitarian work, understand its risks and complexities, and are interested in investing in their role long-term. We are a quality-driven organisation determined to provide grassroots, holistic and effective solutions to support the integration and de-victimization of displaced communities in Europe, focusing on refugee education and empowerment of youth. Our colleagues come from all over the world, and our official business language is English. The ideal candidate will be inducted for two weeks and trained during the probation period. At the end of a third month’s contract, the candidate is expected to participate in Better Days’ Employee Survey and Self-Assessment, which is part of their employee evaluation.

Role Description

This is a position that plays a crucial role in School Administration. The candidate should be able to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team environment and have excellent coordination and organisational skills. Strong M&E skills are required as the Admissions Officer is collecting, monitoring, analysing and centralising most of the project’s data.

Their primary role is to ensure that all applications are processed effectively and new admissions receive individual assistance and a personalised educational plan. To achieve that, the Admissions Officer needs to have experience with case management. Furthermore, as the architect of the Admissions Procedure, they must ensure compliance with its steps (Student Outreach – Applications – Registration – Individual Plan – Monitoring & Evaluation) to guarantee a positive experience for all students walking through the door. M&E is a key function of this role, who tracks progress with KPIs and reports frequently. They also lead in the planning of outreach for new admissions and promotion of Gekko activities amongst existing students. The Admissions Officer works closely with the Outreach Manager, the Academic Coordinator, the School Counselor and the management to implement their work effectively. They will be supervising a small team of volunteers who support admissions.

Main Responsibilities

As an Admissions Officer they will be expected to:

• Develop outreach exercises to reach and engage students effectively.
• Review student applications for courses, workshops and BD’s Studentship program. Communicate with the applicants on the result of the review.
• Register students at Gekko; ensure the collection of information, signing of student bundles and scheduling of interviews. Coordination with the academic team for placement tests, and translators.
• Conduct the registration interview when required. Otherwise coordinate with the School Counselor; identification of student exceptionalities and other needs.
• Work closely with the academic team to support the creation of students’ Individual Plans.
• Participate in Case Management meetings.
• Oversee the distribution of student rewards and transportation tickets.
• Communicate with students as required.
• Communicate with parents/guardians/shelters as required.
• Liaise with the students and gather feedback.
• Manage the Admissions desk.
• Support with referrals to external actors.
• Ensure the effective collection and keeping of Gekko’s databases
• Reporting: provide weekly stand-ups, including KPI progress and main data figures. Report monthly/per academic term to the management.

*The above functions may be directly implemented by the Admissions Officer or delegated to the Admission team members depending on their skills and competencies.

Requirements

Candidates who do not meet the below criteria will not be considered.

• Eligibility to work in Greece.
• Proven experience with monitoring and evaluation systems is necessary.
• Proven experience in office administration and/or project coordination is required.
• Excellent level of English.
• Advanced IT skills (confident user of G Suite, Slack, Canva).
• Previous experience in customer care or educational and humanitarian settings.

Priority will be given to candidates with:

• Candidates fluent in Greek, French, Farsi or Arabic will be prioritised.
• Candidates with previous experience working with displaced populations in Greece will be prioritised.
• Experience with school admissions and student information systems will be considered an asset.
• Candidates with a background in social work or case management will be prioritised.
• Previous experience working with youth will be considered an asset.