High School College Counselor

Position Summary / Job Goals:

The Department Head of College Counseling leads and manages the school’s college counseling program, ensuring high-quality, student-centered guidance for students and families throughout the university application process.

This role provides strategic oversight of advising systems, supports counselors in case management and professional development, and collaborates with school leadership to ensure students are well prepared for post-secondary pathways.

Qualifications / Training:

• Training in effective college counseling instructional methods
• Experience teaching a high school college counseling curriculum

Experience / Knowledge:

• Minimum of three years of college counseling experience preferred
• Strong understanding of university application processes and post-secondary pathways
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
• Experience analyzing data related to student outcomes, applications, and admissions trends
• Ability to work effectively in a diverse, international school environment

Attributes:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders
• Excellent time management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Collaborative and team-oriented mindset
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and accountability
• Resilient, adaptable, and calm under pressure
• Proactive and solutions-oriented, with a continuous improvement mindset
• Strong listening skills and ability to respond thoughtfully to student and parent needs

Reports to / Evaluated by:

High School Director

Major Responsibilities and Duties:

College Counseling Program Leadership

• Lead and manage the College Counseling department, ensuring consistency, clarity, and quality across all grade levels
• Design and oversee a structured college counseling program with defined milestones, timelines, and expectations
• Ensure students and families have access to accurate resources, guidance, and feedback throughout the application process
• Maintain ethical, student-centered advising practices aligned with best practices

Student and Family Support

• Oversee student advising, including individual counseling, application planning, and decision-making
• Support counselors with caseload management and complex cases
• Ensure timely, professional communication with parents and intervene when necessary
• Use feedback from students and families to enhance the counseling experience

Team Leadership and Professional Culture

• Build and maintain a collaborative, high-performing counseling team
• Onboard, mentor, and support new counselors
• Facilitate regular team meetings for alignment and continuous improvement
• Provide ongoing feedback to maintain high standards of advising and professionalism

Data, Strategy and Outcomes

• Collect and analyze data related to applications, acceptances, matriculation, and student outcomes
• Use insights to refine strategies and improve program effectiveness
• Coordinate submission of IB results and required documentation to universities
• Monitor admissions trends to inform stakeholders

Events and Community Engagement

• Plan and oversee college-related events (e.g., fairs, workshops, parent sessions)
• Coordinate with internal and external partners to expand student exposure to post-secondary options
• Represent the department at key school events

Collaboration and School Leadership

• Partner with leadership and academic teams to align counseling timelines with curriculum
• Support college-readiness initiatives across grade levels
• Serve as the primary liaison between College Counseling and school leadership

Budget and Resource Management

• Manage the department budget
• Oversee selection and maintenance of counseling platforms, tools, and resources

Village Believes that Effective Employees are:

• Accountable - Establishes a high performing culture and accepts accountability for organizational performance. 
• Strategic - Leads opportunity and is committed to continuous improvement aligned with the organizational vision and direction. 
• Collaborative - Works collaboratively with others to achieve organizational outcomes 
• Entrepreneurial - Creates organizational value for diverse stakeholders and achieves commercial success. 
• Enabling - Drives excellence through valuing and developing others 
• Agile - Achieves personal and organizational success within a changing, dynamic and complex environment 
• Resilient - Demonstrates personal resilience within a demanding environment of high expectations 

Therefore, this position description is designed to outline primary duties, qualifications and job scope, but not limit the employee or Village to only the work identified. It is the expectation of the School that each employee will offer his/her services wherever and whenever necessary to ensure the success of our organization.