General Description of Position:

The College Counselor is responsible for enthusiastically supporting new and returning upper school (grades 9-12) students’ academic, college-career, and social-emotional development through collaborative partnership with students, parents, and LSS faculty and staff. A successful candidate will have wide exposure and experience in best practices for college and school counseling, proficiency in building strong relationships through online tools, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the organization.

Job Duties:

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Support programs known in the educational arena to accommodate circumstances that are unique to the diverse school population while ensuring ethical review and documentation of student requirements on an official transcript.
• In collaboration with Academic Advisors, review transcripts of incoming students, including international student transcripts, to assist with the creation of course schedules as needed upon admission. 
• Ensure that students are meeting academic standards and requirements for grade level promotion, graduation, and college acceptance.
• Monitor student pacing and progress in accordance with Laurel Springs’ policies and expectations.
• Facilitate grade-level seminar courses for students and provide authentic and meaningful feedback on all assignments.
• Provide ongoing support to ensure each student reaches their individual post-secondary goals. Support varies from student to student and may involve career exploration, college list development, identification of opportunities related to the student’s pathway of interest, etc.
• Write meaningful and effective letters of recommendation for student applications as needed and requested
• Lead live and recorded webinar sessions, events, and activities which focus on supporting students’ academic, college-career, and social-emotional development.
• Communicate proactively and responsively with students, parents, teachers, staff, and administrators via email, phone, video conference, and any other communication tools provided by LSS.
• Collaborate closely with upper school faculty and other staff regarding individual student support and to aid in the development of comprehensive programming that provides the highest level of support, playing a critical role in student success and retention.
• Support individual student academic, social/emotional, and college/career needs through regular one-on-one meetings.
• Support and encourage student enrollment through active participation in virtual open houses, enrollment/re-enrollment conversations, and other similar admissions or marketing events.
• Regularly contribute to newsletters and other similar school communications as assigned.
• Participate collaboratively and professionally in school-wide meetings, events, communications, and activities, both online and in person, with some required evening virtual events.
• Engage in ongoing professional development (internal and external), practice self-assessment, and strive for continuous improvement.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding students, families, and staff as well as LSS management and operations.
• Perform other counseling-related duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Master’s degree or higher in School Counseling
• Active School Counseling certification and commitment to ongoing compliance with state and local regulations relating to background checks and credentials.
• 3+ years of experience counseling or working in a school setting specifically supporting upper school students.
• Extensive experience supporting students through the college application process.
• Experience with developing student schedules and academic plans.
• Excellent skills with word processing, productivity, communication, and educational technology tools; expertise with G-Suite, Learning Management Systems, and Student Information Systems strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical, interpretive, evaluative, and constructive thinking, and organizational skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Access to dependable and high-quality internet and a quiet workspace that allows the counselor to be fully present and available to students, parents, and colleagues as needed during typical work hours (Monday through Friday from 8:30am - 5pm ET) and during periodic evening events as assigned.
• Flexibility with schedule when needed to support international students or students who require communication outside office hours.
• Ability to travel to attend in-person events, meetings, and training opportunities at least once or twice per year.